Oh I wish I was the sparrow in your kid's eye
That could fly above this summer all day long
On an island in the heart he has to carry
Past the many you have let into your song

And I said, "Oh my Lord, why am I not strong?"
Like the wheel that keeps travelers traveling on
Like the wheel that will take you home

And in the forest someone is whispering to a tree now
This is all I am so please don't follow me
And it's your brother in the shaft that I'm swinging
Please let the kindness of forgetting set me free

And he said, "Oh my Lord, why am I not strong?"
Like the wheel that keeps travelers traveling on
Like the wheel that will take you home

And on this Sunday someone's sittin' down to wonder
Where the hell among these mountains will I be?
There's a cloud behind the cloud to which I'm yelling
Oh, I could hear you sneak around so easily

And I said, "Oh my Lord, why am I not strong?"
Like the branch that keeps hangman hanging on
Like the branch that will take me home


Lyrics submitted by ACaricatureOf

Like the Wheel Lyrics as written by Kristian Matsson

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Like the Wheel song meanings
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    Song Meaning

    Seems pretty clearly to be a song about loss of freedom. The last chorus would lead me to believe that it's about a man on death row, but TTMOE is so metaphorical in his lyrics that it could be something much deeper than that. However, his sentiments like "Please don't follow me," and "Why am I not strong?" and "Let the kindness of forgetting set me free" indicate that the singer has had moral weaknesses that have led to his imprisonment, whether that prison is metaphorical or literal.

    This guy is a lyrical master. His songs can be tough to decipher!

    sbkbson November 13, 2010   Link

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