Between The Wheels
by Rush

Album: Grace Under Pressure (1984)
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Songfacts®:

  • A rather apprehensive song, "Between The Wheels" reflects fears of nuclear war that were top of mind in 1984 when it was released:

    Another war
    Another wasteland
    And another lost generation


    That linem "another lost generation" is from a quote by Gertrude Stein used by Ernest Hemingway at the beginning of The Sun Also Rises: "You are all a lost generation."
  • "Between The Wheels" is the closing song on the 1984 Rush album Grace Under Pressure, chosen for that slot because it perfectly captures the tension hanging over the entire album. Speaking to Uncut magazine, Geddy Lee explained that the song "finishes the album in a powerful, ominous and brooding fashion, apropos the album title and the circumstances we found ourselves in when making this record. For most of these sessions, we felt like we were indeed stuck between a rock and a hard place."

    Lee's comment cuts to the heart of both the song's themes: feeling crushed by forces beyond one's control, and the grueling creative process behind the record itself. Having recently parted ways with their longtime producer Terry Brown, Rush cycled through a string of false starts before finally settling on Peter Henderson. The heavy anxiety of those unstable sessions, coupled with the Cold War dread woven throughout the tracks, meant "Between the Wheels" was the only logical conclusion. It left the album exactly where it belonged: suspended in a state of unease rather than wrapped up in a neat resolution.

Comments: 6

  • Al from Long Island, Nya truly under-rated gem...haunting chorus...ominous and foreboding musically and lyrically...if i didnt have 50 top 10 favorites by this one of a kind group... this would be a top 10 beauty..

    You know how that rabbit feels
    Going under your speeding wheels
    Bright images flashing by
    Like windshields towards a fly
    Frozen in the fatal climb
    But the wheels of time
    Just pass you by
    Wheels can take you around
    Wheels can cut you down
    We can go from boom to bust
    From dreams to a bowl of dust
    We can fall from rockets' red glare
    Down to "Brother can you spare..."
    Another war
    Another wasteland
    And another lost generation
  • Joe from Dunn, NcOne of the greatest songs Rush has ever wrote.
  • John from Asheville, NcI really love the ambiance of this song mostly. There's an ominous quality to the mood here.
  • Mike from Cheshire, CtThis song reminds me of my youth. Couple it with "Subdivisions" and "The Analog Kid" and you have a trilogy of youthful fear, exuberance and isolation, those three songs are the reason I made it out of adolescence.
  • Robert from Schaumburg, IlAnother one of this bands lost gems. Newer fans take notice. The concept for lyric meshed with the music is one of the bands best on this album.................
  • Jesse from L.a., CaThe live performance of this during their 30th Anniversary Tour was truly amazing, complete with 3d animation and lasers... CRAZY!!!
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