About this song
The Circle and the Solitary is about making practical choices during difficult times without losing joy, responsibility or hope.
Lyrics
Verse 1 One was born in a crowded square, Hands like lanterns lifting him there. Every step, a drum at his side, Every word met a roaring tide. The other walked where the roads were thin, Wind for counsel, fire for kin. No crowd to echo, no banners to see, Just the endless sky and the cedar tree. Pre-Chorus One moves fast in the circle’s spin, One holds still ’til the light comes in. Chorus Both are sparks in the same wide night, One burns sudden, one burns slight. One’s a river, one’s a stone, Both will carve their way back home. Verse 2 The circle dances, feeding the flame, Songs get lifted, the whole world came. The solitary carves in the darkened sand, Building cities with an unseen hand. Pre-Chorus One moves fast in the circle’s spin, One holds still ’til the light comes in. Chorus Both are sparks in the same wide night, One burns sudden, one burns slight. One’s a river, one’s a stone, Both will carve their way back home. Bridge (world percussion, chant-like vocals) River meets the stone in the delta’s breath, Stone shapes the river ’til there’s nothing left. Circle finds the solitary standing still, They drink from the same unbroken will. Final Chorus (layered, anthemic) Both are sparks in the same wide night, One burns sudden, one burns slight. One’s a river, one’s a stone, Both have always been going home. Outro (soft, fading) The sky remembers every flame, No two journeys burn the same.