Money Becomes King lyrics

Artist  : Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 
Song : Money Becomes King
 


Money Becomes King
if you reach back in your
memory
a little bell might ring
about a
time that once existed
when money wasn't
king
if you stretch your imagination
i'll
tell you all a tale
about a time when
everything
wasn't up for sale

there was
this cat named johnny
who loved to play and
sing
when money wasn't king

we'd all
get so excited when
john would give a
show
we'd raise the cash between us
and
down the road we'd go
to hear him play that
music
it spoke right to my soul
every verse
a diamond
and every chorus gold
the sound
was my salvation
it was only
everything
before money became
king

well I ain't sure how it
happened
and i don't know exactly when
but
everything got bigger
and the rules began to
bend
and they taught the people
how to get
their hair to shine
and how sweet life can
be
if you keep a tight behind
and they
raised the cost of living
and could we have
known
they'd doubled the price of
tickets
to go see johnny's show


so
we hocked all our possessions
and we sold a
little dope
and went off to rock and
roll

we arrived there early
in time to
see rehearsal
and john came out and
lip-synched
his new lite beer
commercial
and as the crowd arrived
as far
as i could see
the faces were all
different
there was no one there like
me

they sat in golden circles
and
waiters served them wine
and they talked
through al the music
and to john paid little
mind
and way up in the nosebleeds
we
watched him on the screen
they'd hung between
the billboards
so cheaper seats could
see

johnny rocked that golden
circle
and all those VIP's
and that music
that had freed us
became a tired
routine
and i saw his face in
close-up
trying to give it all he had
and
sometimes his eyes betrayed him
you could see
that he was sad
and i tried to rock on with
him
but i slowly became bored
could that
man on stage
with everything
somehow needed
more?

there was no use in pretending
no
magic left to hear
all the music gave
me
was a craving for lite beer
as i walked
out of the arena
my ears began to ring
and
money became king