Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American … Read Full Bio ↴Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of all time, King is the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. King also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005.

King's major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits, many of which have become standards, for numerous artists. She has continued writing for other artists since then. King's success as a performer in her own right did not come until the 1970s, when she sang her own songs, accompanying herself on the piano, in a series of albums and concerts. After experiencing commercial disappointment with her debut album Writer, King scored her breakthrough with the album Tapestry, which topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971 and remained on the charts for more than six years.

King has made 25 solo albums, the most successful being Tapestry, which held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years. Her record sales were estimated at more than 75 million copies worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a performer and songwriter. She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_King

Studio albums
Writer (1970)
Tapestry (1971)
Music (1971)
Rhymes & Reasons (1972)
Fantasy (1973)
Wrap Around Joy (1974)
Thoroughbred (1976)
Simple Things (1977)
Welcome Home (1978)
Touch the Sky (1979)
Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King (1980)
One to One (1982)
Speeding Time (1983)
City Streets (1989)
Colour of Your Dreams (1993)
Love Makes the World (2001)
A Holiday Carole (2011)

Pocket Money
Carole King Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

No friends, no dreams, no pocket money
There's a wall around my body, a fence around my kind
Nothing comes to me easily not leastwise peace of mind
Still, I keep movin' tryin' to break on through
I don't know nothin' else to do

Peelin' paint above my head is just another sign
Black clouds in the distance gettin' closer all the time

I just gotta keep movin' tryin' to break on through
I don't know nothin' else to do

Sometimes when I think that things
Are bad as they can be
I see a fella standing
Lower down on the ladder than me

Now I'm alive and kickin'
Dust behind my heel
Long as I got my soul
I'm on the good end of the deal

And I'm gonna keep movin'
Tryin' to break on through
I don't know nothin' else to do
I gotta keep movin'

No friends, no dreams
No pocket money

So I'm gonna keep movin'
No pocket money

Overall Meaning

Carole King's song Pocket Money reflects the struggles of a young person who feels lost and alone. The first line of the song, "No friends, no dreams, no pocket money," sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer seems to be trapped in his or her circumstances, with a "wall around my body" and a "fence around my kind." The lack of money and the feeling of being trapped contribute to a lack of peace of mind.

Despite these challenges, the singer keeps moving forward and trying to break through the obstacles. The peeling paint and black clouds serve as physical manifestations of the feeling of being stuck, but the singer remains determined to keep going. The uplifting chorus serves as a reminder that even though things may be bad, they are not as bad as they could be, and that there are people who are worse off. The singer is grateful for what they do have - their soul - and intends to keep moving forward no matter what.

Line by Line Meaning

No friends, no dreams, no pocket money
I don't have any friends, dreams, or money.

There's a wall around my body, a fence around my kind
I feel trapped and isolated in my own body and mind.

Nothing comes to me easily not leastwise peace of mind
I struggle with finding peace and happiness in my life, and everything seems to be a struggle.

Still, I keep movin' tryin' to break on through
Despite all my struggles, I keep pushing forward and trying to overcome obstacles in my life.

I don't know nothin' else to do
I don't have any other options, so I have to keep moving forward.

Peelin' paint above my head is just another sign
Even the peeling paint above me is a reminder of how everything in life seems to be falling apart.

Black clouds in the distance gettin' closer all the time
The future seems bleak and ominous, and I feel like things are only going to get worse.

Sometimes when I think that things Are bad as they can be I see a fella standing Lower down on the ladder than me
Sometimes, when I think my life is as bad as it can be, I realize that there are others who are worse off than me.

Now I'm alive and kickin' Dust behind my heel Long as I got my soul I'm on the good end of the deal
Despite my struggles, I'm still alive and moving forward, and as long as I have my soul, I feel like I'm getting the better end of the deal.

And I'm gonna keep movin' Tryin' to break on through I don't know nothin' else to do I gotta keep movin'
I'm going to keep pushing forward and trying to break through the barriers in my life because I don't have any other options.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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