Cycles
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But so are many others.
So I feel like tryin' to hide
My head 'neath these covers.
Life is like the seasons,
After winter comes the spring.
So I'll keep this smile awhile
And see what tomorrow brings.
I've been told and I believe
That life is meant for livin'.
So even when my chips are low
There's still some left for givin'.
I've been many places
Maybe not as far as you.
So I think I'll stay awhile
And see if some dreams come true.
There isn't much that I have learned
Through all my foolish years
Except that life keeps running in cycles.
First there's laughter, then those tears.
But I'll keep my head up high
Although I'm kind of tired.
My gal just up and left last week
And Friday I got fired.
You know, it's almost funny
But things can't get worse than now.
So I'll keep on tryin' to sing
But please, just don't ask me how.
The song "Cycles" by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy speaks about the cyclical nature of life and how it is inevitable that one will experience highs and lows. The singer is feeling defeated and wants to hide under covers due to their current situation. However, they also acknowledge that life is like the seasons and after winter comes the spring. As such, they will keep a smile on their face and see what the next day brings.
The singer has been told that life is meant for living and even when things are tough, there is still some good left to give. They have been to many places, though maybe not as far as others, and will stick around to see if their dreams come true. Through their foolish years, they haven't learned much except that life runs in cycles and after laughter, there are tears. But despite being tired and facing recent hardships, they will keep their head up high and keep trying to sing, even though they may not know exactly how to keep going.
Line by Line Meaning
So I'm down and so I'm out
I am feeling low and defeated
But so are many others.
I am not alone in feeling low
So I feel like tryin' to hide
I want to retreat and hide from the world
My head 'neath these covers.
I want to hide under my blankets
Life is like the seasons,
Life changes and goes through phases like the seasons
After winter comes the spring.
After a difficult time, better things will come
So I'll keep this smile awhile
I will try to be optimistic
And see what tomorrow brings.
I will see what the future holds
I've been told and I believe
I have been taught and I accept
That life is meant for livin'.
Life is meant to be lived
So even when my chips are low
Even when I am struggling
There's still some left for givin'.
I can still give something to others
I've been many places
I have traveled to many locations
Maybe not as far as you.
Perhaps not as far as other people
So I think I'll stay awhile
I think I will stay in one place for some time
And see if some dreams come true.
And see if my aspirations will be fulfilled
There isn't much that I have learned
I haven't learned a lot
Through all my foolish years
Throughout all of my possibly misguided young age
Except that life keeps running in cycles.
Except for the fact that life has its ups and downs
First there's laughter, then those tears.
First there is happiness, then there is sadness
But I'll keep my head up high
I will maintain a positive attitude
Although I'm kind of tired.
Even though I am feeling weary
My gal just up and left last week
My girlfriend recently left me abruptly
And Friday I got fired.
And I lost my job on Friday
You know, it's almost funny
It's almost amusing
But things can't get worse than now.
Because things seem to be as bad as they can get
So I'll keep on tryin' to sing
So I will continue to try and be positive
But please, just don't ask me how.
But please don't ask how I manage to be positive
Contributed by Aria O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.