In 1974, Sheppard signed with Melodyland (later Hitsville) Records, which was a short-lived country label that was owned by Motown Records, and recorded the song "Devil in the Bottle," which became a No. 1 hit on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart and also became a Top 60 Pop hit in 1975. The follow-up, "Tryin' to Beat the Morning Home," also went to No. 1 and cracked the Top 100 during the summer of 1975. Several subsequent releases during 1975-1977 also made the Top 10 like "Motels and Memories" and "Show Me A Man".
Early in his career, TG became close friends w/Elvis Presley. Elvis gave TG his first tour bus and TG even lived at Graceland for a while during their friendship. A relative of TG's at a performance of his in his hometown of Humboldt, TN gave a first-hand account of TG mentioning the recent passing of his friend, Elvis, beginning to honor him by singing one of Elvis' songs, & having to leave the stage to compose himself before returning to finish the song. TG & Elvis were very close.
In 1977, Sheppard signed with Warner Bros. Records, where he enjoyed his greatest success. Starting with that summer's "When Can We Do This Again," he had a series of fifteen consecutive Top 10 releases, including 10 No. 1 songs. The biggest included "Last Cheater's Waltz" (1979); "I'll Be Coming Back For More" and "Do You Want to Go to Heaven" (1980); "I Loved 'Em Everyone" and "Party Time" (1981); "Only One You," "Finally" and "War is Hell (On the Homefront Too)" (1982). Another major hit came in 1984: "Slow Burn." "I Loved 'Em, Everyone" also reached the top-forty on the U.S. pop singles charts.
In 1985, he moved from Warner Bros. to Columbia Records, where he continued to enjoy success. After just missing the top 20 with "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" (a remake of the Elvin Bishop hit), he returned to the top 10, with his biggest success during this time frame coming with 1986's "Strong Heart" (the last of his 14 No. 1 hits, as it turned out). Three more songs peaked at No. 2 in 1987: "Half Past Forever (Till I'm Blue in the Heart)," "You're My First Lady" and "One for the Money."
Sheppard's success continued until about 1988, when rootsy neo-traditionalist artists began to eclipse more polished pop-country artists like Sheppard on the country charts. He continued to tour and play throughout the 1990s, but did not sign a new record contract, and did not release any new material until his 2002 live release, T.G. Sheppard: Live at Billy Bob's, which found Sheppard performing his classic hits for an enthusiastic crowd at the famed honky tonk in Fort Worth, Texas.
He has a new CD out called "Timeless" which has him singing songs from the big band era. In the mid to late 1980's T.G. Sheppard was an associate sponsor on the #25 Folgers Chevrolet driven on the Nascar Winston Cup circuit by Tim Richmond and Ken Schrader. In 1990 the Folgers sponsorship moved to Roush racing and driver Mark Martin.
TG is married to a fellow song-writer / singer, Kelly Lang, and they currently reside in Hendersonville, TN
One for the Money
T.G. Sheppard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got a weekend business trip bound to LA"
She drives him to the airport
And watches till he boards the plane
Then she hurries to a phone booth
And across town the telephone rings
Two for the show
One to pay for the credit cards
And two to rock 'n roll
One gave her the wedding ring
The new car that she drives
But two gives her the feeling she needs
That one's money can't buy
Now she arrives at the honky tonk
Just a little bit late
Parks her Mercedes 'round back
Cause her name's on the license plate
She steps into another life
As she walks through the door
Then she melts into his arms
As they dance out across the floor
And she's got one for the money
Two for the show
One to pay for the credit cards
And two to rock 'n roll
One gave her a wedding ring
The new car that she drives
But two gives her the feeling she needs
That one's money can't buy
Another wild lover's weekend
Ends too soon
And when they open up the blinds
It's Sunday afternoon
She wishes it could last forever
And he's beggin' her to stay
But she's got to pull herself together
Cause there's a plane coming in from LA
And she's got one for the money
Two for the show
One to pay for the credit cards
And two to rock 'n roll
One gave her the wedding ring
The new car that she drives
But two gives her the feeling she needs
That one's money can't buy
She's got one for the money
And you know two for the show
One to pay for the credit cards
And two to rock 'n roll
One gave her the wedding ring
The new car that she drives
But two gives her the feeling she needs
That one's money can't
buy.
The song "One for the Money" by T.G. Sheppard is a tale of a woman who is leading a double life. She is married to a man who provides her with all the materialistic comforts she desires, but she is not content with the monotony of her married life. She has found solace in the arms of another man whom she meets during her wild lover's weekend flings. Though she yearns to extend her time with her lover, she knows she must return to her husband before he returns from his business trip to Los Angeles. She lives in a world of materialistic and emotional contradictions, feeling a sense of belonging with both men, but neither providing her with everything she needs.
