sing my son to sleep while playing it. The “what” is the child journey through childhood
to adulthood. The “where” isn’t really relevant. It’s where the child grew up. It might be
Joni’s backyard for all I know. The “when” is the child youth and it’s passing on to be-
coming an adult. The “why” is the reality that we really can’t look back. We can only live
with what we have now and, hopefully, make the best of it and create wonderful memo-
ries. Dreams and hopes change along the way. As she says, maybe they’ll be “better
dreams and plenty.” The Circle Game tells the story of all of us, and Mitchell says it
with pointed elegance.
Song Structure
Typical song structure consists of a verse; chorus and sometimes a pre-chorus; the bridge
and the mysterious “middle eight.” Other elements can be solos and a bit called the “col-
lision.”
The verse and chorus are what many of us think of when it comes to a typical song.
The verse is the main part of the song. It’s the words and melody that tell the story. The
verse changes throughout the song as it progresses.
The chorus is the part of a song that repeats throughout the tune. The lyric is usually the
same.
A bridge, often found nearer to the end of a tune, can be described as something of a
transition. It’s an optional bit, but can add interest to a song and help to keep the listener
engaged more than just verse, chorus, verse. The bridge generally only appears once dur-
ing the song and can be a different chord progression, tempo or even key. After that, the
song returns to its roots in verse and chorus.