Their music bridged the gaps between the socially and spiritually conscious folk music of Bob Dylan, the studio trickery of The Beach Boys, and the sardonic rock of The Beatles. Some of their trademark songs include pop versions of Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man and Pete Seeger’s Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season), and the originals I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, and Eight Miles High. Throughout their career they helped forge such subgenres as folk rock, raga rock, psychedelic rock, jangle pop, and – on their 1968 classic Sweetheart of the Rodeo – country rock inviting Gram Parsons on rhythm guitar.
The original and most successful lineup consisted of Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Michael Clarke, Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. After several line-up changes (with lead singer/guitarist McGuinn as the only consistent member), they broke up in 1973.
In 1991 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and several band members launched successful solo careers after leaving the group. The most successful was David Crosby who was inducted again for his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Other than The Beatles, the only artist with all members inducted twice are, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
This Wheel's On Fire
The Byrds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were going to meet again and wait
So I'm going to unpack all my things
And sit before it gets too late
No man alive will comfort you
With another tale to tell
You know that we shall meet again
Wheel's on fire, rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin this wheel shall explode
If your memory serves you well
I was going to confiscate your lace
And wrap it up in a sailor's knot
And hide it in your case
If I knew for sure that it was yours
But it was oh so hard to tell
You know that we shall meet again
If your memory serves you well
Wheel's on fire, rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin this wheel shall explode
If your memory serves you well
Then you'll remember you're the one
You called on them to call on him
To get you your favors done
But after every plan had failed
There was nothing more to tell
You know that we shall meet again
If your memory serves you well
Wheel's on fire, rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin this wheel shall explode
The lyrics to The Byrds's song, 'This Wheel's On Fire,' speaks of the uncertainty of life and the inevitability of death. The opening lines, "If your memory serves you well, we were going to meet again and wait," suggest that the song is about a previous meeting or relationship that the singer hopes will continue, but with a sense of finality that comes with the notion that they may not see each other again. The lines, "No man alive will comfort you with another tale to tell / You know that we shall meet again if your memory serves you well," is a reflection of how memories of past experiences and people can bring comfort but also a sense of longing and nostalgia.
The chorus "Wheel's on fire, rolling down the road, best notify my next of kin, this wheel shall explode" is a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life and how what appears stable can suddenly fall apart. The crashing of the wheel is a symbol of the end of one's life, while notifying "next of kin" suggests the inevitability of death even though we may continue to live with a sense of immortality.
In the second stanza, the singer speaks of how he was going to "confiscate your lace and wrap it up in a sailor's knot and hide it in your case." He suggests that he was going to do something out of the ordinary and spontaneous, possibly out of love or fun, but it was not clear if the lace he referred to was a gift or something else. The lines, "If I knew for sure that it was yours, but it was oh so hard to tell, you know that we shall meet again if your memory serves you well," indicate the ambiguity of the situation and the vagueness of memories of the past.
The final stanza speaks of how the singer was going to call on someone to do something for him or her, but every plan failed. The lines, "You know that we shall meet again if your memory serves you well," suggest a final farewell between the singer and the person he was addressing, with the chorus "Wheel's on fire, rolling down the road, best notify my next of kin, this wheel shall explode," reminding us of life's transience and the inevitability of death.
Line by Line Meaning
If your memory serves you well
If you can recall the past accurately
We were going to meet again and wait
We had planned to reunite at some point
So I'm going to unpack all my things
I'm settling down for a while
And sit before it gets too late
And rest before it's too dark outside
No man alive will comfort you
No one can console you
With another tale to tell
By offering another story
You know that we shall meet again
We will see each other in the future
Wheel's on fire, rolling down the road
The wheel is burning and moving quickly
Best notify my next of kin this wheel shall explode
Someone should tell my family that the wheel is about to burst
If your memory serves you well
If you remember correctly
I was going to confiscate your lace
I planned to take your intricate fabric
And wrap it up in a sailor's knot
And tie it like a nautical knot
And hide it in your case
And keep it in your luggage
If I knew for sure that it was yours
If I were certain it belonged to you
But it was oh so hard to tell
But it was difficult to determine
Then you'll remember you're the one
You'll recall that you initiated it
You called on them to call on him
You asked them to ask him
To get you your favors done
To help you with what you needed
But after every plan had failed
But when all plans fell through
There was nothing more to tell
There was nothing left to say
Wheel's on fire, rolling down the road
The wheel is burning and moving quickly
Best notify my next of kin this wheel shall explode
Someone should tell my family that the wheel is about to burst
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Richard Danko, Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@craigharrell7144
The thing about the Byrds I like is that every lineup kicked ass in their own distinctive ways.
@john84896
Very good point ...I mean who does that?...that’s an argument all in itself but I agree with u
@Jade-29
Clarence White's guitar on this track is to die for
@THEScottCampbell
Love that Moog siren and explosion at the end, proving The Byrds were still the kings of mixing genres in one song.
@Itsa6stringthang
Mr. Scott Campbell from Detroit's finest- The Sillies ! I'm not surprised to find you here...
@johnurban7381
Could it be a slide harmonic and the reverb spring on a Fender? These guys are really good at what they do
@johnhughes9019
@@johnurban7381 , Definitely the Moog synthesiser. Same one which Mcguinn purchased in 1967 and used extensively on Notorious Byrd Brothers.
@steveruby1530
I like this version of this song the best!
@Nick-fi1mc
This one is best, I agree
@georgefelton2975
For me, the best Byrds version of this song is the live performance from the Felt Forum (March 1, 1970)
off the Untitled [Untitled/Unissued] double-disk CD released in 2000.