In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Who'll work the assembly line?
Who'll pull the freight on time?
Who'll work the all night haul?
Who'll explain it all when the wheels don't move?
Bigger chariots didn't save Rome
Easy money didn't stay at home
They said the iron horse would always roam
Who'll tell the children when the wheels don't move?
Man's power over nature
Hubris and greed let the fossil fuels burn
No way to keep the wings in flight
When the turbine engines don't move
Going green a casino catch phrase
Ethanol's made of smoke and mirrors
Who makes the decision to feed the tanks
And not the mouths when the wheels don't move?
When the wheels don't move
Red planet as salvation
Divine hope turns to depredation
Who'll be left to make that station?
Devoid of God and nation we trust
The wheels don't move
When wheels don't move
When the wheels don't move
When the wheels don't move
Who'll pull the freight on time?
Who'll work the all night haul?
Who'll explain it all when the wheels don't move?
Bigger chariots didn't save Rome
Easy money didn't stay at home
They said the iron horse would always roam
Who'll tell the children when the wheels don't move?
Man's power over nature
Hubris and greed let the fossil fuels burn
No way to keep the wings in flight
When the turbine engines don't move
Going green a casino catch phrase
Ethanol's made of smoke and mirrors
Who makes the decision to feed the tanks
And not the mouths when the wheels don't move?
When the wheels don't move
Red planet as salvation
Divine hope turns to depredation
Who'll be left to make that station?
Devoid of God and nation we trust
The wheels don't move
When wheels don't move
When the wheels don't move
When the wheels don't move
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
When the Wheels Don't Move Lyrics as written by Jay Farrar
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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