“Cage the Elephant – Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” Lyrics Analysis
Chayan Warde
Ms. McCormick
English II Honors
March 24, 2013
“Cage the Elephant – Ain’t no rest for the wicked” lyrics analysis
As the title and chorus of this song dictate, there is no rest for the wicked; this song can contain many different interpretations according to different ages, maturity, and general knowledge. This song represents the fact that everyone has a wickedness within themselves, and when the song says, “Oh, there ain’t no rest for the wicked, Money don’t grow on trees” (lines 13-14), the singer states that everyone has a degree to a level of greed. There is a constant need for money, and that money is not easily found. The song goes to show how desperate a man or woman could be in the current American economy, from prostitution, murder threats, or even robbery just to get enough money to support themselves/their family. In modern times, money equals power, and those who have no money have no power. While being penniless you cannot live a peaceful life and you will most likely live a poor life of constant bankruptcy. This is the reason the singer sings of the hard times many go through, to get their word out or, to simply let others know. This song, as a whole, symbolizes the poor and the justifications of their crimes, while also showing this through the singer’s perspective as an average person who knows nothing of the world of the poor.
The first stanza introduces a woman who approaches the narrator and tries to have him buy a pleasurable time for the evening. Prostitution is a disgusting form of love, where the man pays the women to please the man, when usually neither is truly having a pleasant time. It is common where men are not satisfied in their love life, and women need money to survive on their own. Therefore, in response to the women’s request the singer says, “I said you’re such a sweet young thing, oh why you do this to yourself,” (10-11). It would be common for anyone to ignore another, but the singer confronts this women and
Ms. McCormick
English II Honors
March 24, 2013
“Cage the Elephant – Ain’t no rest for the wicked” lyrics analysis
As the title and chorus of this song dictate, there is no rest for the wicked; this song can contain many different interpretations according to different ages, maturity, and general knowledge. This song represents the fact that everyone has a wickedness within themselves, and when the song says, “Oh, there ain’t no rest for the wicked, Money don’t grow on trees” (lines 13-14), the singer states that everyone has a degree to a level of greed. There is a constant need for money, and that money is not easily found. The song goes to show how desperate a man or woman could be in the current American economy, from prostitution, murder threats, or even robbery just to get enough money to support themselves/their family. In modern times, money equals power, and those who have no money have no power. While being penniless you cannot live a peaceful life and you will most likely live a poor life of constant bankruptcy. This is the reason the singer sings of the hard times many go through, to get their word out or, to simply let others know. This song, as a whole, symbolizes the poor and the justifications of their crimes, while also showing this through the singer’s perspective as an average person who knows nothing of the world of the poor.
The first stanza introduces a woman who approaches the narrator and tries to have him buy a pleasurable time for the evening. Prostitution is a disgusting form of love, where the man pays the women to please the man, when usually neither is truly having a pleasant time. It is common where men are not satisfied in their love life, and women need money to survive on their own. Therefore, in response to the women’s request the singer says, “I said you’re such a sweet young thing, oh why you do this to yourself,” (10-11). It would be common for anyone to ignore another, but the singer confronts this women and