Pink Floyd: Money Meaning

Song Released: 1973

Money Lyrics

Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and youre okay.
Money, its a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think Ill buy me a football team.

Money, get back.
Im all right jack...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Mar 13th 2012 !⃝

   The song Money by Pink Floyd is an example of the realistic, personal, individual, and societal vision of the American Dream and Nightmare. The way I define realism is true and factual. Because money is paper and we hold it and spend every day I consider that realistic. Money is also a societal vision of the American Dream because everyone wants more money. Everyone sees money as a goal and sometimes a scheme.
   The American Dream as I see it, is where people get so much money and keep it for themselves, but the American nightmare is where people get robbed, fighting over money and killing themselves and other people to get money. The song says money is a crime and share it fairly, but don’t take a slice of my pie, which means the American nightmare is the American dream.
   People spend a great amount of their life trying to gain more money, whether it is investing their money, purchasing lottery tickets, spending it in casinos, working for it, or even stealing it. The world revolves amount money. Society even rates others on how much money they have, like the caste system, lower class equals little to no money, middle class means little to a lot of money, upper class means you’re rich. Our society also focuses on get rich quick schemes, ways to get free things. However the idea of money is not entirely an American dream. The price of food, gas, health insurance and other basic necessities has continued to escalate, but wages have not followed, so more Americans are finding themselves squeezed financially at the end of every month. Instead of having extra money with which to enjoy the American Dream, millions of families are now experiencing the American Nightmare of working hard, but never having quite enough. While greed and the love of money is an issue, the problem of money or the lack of it can effect many of us. Some of these problems come from a wrong lifestyle or greed for more things that one does not actually need. The over use of the credit cards is but one of the many reasons that our economy is in such a financial mess. Money was not always paper and coins as we see it today, people had to trade and barter to get things. Now money is evolving again and changing from physical form which we can hold to electronic money like credit cards and online payments.
   Even though you need money to live, people have often gone crazy to get more, for either standard living or just simply for enjoyment or luxury. People will rob banks to achieve this, in 2010 over 6,065 banks were robbed in the US alone and over $43 million was looted. Money is also stolen online by viruses, hackers and fraudulent schemes. The desire of money is so strong that people will steal identities to get it.
   In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a self-made man who started out with no money only a plan for achieving his dream. He is so blinded by his luxurious possessions that he does not see that money cannot buy love or happiness. Fitzgerald shows us how a dream can become corrupted by one’s focus on acquiring wealth, power, and expensive things. Gatsby had a romantic view of wealth, however wealth had not prepared him for the self-interested, snobbish, corrupt group of people with which he comes to know and hang around. He throws extravagant parties for countless people, yet he has no real friends. Gatsby buys expensive things and entertains large groups of society because of his desire for something greater.
   People often go mad with power, and money feeds the power. The more money you have the more powerful you are. The North Korean leader Kim Jung Il who recently passed away is a good example of someone who has used money to strike fear into the surrounding people by a use of money. He built up a strong military fed them well, showered them with riches to only use that for evil. Another person who went mad with power, and money was the Oncler from “The Lorax” who created mass devastation which affected the animals that once lived peaceably in a perfect wonder land and to make them abandon their homes. The Oncler was desirous of money even if it meant to deforest the vivid Eden. When the Lorax told him enough is enough the Onceler was so absorbed by greed and money that he only wanted more, until it was too late and he lost everything.
   In the movie Italian job, money was the main plot of the story. The movie portrayed on how far a person will go just to have more money. It displayed them stealing the money, betraying each other to have it all, and stealing it again from the betrayer. It goes to show that in today’s world enough is never enough, no one is satisfied with what they have. That why people use slot machines, lottery tickets with the lure of getting more money.
   TV shows like wheel of fortune, I want to be a millionaire, the Price is right and, Deal or no Deal, are all shows where people win money. People watch these shows only to wish that they were there making that money. People today think that money can solve everything; and they are right that it can solve some complications it can also promote much conflict.
   This song is about the bad things money can bring. Ironically, it made Pink Floyd lots of cash, as the album sold over 34 million copies. This is often misinterpreted as a tribute to money. Many people thought the line "Money, it's a gas," meant they considered money a very good thing.
   
   Money, get away
   Get a good job with more pay and your O.K.
   New car, caviar, four star daydream,
   Think I'll buy me a football team
   
   These lines tell how we think that as long as you get a lot of money then you’re set. The song lyrics include the phase job with MORE pay, meaning that you cannot be satisfied with regular pay you need more cash to be happy. This shows us the part where people in this society use money for luxurious reasons. This also shows how greedy you can be when you have a lot of money. New cars, caviar, are all personal pleasures. Even though Bill Gates is known for being the richest man of his time, he also happens to be huge charity giver. He does not focus on himself, he puts others first. This is unusual. Rich people don’t want go give, but instead to grab more for themselves.
   
   Money get back
   I'm all right Jack keep your hands off my stack
   
   This explains how money can make us greedy. Our society is built up and run by money. Although money is but the symbol that we use in buying and selling, it is a necessity, for dealing our needs, and getting what we want. Only, again, when we value money more than our family, friends, dignity, and spirituality we become enslaved by it. This is greed and it can drag us down if we don't fix it.
   Money it's a crime
   Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie
   Money so they say
   Is the root of all evil today
   But if you ask for a raise it's no surprise that they're
   giving none away
   
   Money, its a crime means that people can completely change attitude wise when money enters the equation. When a person wins the lottery they soon find out that who they thought were their friends, are people who just end up using them for the money. When the song says money so they say is the root of all evil today originates in the Bible, Timothy 6:10: for the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some desired after. In the line “ask for a rise its no surprise that they're giving none away” simply means that don’t be shocked if you ask for money, and you don’t receive any.
   No amount of money can make you happy even if you're a miserable person inside! It might take the edge off but it's certainly not the cure. Look at all the famous people in the papers, they have enough money to buy anything they want and yet they still cheat, lie, and commit crimes. So surely it's not money that makes you happy. Having enough money to be able to pay your bills without worrying and buy your daily essentials will reduce your stress and therefore result in increased happiness. Having material items does not necessarily make you happy. For some people it might but not as a rule. Money can either be your American dream or your nightmare, or both, its determined by how you use it.
2. anonymous

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   Mar 25th 2023 !⃝

   There is two sides at the beginning. There is a good side to money and an evil side. Money corrupts people. “Money, it’s a hit” have you ever done heroin? You chase that same high, you will screw everyone over to get that hit. One of my favorite songs on DSOTM
3. anonymous

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   Sep 28th 2014 !⃝

   shamallama
4. anonymous

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   Oct 27th 2012 !⃝

   A very clever song whose 7/8 time is both simple and complex. Which reflects the role of money. The lyrics show two sides of the coin, so to speak: you share and be fair, but leave my money alone, I'm alright Jack. The selfish greed theme and the violence associated with it are handled in a much quieter and reflective way in "Us and Them."
5. anonymous

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   Jul 13th 2012 !⃝

   It is about that eras emerging embed of greed and self gratification which has grown from a desire then to an entitled right today.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
6. anonymous

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   Apr 17th 2011 !⃝

   The song is about greed and corruption in the music industry.
7. pookie

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   May 7th 2009 !⃝

   I personally think this song is talking about people only wanting to come around when you have money.I think it also means if you do favors for other people when you need favors or help they wont be there because he says grab the cash with both hands and make stash but who actually knows what Roger Waters was thinking when he wrote this amazing song
8. zachlovesnirvana

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   Dec 9th 2008 !⃝

   It is about how money can make people greedy and evil. Also it shows how money changes people.

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