Windmills of your mind
Petula Clark Lyrics


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Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
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!
Like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its 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 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!

Overall Meaning

The Windmills of Your Mind is a song written by Michel Legrand with English lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The opening lyrics, "Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel," is a metaphor for the complexities of the human mind. The windmills in this metaphor represent thoughts and emotions that continually circle around and around, without a clear starting point. The imagery of a snowball, carnival balloon, and carousel further emphasize the circular and never-ending nature of these thoughts.


The second verse describes the confused and often fragmented nature of our subconscious, likening it to a tunnel of its own leading to a cavern where the sun has never shone. It also mentions half-forgotten dreams, and ripples in a stream, which represent the fleeting and impermanent nature of our thoughts and memories. The repetition of the clock, representing the passage of time, ties these thoughts together, and reminds us that everything is constantly in motion.


The final verse questions the impermanence of life, musing on the fleeting nature of summer and the passage of time. It likens the sound of distant drumming to the fingers of our hands, suggesting that everything we experience is ultimately a creation of our own mind. Finally, it references the changing colors of autumn leaves as a reminder of the transient nature of existence.


Line by Line Meaning

Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Life is like a never-ending cycle, with each action leading to another and everything connected.


Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Life is a continuous cycle without any definitive start or end. Everything is connected and moving in a circle.


Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Like a snowball or a balloon that gains momentum as it continues to move, life keeps moving forward and gaining speed.


Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Like a carousel (merry-go-round) that keeps spinning, life keeps repeating itself with each revolution like the moon's orbit.


Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
Time moves forward continuously, like the clock's hands that keep ticking away the seconds and minutes of your life.


And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
The world is like an apple in space, constantly spinning, yet still and silent from a distance.


Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Just as the circles in windmills are always moving, so are the thoughts and ideas that keep spinning in your mind.


Like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its own
Life is like a path that leads you down one path after another, each leading to a different place.


Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
Sometimes life can lead you to dark places where the light has never shone.


Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Life can feel like a dream where doors keep opening and closing, leading you down different paths.


Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Small actions can cause ripples that have a big impact, just like when someone tosses a pebble into a stream.


Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Life is full of small things that constantly remind you of where you've been and where you're going.


Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Time seems to move too quickly, and we wonder if our words or actions had something to do with it.


Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Love leaves its mark on our lives, just as lovers walking on a shore leave their footprints in the sand.


Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
Sometimes we wonder if the sounds we hear are just in our minds, or if they are real.


Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Memories are like pictures and songs, they linger on and remind us of the past.


Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
We have all these memories and people that we can only remember in fragments, but we don't always know who they belong to.


When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
When something ends, we suddenly become aware of what we had while it was happening and realize that it's gone now.


That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Autumn leaves changing color is symbolic of the cycle of life and death, and it reminds the singer of the person they lost.


As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
As life moves forward, memories and events unwind like circles. We may not always understand them, but they repeat themselves like the circles in windmills.


In the windmills of your mind!
Life is always turning, and thoughts are constantly spinning like windmills.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman

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

Balibarde

Round
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
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
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of its 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 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 I said?
Lovers walk 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
In the autumn of goodbyes
For a moment you could not recall
The colour of his eyes
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



Mauricio Durón

MUSIC: Michel LEGRAND
LYRICS: Alan and Marilyn BERGMAN
Round.
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending on 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 on 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
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of its own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
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
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 I said?
Lovers walk along a shore
And leave their footprints in the sand
Was 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 his 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.



All comments from YouTube:

Ed Nguyen

Knowing how to SING a song is not just about saying the words or belting them out as loudly as possible. Pop singers today seem to have forgotten that. Petula Clark could teach them a thing or two or three. This version is awesome, and I say that as a fan of the Dusty version too!

Darren Plumpton

I would say that Petula's perfect diction and crystal clear vocals are sufficient to say that she as done it once again.
Petula is magnificent at finding classic songs and then putting her own spin on them and then making them her own.
It must be the brilliant actress she iscoming out.
She sings this song perfectly just like she does with other songs she as recorded such as "Homeward Bound" and "Fool On The Hill."
She is incredibly inventive with how, through her expert knowledge,she knows with pin point accuratecy how she wants to put across a song to her fans and the audience.
I have never seen such spendid results from anybody else but Petula.
It is a uniqueness she as all to herself.
And it is us her fans who are in receipt of the rewards.

Milkman

Not a fan of compression either.

Marilyn Fosseen

Of all the people I've heard sing this, she's the best.

znatok1212 Садыков

Самое лучшее исполнение этой песни!
Все чувства, эмоции промелькнули перед глазами!!!

john khoury

My complements to Petula Clark for her excellent rendition of The Windmills Of Your Mind.

Scott Miller

I second that. She was a fabulous entertainer and fine singer!!!!!

john khoury

Many thanks. JK Esq.

1 More Replies...

Orlando Ferrand

Petula Clark is one of the few singer-storytellers capable of weaving a storyline note after note.

Darren Plumpton

ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON ORLANDO.
Very well put indeed and I am in 💯 per cent agreement with you.

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