Shane is a dynamic and charismatic artist whose performances are jaw-dropping in their expressive power. His delivery follows that of slam poetry and his performances and personae are at the vanguard of the live poetry circuit in the U.S., Canada & the UK.
His written work has been well received in Canada & the UK. The initial print-run for his book Visiting Hours dwarfed the industry standards for poetry books. Visiting Hours was recommended as a Book of the Year 2005 by the Guardian and the Globe and Mail.
Together with Mighty Mike McGee and C. R. Avery, he is the co-founder of spoken word, "talk rock" trio, Tons of Fun University.
Circle
Shane Koyczan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spacing yourself farther and farther,
But all the while watching depression shrink in the growing distance,
When that tiny speck of sadness vanishes from sight completely,
It's at that precise moment,
Your periphery will catch hands reaching up from behind you to cover your eyes, and you will hear a small voice whisper,
"Guess Who?"
Shane Koyczan’s song “Circle” is an emotional piece that explores the struggle with depression. The lyrics speak to the idea of keeping an eye on depression and gradually backing away from it until it disappears from view. The singer suggests that once depression is out of sight, it is at that precise moment that the individual should be cautious, as they may not see the promising moments in their life that are about to take place.
The metaphorical use of the eyes in the lyrics suggests that we need to be cautious in our approach to depression. By keeping our eye on depression, we are acknowledging its presence, and it becomes a part of our life. Therefore, the lyrics advise us to space ourselves from depression and watch it shrink in the distance. The fact that it fades away indicates the idea of hope and the possibility of things getting better. However, the imagery of hands reaching out from behind to cover your eyes suggest that, at some point, depression may creep up on you.
The line, “Guess who?” in the song represents the unpredictability of depression. Depression can unexpectedly come at any moment, and it’s essential to be prepared to deal with it. The song acknowledges the constant battle with mental health issues and how the journey through it is not easy. However, it also affirms that maintaining hope and cautiously allowing oneself to experience positive moments can help conquer those battles.
Line by Line Meaning
If you keep your eye on depression... and back away,
If you constantly focus on depression and try to distance yourself from it,
Spacing yourself farther and farther,
Continuously creating more distance between yourself and the depression,
But all the while watching depression shrink in the growing distance,
Observing the depression getting smaller as you distance yourself,
When that tiny speck of sadness vanishes from sight completely,
When the depression completely disappears from your sight,
It's at that precise moment,
Precisely at that moment,
Your periphery will catch hands reaching up from behind you to cover your eyes, and you will hear a small voice whisper,
You will suddenly feel hands reach up from behind and cover your eyes, and a small voice will whisper,
"Guess Who?"
"Can you guess who I am?"
Contributed by Lucy J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Juliana Bird
this... this is what it feels like. this is what it feels like to realize your not alone. this is what it feels like to be alone. this is the darkness that acts as a tunnel, casing you to see nothing by darkness. I love this because I feel it. and for some reason, this brings me peace.
Trinity Frank
Wow.....just....wow....
I don't think that I've ever heard anything that describes depression so well
Tea Advice
I knew my oldest friend depression would never leave me
Mostly Ivar
Brilliant.