After playing with my “What would Bruce Springsteen sing about Square Wheels blog — which I really like — I thought to create a song challenge: “Set this Square Wheels song to music.”

Note: Bruce Springsteen just released a protest song about ICE and DHS and Minneapolis. He does NOT support Donald Trump:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKSoxG1K7w&t=1s )

Below is the main image that this is all about, which you can download and use for free because of its Creative Commons BY-ND license. Click on the image, download the image and a toolkit from the landing page and get your team humming!

Click here to download the FREE Square Wheels One image under Creative Commons license

“Square Wheels in the Mud” – a song about reality

Verse 1
Whistle cries in the gray light, wagon waits by the rusted gate.
Mud up to our ankles, boss says, “Kid, you’re late.”
Square Wheels on the axles, round ones locked in a distant shed.
Maps pinned in the office, but no one’s sure where they lead instead.

Pre‑Chorus
We’re pushin’ hard in the shadows, just tryin’ to make this thing move.
Someone up there’s got a vision, but they never show the proof.

Chorus
We’re rollin’ on Square Wheels through the mud of another day.
Sweat on our backs, no trail, just tracks that wash away.
Silos on the hillside, each one guardin’ its own small fire.
We’re burnin’ out together in a world of unshared desire.

Verse 2
Supervisors on the front line, clipboards soaked in rain.
Caught between the memos and the people livin’ the pain.
They hear us curse all this mud, they hear the wagon groan at night.
But leadership’s in a tower where the windows block the sight.

Pre‑Chorus
They talk about a mission, words in frames along the hall.
But no one sees the picture, just the cracks in the factory wall.

Chorus
We’re rollin’ on square wheels through the mud of another day.
No compass on the dashboard, just orders to obey.
Silos hold their secrets, no one dares to cross that line.
We’re pullin’ in the darkness, hopin’ someday stars align.

Bridge – Spectator Sheep
Out there on the hillside, the spectator sheep just stare.
Chewin’ on their comfort while we grind these wheels of air.
They say, “That’s how it’s always been, that’s the way it’s always done.”
While we’re pushin’ past the breakin’ point, outnumbered one by one.

Verse 3
Leader at the summit, lookin’ down through clouds of glass.
Sees numbers on a dashboard, not the footprints in the grass.
We’re shoutin’ from the valley, but the wind just bends our words.
Every wagon thump and rumble is a story never heard.

Pre‑Chorus
Still the foreman lifts his shoulder, still the crew leans into steel.
We ain’t lazy, just exhausted by a muddy road that ain’t quite real.

Breakdown Chorus (quieter, reflective)
Still we’re rollin’ on Square Wheels, makin’ miracles from wood.
Tryin’ to build a future out of thumping wheels not good
If they’d walk down in this mud, see the strain behind these eyes.
They’d trade their painted visions for a truth that doesn’t lie.

Final Chorus (full band)
We’re done rollin’ on Square Wheels through the mud of a faithless plan.
Give us round wheels, give us voices, let us guide this thing by hand.
Tear down all the silos, bring the stories to the fire.
‘Til the wagon, sheep, and shepherd share a single, clear desire.

Tag
One day in the sunrise, when the mud turns into road,
We’ll lift this wagon higher with a lighter, common load.
Round wheels on the axles, every voice a line of song,
And no one left in shadows wonderin’ where they went wrong.

Should I try to use AI to add some tune to this?

—

For the FUN of It!

Dr. Scott Simmerman is a designer of team building games and organization improvement tools.
Managing Partner of Performance Management Company since 1984, he is an experienced presenter and consultant who is trying to retire!! He now lives in Cuenca, Ecuador.

You can reach Scott at scott@squarewheels.com
Learn more about Scott at his LinkedIn site.

Square Wheels® are a registered trademark of Simmulations, LLC
and images have been copyrighted since 1993,

© Simmulations, LLC 1993 – 2026

What I’m About:

My Square Wheels blog and website exist to help leaders, trainers, and facilitators make work smoother, more engaging, and more human. I focus on practical tools for process improvement, organizational change, and workplace collaboration that spark insight and deliver measurable results.

And I am convinced, after 30+ years of using Square Wheels^®, that it is the best facilitation toolset in the world. One can use it to involve and engage people in designing workplace improvements and building engagement and collaboration. It is a unique metaphorical approach to performance improvement and we can easily license your organization to use these images and approaches.

By blending proven facilitation methods, creative problem-solving, and engaging team activities, my mission is to support organizations in building energized, sustainable cultures of involvement and innovation.

Through accessible — and often free — resources and virtual facilitation tools, I aim to help teams everywhere collaborate more effectively, innovate continuously, and take ownership of their improvement journey.

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