To see the lyrics, click on the name of the version you are interested in (on the left).
It used to be played quite a lot in 1998, maybe a bit less now, but it's still a classic at gigs.
Neil wrote this song because he's afraid of heights. The characters, a couple of lovers, are at a funfair and ride the Ferris wheel. It's also a song on religious beliefs and how to combine hedonism with faith. Whereas the first part of the song sounds quite normal, the last rant about God is more disturbing. It probably contains references to '
A Drinking Song' ("be they disgraceful or distasteful or distilled"). God might be the "driver who's asleep behind the wheel" meaning that He's supposed to rule the world but seems quite absent. So it's better to act as if He didn't exist at all.