Kate left a secure career with a Nashville university to pursue music full-time. Her 1994 debut album "Songs From The Levee" was re-released in 2004. Her latest album "1000 Pound Machine" was released in 2012.
Wheels Within Wheels
Kate Campbell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
1902
That's when the witnesses
Said that it flew
Up to the sky
Like a chariot
Headed for home
It all started back
A vision came knocking
At burrell cannon's door
Writing his sermon down
Reading the word
All alone
Suddenly
All of the mysteries
Made sense
God let him in
On his master blueprints
There was no doubt
In his mind
What he had to do
Ezekiel saw wheels within wheels
And burrell seen them too
He went to work
Building his dream
Raising the cash
And giving it wings
Loaded it up
On a train
For the st. louis fair
Just out of texas
The wind and the rain
Blew burrell's airship
Right off that train
He turned his back
Walked away
Left it all laying there
Everyone asked him
How could you quit
Burrell told them
God had a hand in all this
He never meant man to fly
We read him
All wrong
The song "Wheels Within Wheels" by Kate Campbell tells the story of Burrell Cannon, a pastor in an East Texas town in 1902, who had a vision that inspired him to build an airship that would take him to heaven. The lyrics describe how Burrell was visited by a vision while writing his sermon and reading the word of God. The vision gave him a glimpse of God's master plan and revealed to him the design of an airship that he was convinced would take him to heaven.
Burrell Cannon spent years building the airship, which he hoped to display at the St. Louis Fair. But on the way there, a storm blew the airship off the train, and Burrell was forced to abandon the project. When asked why he gave up, he told people that God had told him that humans were not meant to fly.
The song draws on the story of Burrell Cannon to explore a range of themes, including faith, ambition, and human limitations. It suggests that while Burrell's vision may have been inspired, his dreams of building an airship that would take him to heaven were ultimately misguided. It also raises questions about how we interpret and act on our religious beliefs, and the sometimes unpredictable ways in which our faith can shape our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
East texas town
The events in this story took place in a small town in East Texas.
1902
The year in which the events of this song took place.
That's when the witnesses
This is when the people who saw the incident witnessed it.
Said that it flew
The witnesses saw something flying in the sky.
Up to the sky
The flying object was seen ascending into the sky.
Like a chariot
The appearance of the flying object was similar to that of a chariot.
Headed for home
The flying object was flying in the direction of its home.
It all started back
The events leading up to this incident began a few years prior.
A vision came knocking
Burrell Cannon had a vision that inspired him.
At burrell cannon's door
The vision came to Burrell Cannon at his home.
Writing his sermon down
Burrell Cannon took notes and wrote down his thoughts.
Reading the word
Burrell Cannon read the Bible.
All alone
Burrell Cannon was on his own when he had the vision and wrote down his thoughts.
Suddenly
Something happened to change Burrell Cannon's perspective.
All of the mysteries
All of the things that were previously unknown or unexplained to Burrell Cannon suddenly made sense.
Made sense
Burrell Cannon finally understood something he had not before.
God let him in
Burrell Cannon believed that God gave him access to some knowledge.
On his master blueprints
The knowledge Burrell Cannon received was like a blueprint for something great that he had to create.
There was no doubt
Burrell Cannon was confident in his new understanding.
In his mind
Burrell Cannon was sure of what he had to do.
What he had to do
Burrell Cannon knew what he had to build and create.
Ezekiel saw wheels within wheels
Burrell Cannon was inspired by a vision in the Bible, delivered by the prophet Ezekiel.
And burrell seen them too
Burrell Cannon understood the meaning behind Ezekiel's vision and also saw something himself.
He went to work
After receiving this vision and knowledge, Burrell Cannon began building something.
Building his dream
The thing Burrell Cannon was building was his dream, based on his vision and new understanding of God's plan.
Raising the cash
Burrell Cannon had to find money to pay for the materials he needed to build his dream.
And giving it wings
Burrell Cannon's dream was to create something that could fly.
Loaded it up
Burrell Cannon completed his creation and prepared to transport it to a fair.
On a train
The transportation method Burrell Cannon chose was a train.
For the st. louis fair
Burrell Cannon planned to showcase his creation at the St. Louis fair.
Just out of texas
Burrell Cannon was not far from Texas when transporting his creation to the fair.
The wind and the rain
There were harsh weather conditions during the transport of Burrell Cannon's creation.
Blew burrell's airship
The weather conditions caused damage to Burrell Cannon's creation.
Right off that train
The damage caused by the weather caused Burrell Cannon's creation to fall off the train during transport.
He turned his back
After his creation fell off the train, Burrell Cannon gave up on his dream.
Walked away
Burrell Cannon abandoned his dream and creation.
Left it all laying there
Burrell Cannon left the broken pieces of his creation behind and walked away.
Everyone asked him
People wondered why Burrell Cannon gave up on his dream.
How could you quit
People questioned Burrell Cannon's decision to abandon his creation.
Burrell told them
Burrell Cannon revealed his reasons for quitting to those who asked.
God had a hand in all this
Burrell Cannon believed that God caused his creation to fall off the train and therefore he was not meant to create something that could fly.
He never meant man to fly
Burrell Cannon believed that it was not God's plan for humans to fly, and therefore, his dream was not in line with God's will.
We read him
People had been interpreting the Bible in a certain way.
All wrong
Burrell Cannon believed that people were misinterpreting the Bible and using it to justify their own desires, rather than seeking out God's true intentions.
Contributed by London N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Martin Omahony
Why has the original (studio) recording of this song been dropped?