Friday Sessions #98: ‘Back to the grind’ – ‘Make Them Wheels Roll’ Safia

In the world of work there are many useful words and phrases which refer to the fast pace and rhythm, or the quantity and heavy weight (workload,) that one might have.

Today’s lyric: ‘Back to the grind’

As in the video to this weeks track, ‘Make Them Wheels Roll,’ we may think of this stereotype, a man with a suit and briefcase, carrying all the pressure and emotions involved in his heavy workload. On the other hand, we might think of a labourer or factory worker with more physical work pressures. However, the phrase ‘back to the grind’ can be traced through history when the job of milling flour was achieved through hard physical effort.

Nowadays you might hear someone use this phrase when returning to work after a holiday or even a short break. ‘Back’ meaning ‘to return’ and ‘grind’ meaning ‘the boring or monotonous tasks that we have to do.’ It is also worth noting that even if our work isn’t actually very boring, we can use this phrase to exaggerate that we have to return to a job, (when we would rather be resting or taking a holiday.)

Check the examples below:

“I only have 2 days holiday and then it’s back to the grind on Monday!”

“Well, it was nice talking to you, but I need to get back to the grind.”

“We need to get back to the grind if we’re going to finish this today.”

Lyrics:

Things that you’d thought you’d be
Shake mediocrity, you know
Burbs or the streets
Doesn’t matter where the crows don’t eat
Where the crowds don’t feast
On the hungry and the weak

Click click, pen to the track
After this babe you can’t go back, you know
‘Cause if you ain’t all that
Might as well have you’re bags by the door to go
Because you’re on you’re own
Because you’re on you’re own

Put me back together
Fix my broken mind
Make them wheels roll
Oh lord
Make them wheels roll

Back to the grind
Conform or redesign, you know
No place for a cog that thinks all on their own
Just flesh and bone
Oh just flesh and bone

Put me back together
Fix my broken mind
Make them wheels roll
Oh lord
Make them wheels roll
(And they say)
Put me back together
Fix my broken mind
Make them wheels roll
Oh lord
Make them wheels roll

Put me back together
Fix my broken mind
Make them wheels roll (yeah, yeah)
Oh lord
Make them wheels roll
(Where am I supposed to go, my love)

Put me back together
Fix my broken mind
Make them wheels roll (yeah, yeah)
Oh lord
Make them wheels roll