Kilby writes: This “Wizard of Id” strip was taken from an unnamed draft post that CIDU Bill created in 2019. I initially thought that it was supposed to be a reference to the song “Circle of Life” (from Disney’s “The Lion King”), but comparing the guard’s dialog with the song’s lyrics did not produce a satisfactory match.
Am I missing something, or does anyone have a better suggestion?
Comics I Don't Understand 
Prior to the song, the circle of life was just referring to how life leads to death leads to life again. His hope is born, it dies, it is reborn next year.
But will the circle be?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bRJLkNqNXI