The Windmills Of Your Mind
Henry Mancini & His Orchestra and Chorus Lyrics
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Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
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 of its 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 in your head
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over you were 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 reel
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
The Windmills of Your Mind is a song written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Michel Legrand, and performed by Henry Mancini and his orchestra and chorus. The song is a classic, known for its complex and intricate lyrics, which use metaphorical imagery to evoke feelings of confusion and introspection. The lyrics describe a series of circular and cyclical patterns that represent the futility of time and the way memories and thoughts can loop endlessly in our minds.
The song's key metaphor is that of windmills - these symbolize the repetitive, circular nature of our thoughts and emotions. The lyrics suggest that our minds wind around like a carousel, a clock, or a snowball rolling down a hill. The song's imagery also touches on themes of loss, nostalgia, and regret - the lyrics describe an autumnal landscape where leaves turn the color of a lost love's hair.
Overall, The Windmills of Your Mind is a haunting and poetic meditation on the workings of the human mind. Its lyrics invite us to consider the way our thoughts and feelings spiral around and around, creating a dizzying array of memories, dreams, and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Life is a series of cyclical patterns, one leading to another, creating intricate patterns that we must follow.
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Life is a continuous cycle, with no true beginning or end, spinning like a reel that is never at rest.
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Life can be like a snowball, rolling down a mountain and gaining momentum or like a carnival balloon, flying up in the air until it pops.
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Life can be like a carousel, going round and round, with no clear destination, and it can make us feel like we are chasing an impossible goal like capturing the moon.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
Time ticks on and never stops. Our lives are governed by a clock that keeps moving, marking time as it passes.
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Just as the world is a spinning apple in space, our lives can seem like we're just spinning in place, without direction, wondering what our purpose is.
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Our thoughts and memories can be like the circles in a windmill, turning endlessly in our minds, making us dizzy or losing ourselves in introspection.
Like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its own
Sometimes our paths in life seem to lead us to other paths, one after the other, taking us deeper and deeper down a rabbit hole of our own making.
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
We may find ourselves in a dark and lonely place, where the light of the sun never reaches us, leaving us lost in the dark abyss of our minds.
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Doors can symbolize the choices we make in life. Sometimes we forget what those choices are, leaving us feeling lost and unsure in a haze of unanswered questions.
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Our lives are full of small moments, seemingly insignificant, but that can create a ripple effect, like a pebble tossed in a stream, that can have unexpected consequences.
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Our thoughts can be like the jingling of keys in our pocket, or the jangling of words in our head, distracting us and keeping us from focusing on what's important.
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
As we reflect on our lives, we can wonder where the time went, and if our choices or words played a role, and regret can make us feel like we've missed opportunities that we can't get back.
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Love can leave a lasting mark on our lives, like the footprints left in the sand, reminding us of the moments we have shared with those closest to us.
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
The drumming could be symbolic of something greater, but it also could be all in our heads, just the subtle movements of our fingers that create an illusion of something more significant.
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Memories that can be captured in pictures and songs can evoke feelings of nostalgia and longing, making us wonder where life has taken us and what might have been.
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
Memories can be fleeting, with only remnants of what once was, leaving us wondering who the people before us truly were and what their significance was to us.
When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
At the end of something, we can experience an epiphany, realizing the full extent of what was lost and what it meant to us.
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
The beauty and sadness of autumn can serve as a symbol of what was once beautiful and is now fading away, as we recognize the value of what was once dear to us.
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
As we reflect on our lives and the memories that we've made, it can feel like we're going around in circles, searching for meaning and purpose, trying to understand the patterns that govern our lives.
In the windmills of your mind!
The mind can be a labyrinth, full of twists and turns, with no clear end in sight, leaving us trying to navigate these patterns and find some sense of direction.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind