Sandusky
Uncle Tupelo Lyrics
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At the end of your line
Looking for a piece of something
Maybe a piece of mind
Fed up, lost, and run down
Nowhere to hold on
Tired of, take your place at the end son
We'll get to you one by one
No light ever shines
Dead end tears that dry
Maybe a waste of words and time
Never a waste of life
Every hour will be spent
Filling a quota, just getting alonghandcuffs hurt worse
When you've done nothing wrong
No thanks to the treadmill
No thanks to the grindstone
There's plenty of dissent from
These rungs below
The clockwork of destruction
Hanging low over our heads
Always a smokestack cloud
Or a slow-walking death
No light ever shines
Dead end tears that dry
Maybe a waste of words and time
Never a waste of life
No thanks to the treadmill
No thanks to the grindstone
There's plenty of dissent from
These rungs below
The clockwork of destruction
Hanging low over our heads
Always a smokestack cloud
Or a slow-walking death
No light ever shines
Dead end tears that dry
Maybe a waste of words and time
Never a waste of life
Maybe a waste of words and time
Never a waste of life
"Sandusky" by Uncle Tupelo is a song about disillusionment and hopelessness in the face of societal expectations and the hardships of life. The lyrics suggest that the singer and countless others are stuck in a cycle of monotony and hardship, represented by lyrics such as "Every hour will be spent / Filling a quota, just getting along" and "No thanks to the treadmill / No thanks to the grindstone". The end of the line is a metaphor for the end of life, both in the sense of death and in the sense of reaching a point of no return in one's circumstances. The tone is one of sadness, resignation, and despair, but the final lines "Maybe a waste of words and time / Never a waste of life" suggest a glimmer of hope and a reminder that life is precious and not to be taken for granted.
One interpretation of the song is that it is about the struggles of the working class in America, particularly in a post-industrial setting where factories and jobs are disappearing. Sandusky, the title of the song, is a city in Ohio known for its manufacturing and industrial history. The references to smokestacks and slow-walking death suggest a bleak, polluted landscape of factories and mills, where people are trapped in dangerous and degrading work. The lyrics also touch on themes of alienation and conformity, with lines like "Nowhere to hold on / Tired of, take your place at the end son / We'll get to you one by one" suggesting that people are treated as replaceable cogs in a machine, and that there is little room for individuality or creativity.
Line by Line Meaning
If you find yourself standing
When you feel lost and stuck in life
At the end of your line
At a point where there seems to be no way forward
Looking for a piece of something
Searching for some sense of purpose or fulfillment
Maybe a piece of mind
Perhaps some peace of mind or clarity
Fed up, lost, and run down
Feeling exhausted, directionless, and hopeless
Nowhere to hold on
No support or guidance in sight
Tired of, take your place at the end son
Feeling like just another anonymous person waiting in line for life's hardships
We'll get to you one by one
Everyone will have to face their own struggles and hardships eventually
No light ever shines
There seems to be no hope or relief
Dead end tears that dry
Crying over a situation that seems helpless and futile
Maybe a waste of words and time
Perhaps talking and trying seems pointless
Never a waste of life
But it's never a waste of one's own life to keep trying
Every hour will be spent
Every moment of life will be used up
Filling a quota, just getting along
Just going through the motions of life to make it by
Handcuffs hurt worse
The feeling of being trapped or oppressed hurts more when it's unjustified
When you've done nothing wrong
When you're being held down by forces beyond your control
No thanks to the treadmill
No gratitude for the dull, repetitive routine of life
No thanks to the grindstone
No gratitude for the daily struggle to survive
There's plenty of dissent from
There are many who disagree with this system
These rungs below
Those at the bottom of the social hierarchy
The clockwork of destruction
The destructive machinery of society
Hanging low over our heads
Threatening to collapse or crush us
Always a smokestack cloud
The constant pollution and environmental damage caused by industry
Or a slow-walking death
The slow, relentless wear and tear of life that ultimately leads to death
Maybe a waste of words and time
Perhaps trying to fight against this system feels futile
Never a waste of life
But it's never a waste of one's own life to try to change things
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAY STUART FARRAR, JEFF TWEEDY, JEFFREY SCOTT TWEEDY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind