When Mars' mother died in 1958, the older family members settled in Florida, while Johnny and his younger brother went to live in New Paltz, N.Y. After he graduated from high school, he played club shows around New York and recorded with his band Burning Bush for Mercury Records.
In the mid-1960s, Mars moved to San Francisco, where he met Dan Kennedy and formed the Johnny Mars Band, playing clubs and festivals in northern California, as well as shows for rock promoter/impresario/producer Bill Graham.
However, Mars could not seem to expand his audience much in San Francisco. After hearing about the greener pastures across the pond from his friend Rick Estrin of Little Charlie and the Nightcats, he toured England in 1972. There, he recorded a couple of albums, eventually moving to West London in 1978. Working with producer Ray Fenwick, who also worked with Spencer Davis and Ian Gillan, Mars met with success on the much praised album, Life On Mars.
In 1991, Mars became a featured soloist with the British New Wave pop group Bananarama. The group used him on their singles "Preacher Man," "Megalomaniac," and "Long Train Running," and he appeared in the group's video of "Preacher Man." Through the 1990s, Mars retained his strong European fan base, and he enjoys particularly strong followings in Ireland, Scotland and Scandinavia. Critics there have called him "the Jimi Hendrix of the harmonica." Over the years, Mars has shared bills with Hendrix (before he was well-known) and Magic Sam.
In 1992, after a long absence from the Bay Area blues scene, owing to his new foothold in England and the rest of Europe, Mars was invited to play at the San Francisco Blues Festival. Mars' 1994 U.S. release for MM&K Recordings, Stateside with Johnny Mars, features brilliant, original, topical compositions and superb, unique harmonica playing, unfettered by the standard Chicago blues conventions.
Cash Ain't Nothing
Johnny Mars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your cash ain't nothing but trash.
Here we go.
Yeah, you may have heart about the gangster of love and the space cowboy, but I'm gonna whip a cat on you right now who's had more trouble, trials and tribulations.
One, two, three, hey
Yeah
It's alright
I was walking down the main track
One night
I met a fine chick
She was built just right
She stopped when I flashed my roll
I told her she could have all of my dough
She turned around and with a frown
She said this ain't no circus
And I don't need a clown
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
And there ain't no need in your hangin' around
Just to make a hit with that chick
I tried to get a Cadillac right quick
The man at the place he looked so strange
I had 900 bucks and some change
We disagreed
I tried to plead
Well, he said I ain't a chicken
And I don't need your feed
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Well, baby you're crawling way past your speed
I was walkin' into town in my white bucks
A man with a gun, he said hands up
I tried to get away but too slow
He got me and took all of my dough
I heard him shout
As he cut out
Well you ain't lost nothin'
What you cryin' about
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
And he took my watch and I passed out
I woke up in the arms of a big cop
Police station
Next stop
Judge swung his fist down
Plunk plunk
$20 fine cause you're drunk
Pick up the dough
And you can go
All I had was a buffalo
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash
But I'm sure gonna get me some more
In Johnny Mars’s song Cash Ain’t Nothing But Trash, the singer narrates his story of misfortune and loss that came along with being opulent. The song starts at the beginning of the story when the singer meets a woman on the street, and she asks for his cash. He readily agrees, but the woman declines the offer, explaining she doesn’t need any clown in her life. This sets off a message that as much as money is significant, it does not guarantee anything. The second verse tells how the singer tried to use his money to get a Cadillac but failed due to a disagreement with the car dealer who declines his feed.
In the third verse, the singer narrates how he was robbed by a man with a gun while walking in town, and the crook got away with his money and his watch. In the fourth verse, Johnny Mars explains how he found himself in trouble after drinking too much and paying a $20 fine. He explains it appears the only thing he has left is a buffalo, and there is nothing worthwhile in having money. Ultimately, the singer delivers a message that while money is necessary, it is not everything in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Your cash ain't nothing but trash.
Money is nothing but worthless paper to you.
Here we go.
Get ready for the story that follows.
Yeah, you may have heard about the gangster of love and the space cowboy, but I'm gonna whip a cat on you right now who's had more trouble, trials and tribulations.
There may be other legends out there, but I have my own hardships that I want to share with you.
I was walking down the main track, one night. I met a fine chick, she was built just right. She stopped when I flashed my roll. I told her she could have all of my dough. She turned around and with a frown, she said this ain't no circus, and I don't need a clown.
One night, I met a woman and offered her all my money, but she rejected me and called me a clown.
Just to make a hit with that chick, I tried to get a Cadillac right quick. The man at the place he looked so strange. I had 900 bucks and some change. We disagreed, I tried to plead. Well, he said I ain't a chicken and I don't need your feed.
In order to impress the woman, I tried to buy a Cadillac but got into an argument with the salesman who didn't want my money.
I was walking into town in my white bucks. A man with a gun, he said hands up. I tried to get away but too slow. He got me and took all of my dough. I heard him shout as he cut out, well you ain't lost nothing, what you crying about.
While walking into town, a criminal robbed me of my money and my reaction was futile since it was just worthless cash.
I woke up in the arms of a big cop. Police station, next stop. Judge swung his fist down, plunk plunk. $20 fine cause you're drunk. Pick up the dough, and you can go. All I had was a buffalo.
After getting robbed and passing out, I was arrested and fined $20 for being drunk. All I had left was one dollar bill.
But I'm sure gonna get me some more.
Despite all the trouble money has caused me, I still want to earn more of it.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES E. CALHOUN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind