Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illino… Read Full Bio ↴Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville Records, before signing with Sire Records and expanding to a five-piece. Shortly after the release of the band's major label debut album Anodyne, Farrar announced his decision to leave the band due to a soured relationship with his co-songwriter Tweedy. Uncle Tupelo split on May 1, 1994, after completing a farewell tour. Following the breakup, Farrar formed Son Volt with Heidorn, while the remaining members continued as Wilco.

Although Uncle Tupelo broke up before it achieved commercial success, the band is renowned for its impact on the alternative country music scene. The group's first album, No Depression, became a byword for the genre and was widely influential. Uncle Tupelo's sound was unlike popular country music of the time, drawing inspiration from styles as diverse as the hardcore punk of The Minutemen and the country instrumentation and harmony of the Carter Family and Hank Williams. Farrar and Tweedy lyrics frequently referenced Middle America and the working class of Belleville.

Grindstone
Uncle Tupelo Lyrics

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If you find yourself standing
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

Overall Meaning

"Grindstone" by Uncle Tupelo is a song about the struggles of daily life and the dissatisfaction that comes with it. The lyrics paint a picture of someone who is tired, lost, and fed up with the monotony of their existence. The singer is addressing a person who has found themselves at the end of their line, searching for a way out. The repetition of the phrase "No thanks to the treadmill/No thanks to the grindstone" speaks to the futility of the cycles of work that we find ourselves in. The "treadmill" and "grindstone" represent the never-ending work that we do just to get by, and the lack of appreciation and recognition we receive for our efforts.

The singer also acknowledges the toll that these cycles take on our mental and physical health. The phrase "handcuffs hurt worse when you've done nothing wrong" implies that the singer feels restrained and held back by their circumstances, despite the fact that they have done nothing to deserve this treatment. They also recognize that the world we live in is not always kind or fair, with the line "Always a smokestack cloud/Or a slow, walking death" painting a bleak picture of the world around us.

Overall, "Grindstone" is a powerful commentary on the struggles of daily life and the toll it takes on us. It speaks to the frustration that many of us feel with the monotony of our existence and the lack of reward or recognition that we receive for our efforts.

Line by Line Meaning

If you find yourself standing At the end of your line Looking for a piece of something Maybe a piece of mind
Feeling lost and looking for some direction and peace 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
Feeling defeated and exhausted, with no place to go or hold on to, just part of the herd waiting their turn.

No light ever shines Dead end tears that dry Maybe a waste of words and time Never a waste of life
A bleak and hopeless existence where tears of despair dry up and life may seem meaningless, but it is still valuable.

Every hour will be spent Filling a quota, just getting along Handcuffs hurt worse When you've done nothing wrong
Life becoming a series of meaningless obligations and responsibilities, where being trapped feels worse than good deeds gone unpunished.

No thanks to the treadmill No thanks to the grindstone There's plenty of dissent from These rungs below
Rejecting the monotony and daily grind and seeking an alternative to the conveyor belt existence.

The clockwork of destruction Hanging low over our heads Always a smokestack cloud Or a slow-walking death
The ever-present menace of destruction and decay, like a constant smog hanging over one's head, inescapable and slow.

Maybe a waste of words and time Never a waste of life
Life may seem pointless and futile at times, but it is still valuable.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAY STUART FARRAR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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