Described, by Matsson, as a song “about killing yourself.” Suicide is a prevalent theme. The reader questioning himself as to why he “is not strong.” Then believing the “branch” will take him “home” i.e. creating a sense of release from suicide.
Oh, I wish I was the sparrow in your kid's eye
That could fly above this summer all day long
On an island in the heart he has to carry
Past the many you have let into your song
And I said, "Oh my lord, why am I not strong?"
Like the wheel that keeps travelers traveling on
Like the wheel that will take you home
In the forest, someone's whispering to a tree now
"This is all I am, so please don't fall on me
And it's your brother in the shaft that I'm a-swinging
Please let the kindness of forgetting set me free"
He said, "Oh my lord, why am I not strong?"
Like the wheel that keeps travelers traveling on
Like the wheel that will take you home
And on this Sunday, someone's sitting down to wonder
"Where the hell among these mountains will I be?"
There's a cloud behind the cloud to which I'm yelling
Oh, I could hear you sneak around so easily
And I said, "Oh my lord, why am I not strong?"
Like the branch that keeps hangman hanging on
Like the branch that will take me home
Like the Wheel was written by The Tallest Man On Earth.
Like the Wheel was produced by The Tallest Man On Earth & Amanda Bergman.
The Tallest Man On Earth released Like the Wheel on Tue Sep 07 2010.