Squeaky Wheels

I hate to be a kicker,
I always long for peace,
But the wheel that does the squeaking,
Is the one that gets the grease. - Josh Billings


Josh lived when you traveled in buggies or carriages. A "kicker" was an ill-behaved horse. Wheels didn't have bearings - wood to wood or metal was the normal. They squeaked when they ran dry of lubricant. The above poem is where the saying "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" comes from.