Meyer & McGuire
Songwriter Notes
Song
of the Month #21 - “The Circle Comes Around Again”
(Track
#11 on the Home Town CD)
Lyrics: If your web browser does not support the Flash Player* included with the Lyrics, or you are uncomfortable
allowing/downloading the plug-in/add-on, you can still listen to this song
while you read. Just go to our Downloads
Page and click on the
link, “Buy Home Town Songs from Napster”. Then, click on
"The Circle Comes Around Again." You can listen to it for
free (not available outside the USA).
*Not being a
techie, I use the term “Flash Player” loosely.
The
circle is perhaps the most common of all metaphors. Birth, growth, maturity, and death are
visible wherever we look. We watch the
trees bloom in the spring, and the leaves die in the fall. In our families, not long after new babies
arrive, grandparents inevitably leave us.
Throughout our high school, college, and work years, most of the
friendships we develop just naturally fade as a result of life taking us in a
new direction. Nearly all professions
have a recurring pattern to them, and of all the careers out there, the one
that perhaps best illustrates the cyclical nature of life is teaching.
As
a teacher of high school English, I lived through the repetitive nature of
education for thirty-two years. Every
September I anxiously greeted a new collection of demanding and energetic
sophomores. Each student had his or her
story to tell, and all the tales were vastly different. As the year wore on, we grew together. Every day, in between literature discussions
and composition instruction, I learned a little more about each of their
histories, and they got to know mine.
Some students were more revealing than others, but it is safe to say
that I found out at least one or two facts about each kid. Learning these details was extremely
important to me because we were a team on a mission, and I had to motivate them
to want to be successful. As I gathered
more and more information about each student, I usually discovered English was
somewhat enjoyable for a few kids, but for most kids, it was an absolute
drag. Despite the majority having an
adverse feeling about English, we struggled along together, and I convinced
most of them to do what they needed to do in order to be successful. Unfortunately, when June rolled around, not
all of them reached success, and I always concluded every year with mixed
feelings. I was happy for those who made
it, and sad for those who didn’t. I was happy
I had established some new friendships, but I was sad to see them go. Nevertheless, these mixed emotions of mine
gradually faded as I recuperated over the summer, and by the time September
rolled around, I was ready to meet a new batch of sophomores and get back into
the game once again.
In
the fall of 1988, I met an incredible group of sophomores, and to this day, I
still do not know why they made such an impression on me. Their personalities and issues were not all
that different from the sophomores who came before and after them. Yet, something was indescribably
unusual. In each of the five classes I
had that year, our personalities simply jelled, and we connected on a totally
unique level. Throughout the year, we
struggled with the same problems that existed in previous and future
years. Most of them did not like
English, and it was difficult to get them to do work. However, because we had formed such a bond,
coping with these dilemmas was much less intense. Consequently, when June arrived, the mixed
emotions I usually experienced at that time of the year were incredibly
stronger. I knew these kids had to go,
but I wanted them to stay here for the rest of my career. The sadness I felt about them having to leave
inspired the development of “The Circle Comes Around Again.”
At
the time of the writing of “The Circle Comes Around Again,” my classroom was at
the back of the high school, and it overlooked the student parking lot. One June afternoon in 1989, I was sitting at
the window just as school was letting out for the day. As I listened to horns honking, stereos
blaring, and kids letting out screams of delight, the song came to me. The narrator, a teacher, reflects on the good
and bad times he has had with his students, and he wonders if he has done his
best for them. After raising some
questions about the way educational systems evaluate students, he offers his
students one final suggestion. He
encourages them to listen to their souls, and he tells them if they do so,
their souls will keep them free and lead them to their goals. Each goal they accomplish will bring them
closer to fulfilling their dreams, and when they have accomplished their
dreams, they will have reached true happiness.
“The Circle Comes Around Again” is pure Americana. It is a sensitive folk ballad depicting a
philosophy you can follow as you move through the stages of your life. The philosophy is simple. Whether you are eighteen or eighty, if you
listen to your soul, it will keep you free and lead you to true happiness. John and Joe Dady back me up superbly on this
one. The sensitivity of this song is
enhanced with the soft sounds of a mandolin, harmonica, violin, acoustic
guitar, bass, and drums. While it is a
song for all, it especially is a song for
parents and teachers who, like the narrator, are often put in a position to
offer advice to younger people. Hope you
have time to check it out! I like
it, and I hope you do, too.
I dedicated this song to Periods 5
and 6 of 1988-89. Although all my
classes that year were terrific, these two were the main inspiration for the
song, and although I have not seen most of these students since the last day of
school in 1989, many of the experiences we shared together still remain vivid
in my mind. While most of these people
are spread around the world now, several of them still live here in
Canandaigua, or they come back to town to visit their families during the
holidays. I occasionally run into them
in the local bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, and for the most part,
although their lives have changed, they are still the same people in many
ways. While some still struggle with
motivation and direction, others are quite focused and successful. Many of them have young families, and when
they tell me about their kids, I can see the apple has not fallen very far from
the tree. I can see the circle coming
around again, and I only hope some teacher out there is encouraging these new
kids to follow their souls as they move through the cyclical nature of their
lives.
I recorded this song in 1993 at The Garage, a little
studio in Rochester, New York. The
Garage, as I have told you before, is owned and operated by John and Joe Dady,
two quintessential musicians. When you
record with them, you can always count on great coffee, good stories, and an
aching stomach from laughing. I highly
recommend John and Joe if you are interested in recording. Also, The Dady Brothers, John and Joe’s
group, have many recordings of their own, and they tour the United States and
Ireland. Check them out on the web at www.dadybros.com.
Well,
there you have it. I’ll have another
song of the month for you next month. If
you have any comments or suggestions, please pass them on to me. This is a work in progress, and I am always
looking for new ways to improve it.
(E-Mailed 12/18/08)
E-mail us at McRiley@Frontiernet.net