“The Width Of A Circle” is the opening track of Bowie’s third studio album, The Man Who Sold the World.
At eight minutes' length, it is the longest track on the album and one of the longest studio tracks in Bowie’s discography. The song is divided into three different sections: the first is built a...
[Verse 1]
In the corner of the morning in the past
I would sit and blame the master first and last
All the roads were straight and narrow
And the prayers were small and yellow
And the rumour spread that I was aging fast
Then I ran across a monster who was sleeping by a tree
And I looked and frowned and the monster was me
[Verse 2]
Well, I said hello and I said hello
And I asked "Why not?" and I replied "I don't know"
So we asked a simple black bird, who was happy as can be
Well he laughed insane and quipped Khalil Gibran
And I cried for all the others until the day was nearly through
For I realized that God's a young man too
[Verse 3]
So I said "So long" and I waved bye-bye
And I smashed my soul and traded my mind
Got laid by a young bordello
Who was vaguely half asleep
For which my reputation swept back home in drag
And the morals of this magic spell
Negotiate my hide
When God did take my logic for a ride
(Riding along)
[Instrumental]
[Verse 4]
He swallowed his pride and puckered his lips
And showed me the leather belt round his hips
My knees were shaking, my cheeks aflame
He said, you'll never go down to the Gods again
(Turn around, go back!)
He struck the ground, a cavern appeared
And I smelt the burning pit of fear
We crashed a thousand yards below
I said, do it again, do it again
(Turn around, go back!)
His nebulous body swayed above
His tongue swollen with devil's love
The snake and I, a venom high
I said, do it again, do it again
(Turn around, go back!)
Breathe, breathe, breathe deeply
And I was seething, breathing deeply
Spitting sentry, horned and tailed
Waiting for you
[Instrumental]
The Width of a Circle was written by David Bowie.
The Width of a Circle was produced by Tony Visconti.
David Bowie released The Width of a Circle on Wed Nov 04 1970.
This song was very personal to Bowie, as he explained in a 1972 interview:
I used to have periods, weeks on end, when I just couldn’t cope anymore. I’d slump into myself…I felt so depressed, and I really felt so aimless, and this torrential feeling of ‘what’s it all for anyway?’"
A lot of it (the...