In 1969, Ray Benson and Lucky Oceans (Reuben Gosfield) co-founded Asleep at the Wheel in Paw Paw, West Virginia, and soon after they found themselves opening for Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna in Washington, DC.[1] A year later, they moved to East Oakland, California at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. After being mentioned in Rolling Stone magazine by Van Morrison, they landed a record deal with United Artists. In 1973, their debut album, Comin' Right At Ya was released by United Artists. At the request of Willie Nelson, they left Oakland for Austin in 1974.
Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel have been presented numerous awards throughout their career. Most recently, the 16th Annual Midsouth Regional Emmy Award for the making of "A Ride With Bob", recognition by Mayor Kirk Watson of Austin, Texas, and the Darrel K. Royal Music Patron Award by The Texas Heritage Songwriters' Association. In 2007, The Austin Chronicle recognized Asleep at the Wheel for Band of the Year, Best Country Band, and into their Hall of Fame. Benson was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2002, was given The Texas Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, and recognized as an Outstanding Producer by the National Academy of Recording Arts in 1988. He has also been given numerous Citations of Achievement by Broadcast Music, Inc. for his work in the country music field. Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel have been one of the strongest names in Country Music for the last forty years.
Before All Hell Breaks Loose
Asleep At The Wheel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wipe those tears from your lovely face
Baby, wave to the man in the ol' red caboose
Before all hell breaks loose.
Before you go I wish you'd come
Before you leave wish you'd love me some.
I'll give you all of the dreams you can use
Before all hell breaks loose.
Now I know what the gypsy meant
When he told me I'd never be President.
He said, "Adopt a Korean, kill you a moose
Before all hell breaks loose. "
You poked fun at my cowboy shoes,
You said they looked just like big canoes.
Now it's time for the chosen ones to choose
Before all hell breaks loose.
Turn out the lights, honey, turn on the news
God save the Queen and the kangaroos
And what kind of rubbers did Joseph use
Before all hell broke loose.
Time to resign from the human race,
Wipe those tears from your lovely face.
Baby, wave to the man in the ol' red caboose
Before all hell breaks loose.
Hell on America!
The lyrics of Before All Hell Breaks Loose by Asleep at the Wheel present a sense of urgency, almost as if the singer is warning someone they care about to take action before it's too late. The lines "Time to resign from the human race, wipe those tears from your lovely face" seem to suggest that it's time to give up on the human race because something catastrophic is about to happen. The following lines "Baby, wave to the man in the ol' red caboose before all hell breaks loose" suggest that there's still time to say goodbye to loved ones before everything falls apart.
The singer then asks the person they're addressing to come and love them before they leave, and promises them all the dreams they could ask for "before all hell breaks loose." The lines "Now I know what the gypsy meant when he told me I'd never be President" imply that the singer has always had an idea that things were heading towards disaster but were still hopeful of a better outcome. The song also touches on cultural norms by referring to cowboy shoes, Korean adoption, and rubber use, which shows the song's comedic undertones.
Overall, the song has a somewhat pessimistic worldview, with the singer indicating that humans have lost their way and that something catastrophic or apocalyptic is looming, but there's still a chance to say goodbye to loved ones before it all goes down. It's an interesting take on the end-times genre, with a bit of humor thrown in to lighten the mood.
Line by Line Meaning
Time to resign from the human race
It's time to withdraw from society and disassociate oneself from the problems and drama that come along with it.
Wipe those tears from your lovely face
Stop crying and be strong in the face of adversity.
Baby, wave to the man in the ol' red caboose
Acknowledge and say goodbye to the past and the things that are no longer relevant or important.
Before all hell breaks loose.
Do it now or it will be too late when everything goes wrong.
Before you go I wish you'd come
I would like to spend more time with you before you leave.
Before you leave wish you'd love me some.
I would like to be loved by you more before you depart.
I'll give you all of the dreams you can use
I will provide you with all the support you need to achieve your dreams.
Now I know what the gypsy meant
I finally understand the advice given to me by a wise person.
When he told me I'd never be President.
When he warned me that I would never be able to gain power and control over others.
He said, 'Adopt a Korean, kill you a moose
He advised me to take drastic measures and make bold decisions before it's too late.
Before all hell breaks loose.'
Before everything goes wrong and spirals out of control.
You poked fun at my cowboy shoes,
You made fun of me and my traditional Western attire.
You said they looked just like big canoes.
You insulted my fashion sense by comparing my boots to large boats.
Now it's time for the chosen ones to choose
It's time for people to make a decision and choose a path, even if they don't feel ready.
Turn out the lights, honey, turn on the news
Shut off the distractions and pay attention to what's happening in the world.
God save the Queen and the kangaroos
May everyone be protected and safe, including people from different countries and animals.
And what kind of rubbers did Joseph use
A reference to the use of birth control and the importance of being responsible.
Before all hell broke loose.
Before things fell apart and chaos ensued.
Hell on America!
A proclamation of the dire situation facing the country and the people in it.
Contributed by Kylie N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ben - Moderator
The issue with search on Firefox is now resolved.
Ben - Moderator
Sorry about that Eddie - we will resolve this very soon. In the meantime you should still be able to paste a search into the search box. I'll update you here.
Eddie
With the new setup my firefox browser will not allow typing in the search area.
Jesse Baydos
I love when my radio station plays this song!
fitzgerald15845
Official theme song of WW III which starts when Israel invades Iran!
Mark Kreuzwieser
Did they record together?