The song highlights the conflict between the need for financial stability and the desire for emotional fulfillment. The woman juggles between her roles as a wife and as a lover with the help of the two men in her life. She values the luxurious lifestyle provided by her husband but also craves the feeling of love and passion that she gets from her lover. Through the lyrics, the song portrays how monetary benefits may not always provide complete happiness, and that the human heart has desires that money can never fulfill.
Line by Line Meaning
He said, "I'm sorry I have to cancel the plans we made
He apologizes for canceling their plans because he has to go on a business trip to LA for the weekend.
I got a weekend business trip bound to LA"
He has to go to LA for a business trip for the weekend.
She drives him to the airport
She drives him to the airport for his trip.
And watches till he boards the plane
She watches him board the plane before leaving.
Then she hurries to a phone booth
After dropping him off, she quickly goes to a phone booth.
And across town the telephone rings
She makes a call from a phone booth across town.
She's got one for the money
She has one thing to pay for with her money.
Two for the show
She has a second thing that is for entertainment.
One to pay for the credit cards
The first thing she needs to pay for is her credit card bills.
And two to rock 'n roll
The second thing she uses her money for is to have fun and party.
One gave her the wedding ring
One person gave her the ring when they got married.
The new car that she drives
That person also gave her a new car she now drives.
But two gives her the feeling she needs
However, the second thing she uses her money for gives her a feeling she cannot get from those gifts.
That one's money can't buy
This feeling cannot be bought with money.
Now she arrives at the honky tonk
She has now arrived at a honky tonk.
Just a little bit late
She is a little bit late to the honky tonk.
Parks her Mercedes 'round back
She parks her Mercedes car around the back of the honky tonk.
Cause her name's on the license plate
She has her name on the license plate of her car.
She steps into another life
As she steps into the honky tonk, she leads a different life from her usual one.
As she walks through the door
She walks through the door of the honky tonk.
Then she melts into his arms
She falls into his arms as they meet at the honky tonk.
As they dance out across the floor
They dance together on the floor of the honky tonk.
And she's got one for the money
She still has the first thing she uses her money for.
Two for the show
She also still has the second thing she uses her money for.
Another wild lover's weekend
They spend another crazy weekend together.
Ends too soon
The weekend ends too soon for them.
And when they open up the blinds
When they open the blinds in the morning.
It's Sunday afternoon
It's already Sunday afternoon.
She wishes it could last forever
She wishes the weekend could last forever.
And he's beggin' her to stay
He begs her to stay a little longer.
But she's got to pull herself together
She has to get her act together.
Cause there's a plane coming in from LA
She has to leave because there's a plane coming from LA, and she needs to pick someone up from the airport.
And she's got one for the money
Before leaving, she still has one thing to spend her money on.
And you know two for the show
She still has the second thing she uses her money for.
One to pay for the credit cards
The first thing she has to spend her money on is to pay off her credit cards.
And two to rock 'n roll
The second thing she uses her money for is to party and have fun.
One gave her the wedding ring
She was given a wedding ring by someone.
The new car that she drives
She also has a new car that she drives.
But two gives her the feeling she needs
However, the second thing she uses her money for gives her a feeling she cannot get from those gifts.
That one's money can't buy
This feeling cannot be bought with money.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnhermes4112
I was a 90’s baby so I didn’t grow up with this song. The first time I heard it was ten-ish years ago on my local station’s “classic country” show on Saturday mornings. I remember being speechless after hearing the story it told. I don’t think I ever heard it on the radio again but it has stuck with me after all these years! If that’s not country in it’s purest form I don’t know what is!
@bradleyearl8558
Excellent answer
@thinking6307
Oh Yeah..John. '80's 3rd Coast..Texas Louisiana, Southern Mississippi, Alabama, Florida...knew this story well.
@jeremymash2250
You got that right girl
@toneyholcombe7088
Most underrated artist of his era.
@ConfederateCowboy78
Solid gold
@lauraroberts9066
Saw him in 87 my mom DRAGGED me to the show to drive her.The Best show ever and he was so nice to us signing his record 4 my mom!!Love TG!!👍
@MissMe-rg9yb
I've loved his voice since I was a little girl. I can remember my parents listening to this song where I as young. I loved it then & still do!
@BillKilgore1
T. G. Sheppard was one of my all time favorites, as is this song. It puts me in mind of Fort Worth, River Oaks and the Jacksboro Highway.
@thinking6307
Dang Right Mr. Glover!!!!! This story is a huge part of 80's Texas!!!