Wheel Well

The birds on my stoop, they don't know the words
For the pain in my tooth or for other birds
Or the clouds they cut through on my way to work
And I do... and what's that worth?
A name for all things, except for the cure
To the sadness that sings every night at your door
And every door of every restless soul
It's all we all know
No peace, no calm, no coasting
No "There but for the grace of God go I"
We're all roped at the wrist
Circle chains--hers and his
As one goes, so goes everybody else
Around the wheel well
Around the wheel well
If the people you meet are mostly you in disguise
And want what you want: something good in their lives
Is that a socialist song? An invocation of Christ?
I guess it's whatever you like
No peace, no calm, no coasting
No "There but for the grace of God go I"
We're all roped at the wrist
Circle chains--hers and his
As one goes, so goes everybody else
Around the wheel well
Around the wheel well
You left your body fading on your couch and thought
"I just might just make it out before I'm wasting underground"
So grieve your life spent hiding
The hours no one ever hands you back
What's the use? Who kept score?
Medieval schoolyard tug-of-war
No architect--we built the cage ourselves
No peace, no calm, no coasting
No "There but for the grace of God go I"
We're all roped at the wrist
Circle chains--hers and his
As one goes, so goes everybody else
Around the wheel well
Around the wheel well
Around the wheel well
Around the wheel well
No one's alone, or it's the one thing we are
Beasts with big brains, computers with hearts
Obsessed with control, frightened and power-starved
It'll get you so far...