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Carolyn Schiffhouer

Clarion, PA USA

In The Circle Game


Art: In The Circle Game by Artist Carolyn Schiffhouer
In the Circle Game is my entry in the Waxing Lyrical exhibit.  I first heard "The Circle Game" on Buffy Sainte-Marie's album,  Fire & Fleet & Candlelight.  It was written by Joni MItchell and first recorded by Buffy Sainte-Marie.  I was especially drawn to the song because of the strong images in it.  I loved the chorus with "And the Seasons they go round and round, And the painted ponies go up and down".  That seemed to describe life so beautifully.  I created this image to try to include that feeling of the painted ponies going up and down and the image of the small child that "came out to wonder".  I then included an image of the child after "the years spin by and now the boy is twenty, Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true, There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty".  The image of the older child is looking into the distance seeing those better dreams, hopefully.  I used Photoshop and images I have photographed myself.  I combined them using Photoshop with layers and filters.  Each image worked individually and then combined to produce the final image.

Here are the complete Lyrics to "The Circle Game"...

Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like when you're older must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game *

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him take your time it won't be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

© Siquomb Publishing Company



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