Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Canonical path: /tom-petty-and-the-heartbreakers/money-becomes-king
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
Money Becomes King
Read Money Becomes King lyrics by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
Money Becomes King
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
f 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 the TV 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 how could we have known
They'd double 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 'n' 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 talked through all the music
And to John paid little mind
And way up in the nosebleeds
We watched upon the screen
They hung between the billboards
So cheaper seats could see
Johnny, rock that golden circle
And all those VIPs
And that music that had freed us
Became a tired routine
And I saw his face in close-up
Tryin' 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 need some 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.
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Money Becomes King"?
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers performs "Money Becomes King", and this lyric page sits inside the Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Money Becomes King"?
Yes. The related section below points to A Face In The Crowd and A Higher Place with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on Money Becomes King yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.