Round, like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel.
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning wheel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnaval balloon
Like a carousell that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on it's face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of it's own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on it's face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle your head
Why did summer go so quickly
Was it something that I said
Lovers walking allong the shore,
Leave their footprints in the sand
Was the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And a fragment of this song
Half remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning wheel
As the images unwind
Like the circle that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And the fragment of this song
Half remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning wheel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Explanation:
The song is meant to convey the feelings of the singer as hegrapples with the almost overwhelming emotional confusion brought on bythe ending of a brief, but intense love affair.
FIRST PARAGRAPH
Ashis mind races back to the beginning of their relationship, the firststanza describes the intoxicating joy of their passionate love(possibly a "first" love) with the "circle in a spiral" and "a wheelwithin a wheel" and the roller-coaster-like effect of new love "neverending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel". The joy of therelationship and how fast it grew is also conveyed with "snowball on amountain" and "carnival balloon". And "a carousel that's turning ringsaround the moon" signifies the giddly heights of his affection and joy.
Therepeating line "like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutesof its face" represents how fast time flew while in their relationship.
"And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space" represents the purity of their world and of their relationship.
SECOND PARAGRAPH
This paragraph represents the feelings of despair as the realization of the relationship's ending sinks in.
Usingimagery that expresses feeling hopelessly lost "Like a tunnel that youfollow to a tunnel of its own, down a hollow to a cavern where the sunhas never shown".
The nightmare feeling of her leavinghim is expressed as "Like a door that keeps revolving in a halfforgotten dream" and he feels the loneliness of her rejection with theline "or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream".
Therepeating lines of "Like the clock whose hands are sweeping past theminutes of its face, And the world is like an apple whirling silentlyin space" are used here to describe the slowing of time as therelationship winds down and the solitary apple is now represents thefeeling of sadness of being alone.
THIRD PARAGRAPH
Thisparagraph brings us to the singer's present consciousness (signified by"Keys that jingle in your pocket") as he continues to relive hismemories in search for answers.
"Words that jangle in your head" represent how distracted he is now.
"Why did summer go so quickly" represents the possible timespan of their affair.
"Was it something that you said?" represents the natural questioning we go through after a breakup.
"Lovers walk along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand" represents his romantic illusions of their relationship and, like footprints in the sand, how fleeting their relationship seemed.
"Isthe sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?" again,represents his inability to focus through his sadness or to even beaware of his surroundings.
"Pictures hanging in ahallway, and the fragment of a song, Half-remembered names and faces,but to whom do they belong?" probably represent the various artifactsof their relationship, including photos of the friends they made whilethey were a couple. "To whom do they belong?" could be questioning ifthese people are now HER friends or HIS friends. "Half remembered namesand faces" indicates just how much he was emotionally invested in therelationship; to the point where everyone else was just in thebackground.
"When you knew that it was over, you weresuddenly aware that the autumn leaves were turning to the color of herhair." I cannot do justice to this line, but it probably means thateverything beautiful now reminds him of his lost love.
FOURTH PARAGRAPH
Thisparagraph is a repeat of of the "circle in a spiral" imagery which isto indicate that his sorrow continues as he tries to recover from abroken heart.
I found the explanation in this link:
