Steve Miller (born 5 October 1943) is a blues and rock and roll guitarist and performer. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but attended high school in Dallas. While at St. Mark's School of Texas, he formed his first band, The Marksmen. Miller taught one of his classmates, Royce Boz Scaggs, a few guitar chords so that he could join the band; Scaggs became better known by his nickname, Boz. Miller attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 1960s, where he formed The Ardells. Scaggs joined the Ardells the next year. Ben Sidran was added to the Ardells as a keyboardist the following year.
In 1968, Miller formed the Steve Miller Band, with Scaggs handling vocals, and released an album, Children of the Future, the first in a series of discs rooted solidly in the psychedelic blues style that dominated the San Francisco music scene at the time. Scaggs would leave the band after a couple of albums with vocal chores taken over by drummer Tim Davis; Miller himself would begin singing occasional lead on 1969's Brave New World. These albums performed respectably on the album charts but failed to yield a hit.
In the 1970's the band had some hits that became classics over the years - Jet Airliner, with some evocative lyrics that brought home the loss of life on the road; and The Joker which includes the famous line about the "pompatus of love", which is of course nonsense, but that didn't stop a lot of stoned folks from spending years talking amongst themselves.
Steve Miller's father was a wealthy doctor in Dallas, and friends with famous guitarist and guitar designer Les Paul. Les Paul gave Miller his first guitar lessons.
Longtime member Norton Buffalo (harmonica player) died from lung cancer on October 30, 2009.
John King (drummer during "The Joker" era) died after a short bout of kidney cancer on October 26, 2010.
Band-member James Cooke died from cancer on 16 May 2011.
Your Cash Ain
Steve Miller Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Look here
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
[Chorus]
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash [Repeat: x3]
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
[Chorus]
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
[Chorus]
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
[Chorus]
But I'm sure gonna get me some more
The lyrics of "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" by the Steve Miller Band tell the story of a man who originated from poverty and has earned a significant sum of money. However, he finds that his wealth attracts the wrong kind of attention and individuals who are only interested in him for his money. In the first verse, he expresses that despite being known as the gangster of love and space cowboy, he is a unique and troubled individual who has had many trials and tribulations. As the verses continue, he encounters women who are only interested in his money and individuals who attempt to swindle him out of his wealth.
The chorus of the song is repetitive and serves as a warning to those who only care about his money that they are not welcome. The verses narrate specific examples of people attempting to take advantage of him since he has cash. The man in the song learns throughout the hard lessons he experiences that his wealth is not worth much, as the people he attracts and the situations he finds himself in are not worth the effort.
Overall, the lyrics of "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" suggest that money cannot buy happiness and warn the listener to be cautious of the people they allow into their lives based on what they possess.
Line by Line Meaning
Your cash ain't nothing but trash (Take 1).
The singer states that money is worthless and does not hold any true value.
Here we go.
The singer is getting ready to tell a story about a negative experience with money.
Yeah, you may have heart about the gangster of love and the space cowboy,
The singer is acknowledging other well-known characters in his songs but says he will sing about someone who has been through more hardships.
But I'm gonna whip a cat on you right now who's had more trouble, trials and tribulations.
The singer is confident that the character in his story has experienced more adversity than the other characters previously mentioned.
One, two, three, hey
The singer is counting off the beats before beginning his story.
Yeah
The singer expresses agreement or confirmation about his story.
It's alright
The singer is reassuring the listener that everything will be okay.
Look here
The singer wants the listener to pay attention to his story.
I was walking down the main track
The character in the story is walking along a road or path.
One night
The event described in the story took place at night.
I met a fine chick
The character in the story met an attractive woman.
She was built just right
The woman had an appealing physical appearance.
She stopped when I flashed my roll
The character in the story showed the woman his money (roll of cash) and she stopped to pay attention.
I told her she could have all of my dough
The character offered to give the woman all of his money.
She turned around and with a frown
The woman turned away from the character with an unhappy expression.
She said this ain't no circus
The woman is saying that the character's actions (flashing money) are not entertaining or impressive.
And I don't need a clown
The woman is saying that the character is not funny or charming.
Your cash ain't nothin' but trash [Repeat: x3]
The chorus repeats the idea that money is worthless and has no real value.
And there ain't no need in your hangin' around
The woman rejects the character and tells him to leave.
Just to make a hit with that chick
The character in the story is trying to impress the woman and gain her affection.
I tried to get a Cadillac right quick
The character wants to buy a Cadillac car quickly to impress the woman.
The man at the place he looked so strange
The character is describing the person at the car dealership as unusual or suspicious.
I had 900 bucks and some change
The character had less than a thousand dollars to buy the car.
We disagreed
The character and the car dealer did not agree on the price of the car.
I tried to plead
The character attempted to negotiate or convince the car dealer to lower the price.
Well, he said I ain't a chicken
The car dealer is not scared or intimidated by the character.
And I don't need your feed
The car dealer does not want the character's business or money.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the idea that money is worthless and has no real value.
Well, baby you're crawling way past your speed
The character is telling the woman that she is acting above her level (trying to get with someone above her class or status).
I was walkin' into town in my white bucks
The character is walking into town wearing his white shoes (a symbol of his style or status).
A man with a gun, he said hands up
The character is held up (robbed) by a man with a gun.
I tried to get away but too slow
The character could not escape from the robber quickly enough.
He got me and took all of my dough
The robber took all of the character's money.
I heard him shout
The robber yelled something as he ran away.
As he cut out
The robber quickly left the scene after taking the money.
Well you ain't lost nothin'
The robber is telling the character that he did not really lose anything important.
What you cryin' about
The robber criticizes the character for being upset about losing money.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the idea that money is worthless and has no real value.
And he took my watch and I passed out
The robber also took the character's watch and he became unconscious (fainted).
I woke up in the arms of a big cop
The character woke up being held by a large police officer.
Police station
The character was taken to the police station.
Next stop
The character's next destination or experience is described.
Judge swung his fist down
The judge gestures or slams his fist down on his desk (or gavel) as he delivers the sentence.
Plunk plunk
The sound of the judge's gavel hitting the desk (or podium).
$20 fine cause you're drunk
The character is fined $20 by the judge for being drunk (possibly related to his previous mention of being robbed and losing all his money).
Pick up the dough
The character is told to pick up his money (part of his previous bail payment or court fees).
And you can go
The character is allowed to leave (possibly after paying his fines).
All I had was a buffalo
The character only had a buffalo nickel (a five-cent coin) left after paying his fines and fees.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the idea that money is worthless and has no real value.
But I'm sure gonna get me some more
Despite his negative experiences with money, the character still wants to get more money (implying that he has not learned his lesson).
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES E. CALHOUN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind