Gordon Lightfoot Forums - Circle of Steel

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Does anyone know what the "circle of steel" is exactly?

hm-m...
just from what the song alludes to it must be a roulette wheel (i.e. gambling). to me the song talks about the horrors of an out of control gambler and the suffering family.
gwen

The "Circle Of Steel" is a roulette wheel, as Gwn says, but the song isn't about gambling per se but about poverty and despair and the human frailties that challenge us. The roulette wheel is thus a metaphor, and gambling (referenced here as one of the desparate ways people might try to provide for their families) is just one of the many vices that can trip one up. Other vices such as drinking and criminal activitity (theft? drug sales?) are also mentioned.

That's really an amazing song, sometimes considered a "Christmas song", as the setting is indeed Christmas, but the song is much deeper than that. "Deck The Halls" is referenced in the song by name and the notes are used throughout - but the effect, brilliantly done, is chilling and not the usual seasonal celebration.

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Valerie Magee

Visit my GL web site at gordonlightfoot.com

Besides the gambling interpretation, I've always thought of the circle of steel as being a group of low-income high rises, inhabited by people who dont have much, and for whom, Christmas is just another day. For me, the "high windows flickerin' down thru the snow" phrase pertains to that.

I guess what you read into a song depends on where you're from. For me 'circle of steel' especially the 'high windows flickering down' reminds me of prison - we have a state correctional facility in the middle of town here (the city grew up around it, literally). It has iron gates out front and high walls all around, with lights from upper tier cells "flickering down through the snow" at night.

I think " Circle of Steel " is a great song, very cleaverly written ( arn't they all?), and one that it would be great to discuss at length here.

I don't think that the "circle of steel " is a roulette wheel.

"Rows of lights in a circle of steel
Where you place your bets on a great big wheel"

I would suggest that the "great big wheel" is a roulette wheel, or some form of spinning wheel that you can bet on..

I would suggest that the circle of steel would be a casino of some kind, maybe a casino in a tent, a travelling casino, is there such a place ???.

I have trouble imagining a row of lights in a circle, I always imagine rows to be a straight line.

I really like Annie's explanation. Maybe Gords been to your town Annie.

Val's insite is also really good too, it's always good to look at the story behind the words..

Have a great week everyone..

Keep smiling... Ron.

Ron,
He may have been through town a LONG time ago, possibly playing at the local community college (undoubtedly when I was AWAY in the 1969-1973 period, 'cause I would have been there front row if he was in town when I was.) Since "Circle of Steel" is on the 1974 Sundown album, it's possible. The wheel could be a reference to the 'wheel of life' too.
Of course we could all be off base, and it's just another example of his writerly imagination at play.

[This message has been edited by Auburn Annie (edited February 24, 2003).]

Annie,

I like that, Circle of Steel could very easily be the cycle of life. I don't think it matters one bit if we are way off line, it's fun just looking at the words and speculating about the meaning.

Keep Smiling ( and Warm ) Ron http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.corfid.com/ubb/wink.gif

ron and all,

hi!

I agree that it is fun trying to interpret GLs songs, but, I sure do hope that if we never see him on stage again we do see a written word from GL in the form of a autobiography or other writing even if it is writing like his previous writings. Am I rambling? Sorry-y-y
Or could this song be about the circus or an amusement park, etc.? ? ?

Tentative hesitation seperates us from the dogs...right?

I always thought of a circle of steel as something that you just can't get past. Literally or figurativly.

borderstone
that is truly an interesting perspective. How did you arrive at it?
gwen

To Gwen Snyder: Well,since I didn't (somehow) catch the roulette wheel idea. I just felt that given the almost sad-like delivery GL gives to the song,it made me picture a person feeling trapped by circumstances beyond their control,like living a life they don't enjoy but never change. Like being trapped by a real Circle Of Steel. For criminals of course,that's handcuffs. Borderstone,outta here and A.B.!

Glad to see I've not been the only one puzzled by this song all these years. But
then on the other hand, I was reading this thread hoping some die-hard would have had
the definitive explanation of this classic.

It would probably be the one song I would like to question the man about, if I could. (That, and "Marie Christine"--still wanna know what that one was based on!)

The one alteration I'd offer, is the allusion
of the roulette wheel. My hunch is that he's referencing a 'wheel of fortune' (no, not the game show), the "great big wheel" that stands vertically (as opposed to a much smaller, horizontal table-top roulette wheel), the kind with the loud clacking steel pins all around, that when spinning might cause light from overhead to be "flickering down".

Going out on a limb on this one, but the circle of steel is an elevator on the outside of a hotel on its way down. The windows of the elevator are going down through the snow. As you descend, you view the world around you, and in some way, reflect on your own life. You observe a variety of passing sights as you descend, and these collective images translate into a multitude of thought, both personal and social. The season only amplifies what's going on around you, and brings out the feelings of what you, or the world, may or may have done right or wrong.

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restless shadows

Like most of Lightfoot's songs, this song transends the true meaning of the title. In other words, it's one of those songs that has a special meaning to each listener. When I listen to it, my mind grows back to the winters in Detroit where I grew up. My personal opinion of the song is, there are many things in life we don't have control over, and you must accept that and move on. This comes through in the line "The room is chilly, the building is old, that's how it goes." It's almost an "Oh well. . " attitude towards the situation.

yooper you really are absolutely right on that target. seems like a lot of GL music affects us the same way. the list goes on and on but, circle of steelit has a quality to move people that goes beyond most. I appreciate your comment.
Gwen

"Rows of lights in a circle of steel",
would be the view of a city, from an airplane, at night. (IMHO) The "great big wheel" is life.

when the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun...

