Cir… Read Full Bio ↴www.circulus.org and www.myspace.com/circulus for more info.
Circulus are a psychedelic folk/progressive rock band from South London, England, put together by vocalist and songwriter Michael Tyack. Circulus believe that high-life is actually medieval life. This is reflected in their varied work, which they describe as "hurtful to people's ears."
The band uses a mix of modern and medieval instruments, such as the lute, bongos and the modern bass and electric guitars. They claim to believe in fairies and pixies.
The Scarecrow
Circulus Lyrics
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Scarecrow running through the dead of night
He has 'till sunrise
To reach the field where the farmer's corn
Will find the ravens' bellies
Come the dawn
Out of breath he had a rest
But the wind took the flame
Set his hand alight
Burning scarecrow running through the night
Burning scarecrow running through the night
Don't burn out before your time
As the fire licked his brain
A turquoise light he saw again
And gently rising
From the sky he saw himself in a dirty pond
All washed out
And sure enough the following morn
The ravens gorged on the farmer's corn
And the farmer stood in the morning rain
By the edge of the pond and all that remained
Of the scarecrow
Of the scarecrow
Don't burn out before your time
The Scarecrow by Circulus is a song that tells a story of a scarecrow who runs through the dead of night to protect the farmer's corn from ravens. The scarecrow has until sunrise to reach the field where the corn is, or else the ravens will feast. Despite being out of breath, he takes a break to have a cigarette, but the wind takes the flame and sets his hand on fire. The burning scarecrow continues running through the night, hoping to reach the corn before it's too late.
As the fire consumes him, he sees a turquoise light and finds himself gently rising and looking at himself in a dirty pond. The following morning, the ravens have consumed the farmer's corn, and all that remains of the scarecrow is this dirty pond where he saw himself earlier. The song's final message is a warning not to burn out before it's time to go.
Line by Line Meaning
All heed the rarest sight
Everyone pay attention to this unusual phenomenon
Scarecrow running through the dead of night
A scarecrow is running through the darkness
He has 'till sunrise
He only has until morning
To reach the field where the farmer's corn
The scarecrow needs to get to the field where the farmer's corn is growing
Will find the ravens' bellies
If the scarecrow doesn't get there in time, the ravens will eat all the corn
Come the dawn
This will happen when the sun rises
Out of breath he had a rest
The scarecrow got tired and needed a break
Sat down for a cigarette
He took a moment to relax and smoke a cigarette
But the wind took the flame
The wind blew out the flame of his cigarette
Set his hand alight
Accidentally, the scarecrow's hand caught on fire from the cigarette
Burning scarecrow running through the night
The scarecrow is now on fire and running through the darkness
Don't burn out before your time
Don't let yourself be destroyed or give up too soon
As the fire licked his brain
The fire was burning his brain or thoughts
A turquoise light he saw again
He saw a bright blue light
And gently rising
The light was slowly moving up or ascending
From the sky he saw himself in a dirty pond
He saw a reflection of himself in a dirty pond in the sky
All washed out
His reflection was blurry or faded, possibly symbolizing his deteriorated state
And sure enough the following morn
As predicted or expected, the next morning
The ravens gorged on the farmer's corn
The ravens had eaten all the corn
And the farmer stood in the morning rain
The farmer was standing in the rain that morning
By the edge of the pond and all that remained
He was by the pond where only the burnt remains of the scarecrow were left
Of the scarecrow
This is all that was left of the scarecrow
Don't burn out before your time
This represents the scarecrow's warning or advice to not give up too soon
Contributed by Elijah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.