Gasoline Lyrics
Way back in the year of 2017
The sun was growing hotter
And the oil was way beyond its peak
When crazy Hector Johnson broke into the refinery
And the black gold started flowing
Just like Boston tea
It was the summer of the riots
And London suffered sweltering heat
And the gangs of Mini Coopers
Took the battle to the streets
But when the creed was handed down
For no more trucks and no more cars
They threw cans of petrol through the windows of Scotland Yard
And they yelled
[Chorus]
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah
[Verse 2]
When the Mounties stormed the palace of the Saudi family
They held them up for ransom
Without disturbing their high tea
But their getaway was shaky
They stalled in the Riyadh streets
'Cause you can't make it very far
When your tank is on empty
But the final can of gasoline was loaded on a truck
And driven through the streets of Agra to the palace aquaduct
You see, all the majesty of worship that once adorned these fatal halls
Was just a target for the angry
As they blew up the Taj Mahal
And they yelled
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Gasoline
It will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Verse 3]
My friend Gary ran a market way down in Tennessee
Where the farmers got together and talked about this great country
But when the government turned its back on the farmer
Man, what I hear is they dragged the pumps out of the ground
With a big vintage John Deere
Well, I have soldiers on my payroll
Standing guard on my front drive
Snipers on my roof poised at those who didn't want me alive
'Cause they audited my taxes
And my family under threat
'Cause I had a message and a megaphone
And I'll scream it to the death, yeah
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Gasoline
Will be free, will be free, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Verse 4]
Oh, you got the farms in Argentina
Making fuel from sugar cane
You got the bastards under Washington
Afraid of popping that greed vain
'Cause the money's in the pipeline
And the pipeline's running dry
And we'll be the last to recognize
Where there is shit, there's always flies
About
“Gasoline” is protest song set in the midst of an imaginary revolution in the future (although 2017 has now since come and passed). In 2008, Sheryl said, “it’s like a science fiction song about looking back and proposing what it would have been like if people were really, really awake and took it to the streets. [It’s saying] we will not be oppressed by these oil prices dictating how we’re going to live our lives. It’s fantastical but at the same time hopefully it’s thought-provoking.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Sheryl elaborated the concept of the song to about.com in 2008:
You know, part of what amazes me is that we’re in a war based on, basically, oil ownership. We’re very tied to oil, we’re tied to coal. In the ‘60s and '70s when the Vietnam War was going on, every single day you saw people out on the streets rebelling, revolting. You don’t see that now. You hear about people trying to change the way they live and not become oil-dependent, but the bottom line is that the government has made it so that we are dependent on oil. The kids are going over there and fighting for this idea of democracy, when really it’s all about oil, about oil ownership. So the song was really inspired by that, acknowledging that things are not as they appear. And what if we do wake up and become enraged, and we did take it to the streets? It’s kind of a sci-fi [story] looking back on a future when people actually demanded that our oil dependency come to an end.
- 3.Love Is Free
- 5.Gasoline
- 7.Detours
- 10.Diamond Ring
- 11.Motivation
- 15.Rise Up
- 17.Doctor My Eyes
- 18.Beautiful Dream
