And Now I'm Nothing Lyrics

Lyric discussion by TheWonderYearsfan 

Cover art for And Now I'm Nothing lyrics by Wonder Years, The

What exactly does shoulder to the wheel mean? Is it referencing suicide? Quitting? I get that it comes from America but that still doesn't clear it up.

Song Meaning

"put your shoulder to the wheel" is an idiom meaning "to work hard and make an effort"

In addition to what sum41angelsandairwaveson said, the idiom has its origins in the United States' westward expansion as refers to the wagons and handcarts that people used to traverse the continent. The wheels were large and wagons would often get stuck, taking large numbers of people pushing at once to free.