Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
He was fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on a carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round in the circle game
And the child he tiptoed ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
And words like "when you're older" must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams
Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town
And they tell him "Take your time, it won't be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down"
The years spin by and now the boy is twenty
And the dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams, and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through
Joni Mitchell