While it may be a cliché, “Time Waits For No One” is a truth that we all as humans have endured. With passing time and the earned trait of maturity, who hasn’t been mad at oneself for ever wishing for adulthood to “hurry up and get here” or for not taking a moment to enjoy the everyday moments with the important people in your life, after they are gone? Steve Moakler puts these exact feelings into the poignant lyrics of “Wheels,” the lead single from his upcoming album Steel Town.
The songwriting of Moakler, Gordie Sampson and Caitlyn Smith have created visual lyrics that easily connect with the listener. From the first note of the intro, one can imagine being on a train, looking outside with the scenery whipping by, much like when we think of the memories in our life. As the train’s wheels move through the first verse, Moakler goes through the different sets of wheels in our childhood – matchbox cars to 10-speed bikes to finally an automobile. The chorus wonderfully continues the parallel of wheels to that of time:
They don’t slow down
The speed picks up
You start wishing you were young as soon as you grow up
And the farther you roam, the faster they spin
They drive you away and bring you home again
I swear sometimes it feels
Like life’s just a set of wheels
Just as time flashes before our eyes, the song moves forward to an unavoidable goodbye to a parent who doesn’t have much more time left. From the wheels of the suitcase, to the ticking clock’s hands keeping track of time, to the wheels spinning in one’s head wondering what to do with the time left – the relationship between wheels and time continues.
Despite Moakler’s success with last year’s fun and catchy “Suitecase” and “Love Drunk,” “Wheels” brings the spotlight back on to his songwriting talents that helped create songs like “Riser” – intricate, thoughtful, and visual lyrics that connect with the listener on a personal level.