Spinning Away
Brian Eno Lyrics


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Up on a hill, as the day dissolves
With my pencil turning moments into line
High above in the violet sky
A silent silver plane - it draws a golden chain
One by one, all the stars appear
As the great winds of the planet spiral in
Spinning away, like the night sky at Arles
In the million insect storm, the constellations form
On a hill, under a raven sky
I have no idea exactly what I've drawn
Some kind of change, some kind of spinning away
With every single line moving further out in time
And now as the pale moon rides (in the stars)
Her form in my pale blue lines (in the stars)
And there, as the world rolls round (in the stars)
I draw, but the lines move round (in the stars)
There, as the great wheels blaze (in the stars)
I draw, but my drawing fades (in the stars)




And now, as the old sun dies (in the stars)
I draw, and the four winds sigh (in the stars)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Spinning Away" describe the act of drawing as a metaphor for the passage of time and the inevitability of change. The singer is perched on a hill, looking up at the sky, and as the day fades and the stars and planets appear, he draws them with his pencil, creating lines that represent moments in time. The silver plane that flies overhead represents the passage of time, as it draws a golden chain that connects all the moments together. The constellations that form in the night sky are a reminder of how small we are in the grand scheme of things, and how everything is constantly moving and changing.


The second verse takes on a more introspective tone, as the singer reflects on what he has drawn and what it signifies. He doesn't quite know what he has created, but he senses that it represents change and the inexorable march of time. The moon, stars, and planets are all part of his drawing, and he watches as they move and shift in the sky. He draws and draws, but his lines fade and his creation disappears, just as everything in life eventually fades and disappears.


Overall, the lyrics of "Spinning Away" are a meditation on the beauty and transience of life. The act of drawing becomes a metaphor for the fragile and fleeting nature of existence, and the singer marvels at the majesty of the universe even as he acknowledges his own smallness and impermanence.


Line by Line Meaning

Up on a hill, as the day dissolves
As the day comes to an end, the singer is situated on top of a hill


With my pencil turning moments into line
The singer is using their pencil to capture the moments upon paper


High above in the violet sky
The singer is overlooking the sky, which is now purple


A silent silver plane - it draws a golden chain
An aircraft silently moves across the sky, giving the illusion that it is weaving a golden chain


One by one, all the stars appear
One by one, the artist can see each star begin to shine in the sky


As the great winds of the planet spiral in
The planet's strong winds start to spiral in


Spinning away, like the night sky at Arles
The sky appears to be rotating, similar to what the singer has seen in the town of Arles


In the million insect storm, the constellations form
While in a vast and noisy environment, the artist sees the stars create various patterns


On a hill, under a raven sky
The artist is still on the hill, and now the sky above them is black like a raven


I have no idea exactly what I've drawn
The artist is uncertain of what they have created


Some kind of change, some kind of spinning away
The singer recognizes that the work has gone through a transformation and appears to be spinning away


With every single line moving further out in time
Each line seems to take the artist further into the future


And now as the pale moon rides (in the stars)
The moon is now present as it moves through the constellations


Her form in my pale blue lines (in the stars)
The features of the moon are recorded in the singer's drawings


And there, as the world rolls round (in the stars)
The world is moving around, mirroring the movement seen in the stars


I draw, but the lines move round (in the stars)
Even though the artist is drawing, they recognize the movement of the lines as the world spins


There, as the great wheels blaze (in the stars)
The wheels or gears seem to be moving rapidly in the sky


I draw, but my drawing fades (in the stars)
Despite continuing to draw, the singer realizes that their work is starting to disappear


And now, as the old sun dies (in the stars)
The sun is fading as it sets in the sky


I draw, and the four winds sigh (in the stars)
As the sun disappears, the artist draws, and the wind begins to blow




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: BRIAN PETER GEORGE ENO, JOHN DAVIES CALE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Baldube

Up on a hill, as the day dissolves 

With my pencil turning moments into line

High above in the violet sky 

A silent silver plane - it draws a golden chain
One by one, all the stars appear 

As the great winds of the planet spiral in 

Spinning away, like the night sky at Arles 

In the million insect storm, the constellations form
On a hill, under a raven sky 

I have no idea exactly what I've drawn 

Some kind of change, some kind of spinning away 

With every single line moving further out in time
And now as the pale moon rides (in the stars)

Her form in my pale blue lines (in the stars)
And there, as the world rolls round (in the stars)

I draw, but the lines move round (in the stars)
There, as the great wheels blaze (in the stars)

I draw, but my drawing fades (in the stars)
And now, as the old sun dies (in the stars)

I draw, and the four winds sigh (in the stars)



Badger Mustelid

Lyrics

Up on a hill, as the day dissolves
With my pencil turning moments into line
High above in the violet sky
A silent silver plane - it draws a golden chain

One by one, all the stars appear
As the great winds of the planet spiral in
Spinning away, like the night sky at Arles
In the million insect storm, the constellations form

On a hill, under a raven sky
I have no idea exactly what I've drawn
Some kind of change, some kind of spinning away
With every single line moving further out in time

And now as the pale moon rides (in the stars)
Her form in my pale blue lines (in the stars)
And there, as the world rolls round (in the stars)
I draw, but the lines move round (in the stars)
There, as the great wheels blaze (in the stars)
I draw, but my drawing fades (in the stars)
And now, as the old sun dies (in the stars)
I draw, and the four winds sigh (in the stars)



小嶋保

Up on a hill, as the day dissolves
With my pencil turning moments into line
High above in the violet sky
A silent silver plane - it draws a golden chain
One by one, all the stars appear
As the great winds of the planet spiral in
Spinning away, like the night sky at Arles
In the million insect storm, the constellations form
On a hill, under a raven sky
I have no idea exactly what I've drawn
Some kind of change, some kind of spinning away
With every single line moving further out in time
And now as the pale moon rides (in the stars)
Her form in my pale blue lines (in the stars)
And there, as the world rolls round (in the stars)
I draw, but the lines move round (in the stars)
There, as the great wheels blaze (in the stars)
I draw, but my drawing fades (in the stars)
And now, as the old sun dies (in the stars)
I draw, and the four winds sigh (in the stars)



小嶋保

一日が終わろうとする頃に
丘の上で僕はペンでこの瞬間を刻む
すみれ色の空のはるか上で静かな銀の飛行機
銀の飛行機が金色の飛行機雲を描く

この惑星の強風が次々と渦を巻いて吹き上がる時
一つ一つ星が現れる

夜の空のように頭が混乱する
無数の虫の大群が星座を形作る

真っ暗な空の下の丘の上で
僕は自分がどこにいるのか分らない
何かが変わって
頭がくらくらするような感じがする
1本線を書くごとに
調子よく物事が運んで行く

夜の空のように頭が混乱する
(星に囲まれた)僕は自分がどこにいるのか分らない
僕はここにいる
僕はそこにいる

頭がくらくらするような感じがする
僕はここにいる
僕はそこにいる



All comments from YouTube:

Utter Cnut

This song has a special place in good people's hearts.

Zinc minus 3

👍👍👍

Tony katsoufris

Wonderful,tear-inducing comment that rings so,so true for all that have loved this song!!!

Francisco Julián Astiazarán

The Smith

KILLnFOOLz

Define “good”

Paul o Brien

I play Brian Eno's songs to my 81yr old Mum to calm her down when her Dementia is bad, personally Brian, thank you from us.

Aaron Diver

beautiful

noah richards

I can see that totally. Good vibes I'm sending.

Sean J.

Nice (:

Joe Horizon

I put my kids to sleep with his music over 30 years back. I've tried introducing his music to them, but they ignore me.

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