Released: March 5, 1969

Songwriter: Rick Danko Bob Dylan

Producer: Bob Johnston

If your memory serves you well
We were going to meet again and wait
So I'm going to unpack all my things
And sit before it gets too late
No man alive will comfort you
With another tale to tell
You know that we shall meet again
If your memory serves you well

Wheel's on fire
Rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin
This wheel shall explode

If your memory serves you well
I was going to confiscate your lace
And wrap it up in a sailor's knot
And hide it in your case
If I knew for sure that it was yours
But it was, oh, so hard to tell
You know that we shall meet again
If your memory serves you well

Wheel's on fire
Rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin
This wheel shall explode

If your memory serves you well
Then you'll remember you're the one
Who called on them to call on him
To get you your favors done
But after every plan had failed
There was nothing more to tell
You know that we shall meet again
If your memory serves you well

Wheel's on fire
Rolling down the road
Best notify my next of kin
This wheel shall explode

The Byrds

The Byrds /ˈbɜrdz/ were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole consistent member, until the group disbanded in 1973. Initially, they pioneered the musical genre of folk rock, melding the influence of the Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music. As the 1960s progressed, the band was also influential in originating psychedelic rock, raga rock, and country rock.

The band’s signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn’s jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar has continued to be influential on popular music up to the present day. Among the band’s most enduring songs are their cover versions of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)”, along with the self-penned originals, “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better”, “Eight Miles High”, “So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”, “Ballad of Easy Rider” and “Chestnut Mare”.

The original five-piece line-up of the Byrds consisted of Jim McGuinn (lead guitar, vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitar, vocals), Chris Hillman (bass guitar, vocals), and Michael Clarke (drums). However, this version of the band was relatively short-lived. The Byrds' final album was released in March 1973, with the reunited group disbanding soon afterwards. Several former members of the band went on to successful careers of their own, either as solo artists or as members of such groups as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band.