Winning the lottery is something that many people dream of on a regular occurrence. Every time you jot down the numbers and get your ticket printed out or play your favourite lottery online on theLotter.com, there are those moments when you imagine what it would be like to strike it lucky and win. We love to dream a little, even if it’s not winning the lottery, it tends to be something less likely, so comparisons can be made.
So to hear that some song-writers have been inspired by aspects such as the lottery isn’t the most surprising thing in the world, especially when you consider the amount of songs out there. Yet not many famous or popular songs have a strong emphasis on the lottery which isn’t too surprising either.
So what songs are about the lottery? Or at least feature some lyrics inspired by it?
Brandy Clark – Pray to Jesus
Don’t wanna be buried in debt or in sin / So we pray to Jesus and we play the lotto
Cause there ain’t but two ways / We can change tomorrow
And there ain’t no genie / And there ain’t no bottle
So we pray to Jesus and we play the lotto
The simple life is often a main theme in many country songs, and this track by Brandy Clark fits that bill pretty well too. Hope and aspirations are also a popular topic to cover in the ballads of country hits, with Clark using the lotto as his way of praying for a better life much like many others do.
Narry Nilsson – The Lottery Song
You could do the laundry / I’ll come by on Monday
You give me the money / I will buy a ticket
On the local lottery / We could win the lottery
We could go to Vegas / And be very happy
As if the title of this song by Narry Nilsson wasn’t a dead giveaway, this song has a strong emphasis on playing the lottery. Again, it’s more about praying and hoping for a change in fortune, much like those playing the lottery feel, so it’s a good comparison to use.
Patti Smith – Free Money
Patti Smith’s debut album Horses was released in 1975 and is regularly discussed as one of the best and most influential albums of all time. It is cited as one of the most important records in the history of American punk rock, and has had a lasting influence on artists for almost 40 years.
One track on this album is Free Money.
Every night before I go to sleep
Find a ticket, win a lottery,
Scoop the pearls up from the sea
Cash them in and buy you all the things you need.
One of the many prominent themes in this song is about the idea of dreaming for a better future, and alluding to those dreams that have escaped you. Again, dreaming can always be brought back to playing the lottery, as almost every player clearly has dreams and aspirations of winning it and bettering their lives.
Surprising, Patti Smith herself admitted that her mother’s own dreams of winning the lottery actually inspired this song.
‘She always dreamed about winning the lottery. But she never bought a lottery ticket! She would just imagine if she won, make lists of things she would do with the money – a house by the sea for us kids, then all kinds of charitable things’ Smith explained to the Guardian in an interview.
