Whereas Almost was the newest track on the album, Golden Wheel is by far the oldest. At some point in early 2002, I was reading something in the National Geographic about something called the golden wheel spider, which prefers to spin away from its predators. Something about the feat of evolution or the general lack of songs about spiders made me think that it might make a good song.
Then a year or so later, I was visiting Simon at his home in Birmingham, and we just started to jam, with Simon playing chords on a guitar, and me adding synth noises over the top. I sequenced it, and we built the rest as we went along.
We never really took it very seriously as a song, so it missed out on a chance for release on both Empires (2003) and Dusk (2006), and it didn't even make the early selections for what would become Transmission. Somehow it just seemed to fit on this album, though. So, daft lyrics aside, it's a track of which I'm rather proud.
Walking along with my head held high
Nonchalant, I fight the reproof
And tread so steady with my load
It fuels the frenzy in my mind
So I wonder if it's that time now
Golden wheel, just spin away
And hide from me beneath the day
Take the moment from my hand
Just steal away beneath the sand
Wonder again why I feel the cold
Destiny brings another day
I stand unsheltered breathing fire
And search for something I can't find
But I wonder if it's that time now
Golden wheel, just spin away
And hide from me beneath the day
Take the moment from my hand
Just steal away beneath the sand
I see the wall, and change my stride
And I wonder if it's that time now
Golden wheel, just spin away
And hide from me beneath the day
Take the moment from my hand
Just steal away beneath the sand
(R. Martin / S. Martin)
