Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark, almost transactional picture of existence, where financial gain is the ultimate motivator and solution. The opening spoken dialogue immediately establishes a world where "seventy-five marks" is a significant incentive for a risky task, with Cliff readily agreeing, "Absolutely! Anything for a buck." This sets the stage for the Emcee's relentless refrain that "Money makes the world go around," a sentiment echoed by the insistent chanting of "Money, money, money." The song doesn't just state this; it demonstrates it through a series of scenarios where wealth dictates experience and comfort. The central tension lies in the stark contrast between the privileged and the impoverished, and how money acts as the sole arbiter of their realities. For the rich, money buys "gay escapade," companionship, and even a recovery mechanism via a "14-karat yacht" after romantic woes. Conversely, the lyrics vividly portray the desperation of poverty: "haven't any coal in the stove," "freeze in the winter," "haven't any shoes on your feet," and looking "30 pounds underweight." In these dire circumstances, even spiritual advice from a pastor is rendered useless when "hunger comes to rap." The implication is clear: material wealth, not morality or love, is the only force that can truly alleviate suffering. The most striking craft element is the relentless repetition and the almost percussive insistence on the "clinking, clanking sound" of money. This sonic imagery, coupled with the sheer volume of "Money, money, money" chanted by the Cabaret Girls, creates an overwhelming, almost hypnotic effect. It transforms the abstract concept of currency into a tangible, inescapable force. The lyrics also employ a sharp, almost cynical irony; while the rich can "recover" on a yacht, the poor are left to "curse at the wind at your fate." This juxtaposition underscores the song's bleak assertion that the world operates purely on a financial axis, with little room for empathy or genuine human connection outside of transactional relationships. Ultimately, these lyrics are effective because they bypass sentimentality and deliver a brutal, pragmatic assessment of power and survival. The repeated, almost chant-like structure and the vivid, contrasting imagery of wealth and destitution hammer home the central thesis with an undeniable force. It's a world where "a mark, a yen, a buck or a pound" isn't just a means to an end, but the very engine of existence, reducing complex human needs and desires to their most basic, financially quantifiable forms. The song leaves the listener with a chilling, unforgettable impression of a world driven by the cold, hard sound of cash.

Eddie Redmayne - Pop, West End

Money

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Duration: 4:18

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[CLIFF, spoken] So, what would I have to do? [ERNST, spoken] Oh, um—it's so very simple. You go to an address I will give you, you pick up a small briefcase, you bring it back to Berlin and I will give you seventy-five marks [SALLY, spoken] Seventy-five marks?! [ERNST, spoken] This is only the beginning! So you will go to Paris? [CLIFF, spoken] Absolutley! Anything for a buck. Prost! [ERNST, spoken] Prost! [SALLY, spoken] Prost! [EMCEE] Money makes the world go around The world go around The world go around Money makes the world go around It makes the world go 'round A mark, a yen, a buck or a pound A buck or a pound A buck or a pound Is all that makes the world go around That clinking, clanking sound Can make the world go 'round [CABARET GIRLS] Money, money, money, money Money, money, money, money Money, money, money, money, money, money Money, money, money, money, money, money [EMCEE & (CABARET GIRLS)] If you happen to be rich (Ooh) And you feel like a night's entertainment (Money) You can pay for a gay escapade (Money, money, money, money) If you happen to be rich and alone (Ooh) And you need a companion (Money) You can ring (Ting-a-ling) for the maid If you happen to be rich (Ooh) And you find you are left by your lover (Money) Though you moan and you groan quite a lot (Money, money, money, money) You can take it on the chin (Ooh) Call a cab and begin to recover (Money) On your 14-karat yacht! Money makes the world go around The world go around The world go around Money makes the world go around Of that we can be sure! Pfft on being poor! [CABARET GIRLS] Money, money, money Money, money, money Money, money, money Money, money, money (Money, money, money, money, money, money Money, money, money, money, money, money!) [EMCEE] Oh! [Instrumental Break] [EMCEE] No! [CABARET GIRLS] Money, money, money Money, money, money Money, money, money Money, money, money Money, money, money, money, money, money Money, money, money, money, money, money [EMCEE & CABARET GIRLS] When you haven't any coal in the stove And you freeze in the winter And you curse at the wind at your fate When you haven't any shoes on your feet Your coat's thin as paper And you look 30 pounds underweight You go to get a word of advice From the fat little pastor He will tell you to love evermore [EMCEE] But when hunger comes to rap Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat At the window [CABARET GIRLS] At the window! [EMCEE, spoken] Who's there? [CABARET GIRLS, spoken] Hunger! [EMCEE, spoken] Urgh, hunger! (sung) See how love flies out the door for... Money makes the world [CABARET GIRLS] Go around [EMCEE] The world [CABARET GIRLS] Go around [EMCEE] The world [CABARET GIRLS] Go around [EMCEE] Money makes the [CABARET GIRLS] Go around [EMCEE] The clinking, clanking sound of Money, money, money, money Money, money, money, money Get a little, get a little Money, money, money, money Mark, a yen, a buck or a pound That clinking, clanking, clunking sound Is all that makes the world go 'round [CABARET GIRL #1] Money! [CABARET GIRL #2] Money! [CABARET GIRL #3] Money! [EMCEE] Yes! It makes the world go 'round!

Credits

Writers: John Kander
Fred Ebb

Money

Money

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