Gottlieb, fresh from obtaining his Ph.D in musicology, was in the audience when Alex Hassilev and Glenn Yarbrough appeared on stage to sing a duet together. Gottlieb, who was then working as an arranger for The Kingston Trio, originally thought that "these two guys" could help him make some demos for the Trio.
Soon, they packed up and headed to Aspen, Colorado, to work at a club called "The Limelite," which Yarbrough and Hassilev had purchased after singing there during the previous ski season. After a short period of perfecting their act, they set off for the "hungry i" in San Francisco, which at the time was the California nerve center for the mushrooming contemporary folk movement. The owner had just had a group with three long names strung together and wasn't about to put "Yarbrough, Hassilev, and Gottlieb" up on the marquee. But the group had not yet decided on a name. They chose "The Limeliters".
Their success was immediate. Only two days after their professional debut, the group received offers from three recording companies. In early 1959 they released their first album on Elektra. Soon after they signed with RCA Victor and a string of best selling albums followed.
Never having a true chart-topping hit record, they are well known for their repertoire of rousing songs including such as "There's a Meetin' Here Tonight," "City of New Orleans," "A Dollar Down," "Have Some Madeira M'Dear," "Lonesome Traveler," "Wabash Cannonball," "Whiskey in the Jar," and many others which are performed on their more than 25 record albums and in their concerts.
The Limeliters' album, Tonight in Person reached number 5 in the U.S. charts in 1961. Their second album made the top 40, and their third release, The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters, made the top ten in the same year. But their one album with the longest staying power is undoubtedly their album of folk songs for children of all ages, Through Children's Eyes. For three years, The Limeliters were the musical representatives for Coca-Cola. Their rendition of the jingle, "Things Go Better with Coke" became a national hit.
Yarbrough left the group in 1963. Gottlieb and Hassilev continued the Limeliters but only as a recording act, recruiting former Gateway Singers tenor Ernie Sheldon (r.n. Ernest Lieberman) as Yarbrough's replacement. Sheldon wrote the lyrics for what became Yarbrough's biggest solo hit, "Baby the Rain Must Fall."
When the trio's RCA Victor contract expired in 1965, Gottlieb and Hassilev formally retired the act. By then Yarbrough was a successful soloist on records and in concert. Hassilev became a producer with his own recording studio and pressing plant, while Gottlieb headed the Morningstar commune on a ranch he purchased near San Francisco.
During the 1970s, the Limeliters embarked on a series of yearly reunion tours with Yarbrough. These were so successful that in 1981, Hassilev and Gottlieb decided to reform the group and to get back into the mainstream of entertainment. With the addition of tenor Red Grammer they once again began entertaining audiences with the unique sound that made them famous.
After eight very productive years, Grammer left the group to pursue a solo career as a children's artist. In 1990, he was replaced by another tenor, Rick Dougherty, whose wide-ranging musical background and bright stage presence brought another fresh dimension to the group.
Gottlieb's death in 1996 was a great loss for the group, but his high baritone part was taken up by a former Kingston Trio member, Bill Zorn.
In 2003, Zorn and Dougherty left the group and in early 2004, tenor Mack Bailey and comedian baritone Andy Corwin joined the group. In 2006, Hassilev retired and left the band. Soon afterword, Gaylan Taylor joined in 2006.
Circles
The Limeliters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the Limeliters albums Alive! In Concert, Harmony, A Mighty Day, Singing For The Fun, and Until We Get it Right
A moving song about life's ups and downs - - a common concert closer for The Limeliters.
All my life's a circle, sunrise and sundown
The moon rose through the nighttime til the daybreak comes around
Seasons spinning round again, the years keep rolling by
Seems like I've been hear before
But I can't remember when
I got this funny feeling that we'll all be together again
No straight lines make up my life and all my roads have bends
There's no clear cut beginning and so far no dead ends
All my life's a circle, sunrise and sundown
The moon rose through the nighttime til the daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle, but I can't tell you why
Seasons spinning round again, the years keep rolling by
I found you a thousand times
I guess you've done the same
Then we lose each other just like some children's game
And as I find you hear again, the thought runs through my mind
Our love is like a circle, let's go round one more time.
All my life's a circle, sunrise and sundown
The moon rose through the nighttime til the daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle, but I can't tell you why
Seasons spinning round again, the years keep rolling by
All my life's a circle, sunrise and sundown
The moon rose through the nighttime til the daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle, but I can't tell you why
Seasons spinning round again, the years keep rolling by
And the years keep on rolling by.
The Limeliters' song "Circle" is a poignant reflection on the cyclical nature of life. The lyrics speak of the various stages of life, from sunrise to sundown, and the changing of the seasons. The song asserts that all life is a circle, and that we can't quite explain why, as we go through the cycles of our existence.
The second verse speaks of the feeling of deja vu, that we may have been through these cycles before but can't quite remember when. The singer asserts that their life has no clear beginning or end, just like the circle of life that they describe. The chorus repeats the idea of the cyclical nature of things, and how the years keep rolling by without us being able to stop them.
The final verse speaks arguably to the idea of a soul mate, and the feeling that even if we lose someone, we will find them again in the never-ending cycle of life. The song closes with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the all-encompassing nature of the circle of life.
Line by Line Meaning
All my life's a circle, sunrise and sundown
Life is a recurring cycle from birth to death, from sunrise to sundown.
The moon rose through the nighttime til the daybreak comes around
Time passes by as the moon rises and sets, marking the start and end of each day's cycle.
All my life's a circle, but I can't tell you why
Life is cyclical, but its meaning and purpose remain a mystery.
Seasons spinning round again, the years keep rolling by
The passage of time is marked by the changing of seasons, but it seems to go by faster and faster each year.
Seems like I've been here before
Life can feel like a repetition of familiar patterns and experiences.
But I can't remember when
Despite this sense of familiarity, it is impossible to pinpoint when these experiences occurred previously.
I got this funny feeling that we'll all be together again
Despite the constant changes and unpredictable nature of life, there is a sense of comfort in knowing that we are all interconnected and will eventually reunite.
No straight lines make up my life and all my roads have bends
Life is full of twists and turns, and there is no one direct path to follow.
There's no clear cut beginning and so far no dead ends
Life does not have a clear start or end point; it is a continuous journey with no final destination.
I found you a thousand times
Love, like life, is cyclical and has its ups and downs.
I guess you've done the same
The person being addressed has also experienced the ebb and flow of love and life.
Then we lose each other just like some children's game
Like a game of hide and seek, sometimes love and connection are lost and must be found again.
And as I find you here again, the thought runs through my mind
The joy of rediscovering love invokes a deeper thought about the cyclical nature of relationships.
Our love is like a circle, let's go round one more time.
Just as life is cyclical, so is love, and the singer wants to enjoy another cycle with the person they love.
And the years keep on rolling by.
Time marches on, but life and love continue in a cyclical pattern.
Contributed by Eli Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cliff Davidson
on Gunslinger
I recall there being another verse, perhaps a third that went... "You've killed 130 men, Ol' Buddy. And now you wanna settle down."
That's why "Ol' Buddy" seemed particularly funny at that point in the song. Lou really played it up there.