I really like Circle Of Steel, although I don't get some of the lyrics. I'm not really fond of Too Many Clues In This Room, although I am a bit mystified. That song is just plain WEIRD.

I always thought of it as an artificial tree with rows of lights...
http://www.bethlehem-lights.com/images/summit_3.jpg

Hey all, Gord's appearance at Live 8 prompted me to reacquaint myself with his music. I always loved this tune and wondered what it meant. I stumbled on this thread through a Google search. I know its an old thread but I'd like to throw in my two cents.

Circle of Steel is a song of hope.

Lightfoot bookends the song with the "rows of lights" verse. Also the song takes it's title from this section so clearly it is important and understanding it is key to understanding the song. But notice how vague it is in comparison with the rest of the verses. I submit that Lightfoot does this on purpose. His point: What is suggested in this verse is more important than what it actually "means". This verse is all about mileau, setting and theme. Consider the line "a time you know". Its like Lightfoot is saying, "Come on, do I need to paint you a picture here? You know what I'm talking about." If I'm right about that then focusing too closely will cause you to miss the meaning. It's a 'big picture' sort of thing. To equate the "great big wheel" with a roulette wheel makes that mistake.

What this verse suggests is a city setting. I like Jimmie Will's take that the "rows of lights in a circle of steel" is the view of a city from an airplane" .... follow me on this.

It is Christmas Eve 1972. Gordon has been doing music for over 10 years by now and he's experienced sucess. His travels have taken him to many places and he's seen just about everything there is to see. On the cab ride to the airport they had to go through the "low income" district followed by (or preceded by) the "shopper's district" as well. Gord's mind begins churning over this odd juxtaposition of settings against a Christmas backdrop.

He gets on the plane and it takes off and his eyes wander out the window and try to locate the low-rent high-rises his cab had passed by. He notices the streetlights make relatively straight lines in spoke-like fashion from the center of the city and it hits him ... "rows of lights in a circle of ..."

Its "steel" not concrete. Life is hard. Life is unbending and cold. Concrete is to obvious in this context. If you ask the people in those high-rises life is like steel, not concrete. And its not only hard but its a bit of a crap shoot. He had just seen wealth within a half mile of poverty. What seperates the denizens of one building from another other than cruel fate? And possibly bad choices (which are like 'gambles')? He moves on to the body of the song.

The body of the song (verse 2, 3 and 4) is not a series of vignettes. It is one thread (Albeit one thread with overtones). He paints a picture of a child (not a boy or girl but a "child"), born to a poor family, right around Christmas time. A family where the father is 'absent'. Now people, come on ... "a time you know" ... poor mother .. child born in humble situation .. at CHRISTMAS ... clearly there are Christian overtones here. But more on that later.

Notice that the mother appears to deliver the child in her apartment (where the rats run around) and if its not actually on Christmas Eve it is certainly close because we have this sense that "everyone is in step with the season" from the intro. Apparently that includes the doctor who comes and goes on the double. A little commentary on the pace of the holiday season there? I argue that the doctor was there to deliver the kid and it was indeed Christmas Eve. Doctor's don't make house calls to low rent housing for a "bad cough" and I assume it was the doctor's proclamation that "the child is strong". WHo else would say it? So a kid is born on December 24th to a mother so poor that she could not get to the hospital ... either that or she was so drunk that she did not want to get in trouble at the hospital for drinking excessively while pregnant.

How does she and her child spend the rest of their Christmas Eve? She drinks an entire bottle of gin (or finishes it) as her neighbors (who are normally shouting at one another all day and night) are singing a Christmas carol. Depending on your perspective this is either a sarcastic line or a hopeful line. Still no mention of the father but we begin to suspect why this woman drinks so heavily.

The next morning is Christmas. She awakes with a hangover as the sunlight plays on an heirloom cup she has. She considers the cup and considers the promise that life held at one point and is reminded of how she got where she is. They didn't always live there. They had a future that is now only a memory symbolized by this cup. She grabs her baby and tells it about the father. Apparently the father was too proud to accept welfare adn sohe took matters into his own hands. What sort of crime gains you three years? Armed robbery maybe? Clearly its not murder. So here you have the bad choices. His was to first let his pride get in the way and second to commit the crime. Hers was to hitch-up with the wrong guy. Who's to sat that she wouldn't be on the other side of the tracks had the great big wheel hitched her up with someone else.

We see a hint of the child's future as well in the previous verse. It will be in and out of state care because of the notriety of the mother's behavior. She is not a casual drunk. That's why I mentioned the idea that the mother was afraid to go the hospital.

So, why would I say that this is a song of hope? Because "the child is strong". Despite its "weak" parents, despite its surroundings the child is strong. Considering the loose parallel between this child and Christ there is no other way to read the story here. Poverty is not genetic. And whereas life can be cold and difficult there is always the potential of beauty from ashes. Especially at the Christmas time of the year. Inevitably when the present is difficult we tend to consider the past and the future much more readily. So Lightfoot transitions back to the first verse and strangely this time when we hear it we are left with a strong sense of potential rather than actual. And it is a sense of potential than does not ignore the actual but rather acknowledges and overcomes it. That, my friends, is the definition of hope.

Just where is the Charlady/moderator??
can "tranny" obviously a moniker for a transvestite be banned and that peurile posting be deleted pronto!!
Offended in New Jersey

Quote:

Originally posted by johnfowles:
Just where is the Charlady/moderator??
can "tranny" obviously a moniker for a transvestite be banned and that peurile posting be deleted pronto!!
Offended in New Jersey

Thank you dear Char for acting so decisively and with alacrity
John

Quote:

Thank you dear Char for acting so decisively and with alacrity
John