Through the use of dual perspectives, Jodi Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" shifts from naivete and happiness about life to the realization of how life really is, to the experience of love from good to bad.
In the first verse, the speaker is gazing at the clouds as a child seeing how amazing the clouds are. " Bows and flows of angel hair, And ice cream castles in the air" The person is a child and is creative. The clouds are life in a way, when you were little you had the time of your life. you played with your friends in the summer, didn't have a care about anything. The only thing you had worry about was what you were going to do the next day. This connects to the speaker in the poem because they are kids and have no care. They are just staring at the clouds imagining them as these objects that fascinate them. Then there is a shift and the speaker starts talking about how the clouds ruin things. That the clouds block the sun and cause rain. This could be seen as the child growing up and seeing life isn't all fun in games anymore. There is school, work and the worry of money. All theses stressful things could hide the creativity and the fun. " But now they only block the sun, they rain and snow on everyone" The stress "blocks" the creativity and fun. In the beginning the speaker is naive but later on when she grows up she notices what really is there and has a different look on life hence the term "Both sides"
In the third verse, the speaker is talking about being at a festival and dancing around with a boy. How love is and that she is so overjoyed and couldn't be any happier. " Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels, The dizzy dancing way you feel, When every fairy tale comes real" She is on top of the world, but then she is dumped and has a heart break. She feels like an idiot for falling for the person. She describes it as people laughing at her. "But now its just another show, You leave 'em laughin' when you go." I know how the speaker feels, they believe they are doing the right thing and having the time of their life. Then your brought back to reality and then you find out everything you thought you were doing right comes tumbling down. When ever I believe I'm right about something like someone asked you a question and you answered it. You know its right, but then this person comes up to you and tells the real answer to the question showing proof to back it up. you feel so stupid because you believed your right but then you feel embarrassed you were wrong and was pointed out in front of everyone. The this is what the speaker feels.
In the fifth verse, The speaker is talking about dreams about life. The fears she had about her dreams also the fact that she describes life as a circus, all crazy and busy." Dreams and schemes and circus crowds" the person is scared about life. sometimes life you have do some risks but the speaker is scared to. " Tears and fears and feeling proud, To say, 'I love you' right out loud". Then it shifts showing us the speaker is different and her friends don't approve of it. " But now old friends are acting strange, They shake their heads, they say I've changed."The person has changed she isn't that teenager before who cried and was embarrassed nor was she the little kid who stared at clouds. She has grown up and have learned from her mistakes. The speaker has seen both sides of everything she has seen in her life. Throughout the song the overall meaning was about the different point of views the person had over the years of growing up and learning their mistakes.
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