I remember the first time I heard this song, the cold, clear notes so bare made me stop and listen, wanting to know what would follow. It seemed that a pulse of sadness – longing – or anger was answered with incredible softness and love.

“Roundabout” is a song by the band Yes, a British progressive rock band. The song was written by singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe. The song was written when the band was traveling from Aberdeen to Glasgow and literally drove through many roundabouts. The song was on their 4th studio album, Fragile.

From Wikipedia: “Anderson had smoked cannabis during the trip, “so everything was vivid and mystical”. Anderson added: “It was a cloudy day, we couldn’t see the top of the mountains. We could only see the clouds because it was sheer straight up … I remember saying, ‘Oh, the mountains–look! They’re coming out of the sky!'” He began to write the song’s lyrics in his notebook in a free-form style with minimal edits: “I just loved how words sounded when I put them together.””

The lyrics are poetry and the song is a jump-starter for your heart. I hope you like this song!

Lyrics of Roundabout by Yes

I′ll be the roundabout
The words will make you out and out
I spend the day your way
Call it morning driving through the sound
And in and out the valley
The music dance and sing
They make the children really ring
I spend the day your way
Call it morning driving through the sound
And in and out the valley

In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we’ll be there and we′ll see you
Ten true summers we’ll be there and laughing, too
24 before my love you’ll see I′ll be there with you

I will remember you
Your silhouette will charge the view
Of distant atmosphere
Call it morning driving through the sound
And even in the valley

In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we’ll be there and we′ll see you
Ten true summers we’ll be there and laughing, too
24 before my love you’ll see I′ll be there with you

Along the drifting cloud
The eagle searching down on the land
Catching the swirling wind
The sailor sees the rim of the land
The eagles dancing wings

Create as weather spins out of hand
Go closer hold the land
Feel partly no more than grains of sand
We stand to lose all time
A thousand answers by in our hand
Next to your deeper fears
We stand surrounded by a millions years
I’ll be the roundabout
The words will make you out and out
I′ll be the roundabout
The words will make you out and out

In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
24 before my love and I’ll be there

I’ll be the roundabout
The words will make you out and out
You spent the day your way
Call it morning driving through the sound
And in and out the valley

In and around the lake
Mountains come out of the sky and they stand there
One mile over we′ll be there and we′ll see you
Ten true summers we’ll be there and laughing, too
24 before my love you′ll see I’ll be there with you

Writer(s): Steve James Howe, Jon Anderson

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