“Patty Andrews, the lead singer of the Andrews sisters group was born in Mound, Minnesota on February 16, 1918 in a house that occupied the property where The Gillespie Center stands today.
During the 1920’s Laverne, Maxene and Patty Andrews spent their summers in Mound, living with their parents in a house across the street from the grocery store that was owned by Pete and Ed Sollie, bachelor uncles of the three girls. (Today, Green T Accounting occupies the Sollie grocery store building and The Gillespie Center is on the land where the Andrews Sisters’ house once stood.)” - From a commentary by Tom Rockvam that appeared in The Laker Newspaper during 2005.
They started their career as imitators of an earlier successful singing group, the Boswell Sisters. After singing with various dance bands and touring on Vaudeville, they first came to national attention with their recordings and radio broadcasts in 1937. Their music entertained Allied troops worldwide during World War II, sold war bonds, appeared in several films (including a few Abbott and Costello features), and performed for soldiers serving overseas. Their first film with Abbott and Costello, the pre-war comedy Buck Privates, introduced their best-known recording, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" which would win Best Song at the Academy Awards.
They also recorded many songs with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and other popular artists of the era. Their popularity was such that after the war they discovered that some of their records had actually been smuggled into Germany after the labels had been changed to read "Hitler's Marching Songs."
After a brief hiatus after the war, the sisters regrouped, performing in clubs throughout the United States and Europe. They broke up in 1953, with Patty's choice to go solo. Their last appearance together was in 1962 on The Dean Martin Show. Laverne, who had cancer, retired soon after; she died five years later, in 1967 at the age of 55.
After a long silence, the two surviving sisters had something of a comeback when Bette Midler recorded a cover of their song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Maxene and Patty appeared both together and separately throughout the 1970s, with Maxene releasing a solo album in 1986. Their most notable comeback; however, was in the Sherman Brothers' nostalgic World War II musical: "Over Here!" which premiered on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in 1974. The musical featured the two then living sisters (Maxene and Patty) and was written with them in mind for the leads. It launched the careers of many, now notable theater and film icons (John Travolta, Marilu Henner, Ann Reinking, et al). Ironically it was the last major hurrah of the sisters and was cut short due to a frivolous lawsuit initiated by Patty's husband to the show's producers.
Throughout their long career, the sisters had sold over 60 million records. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
The last of the three sisters Patty Andrews died of natural causes at her home in Northridge, California on January 30, 2013, just 17 days before her 95th birthday. The sisters were interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, close to their parents.
Money Is The Root Of All Evil
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La-la-la
Money is the root of all evil
Money is the root of all evil
Take it away, take it away, take it away
If a woman calls a man honey
And it's on account of his money
Honey & money will soon be gone
Take it away, take it away, take it away
I got the one I love
I got the moon & stars above
I got my youth & health
What do I want with wealth?
Money is the root of all evil
Money is the root of all evil
Won't contaminate myself with it
Take it away, take it away, take it away
La la la
Haven't got a cent but don't worry
Haven't got a job but no hurry
I would answer if they gave me gold
Take it away, take it away, take it away
If you want no income tax mister
Take it easy & relax mister
When they offer work be strong & say
Take it away, take it away, take it away
I got the one I love
I got the moon & stars above
I got my youth & my health
What do I want with wealth?
Money is the root of all evil
Money is the root of all evil
Won't contaminate myself with it
Take it away, take it away, take it away, take it away
Take it away, take it away, take it away, take it away
The Andrews Sisters song "Money Is The Root Of All Evil" is a commentary about the corrupting influence of money. The refrain repeating "money is the root of all evil" is a reference to the biblical verse from 1 Timothy 6:10 which says, "For the love of money is the root of all evil." The song argues that money is toxic and can destroy genuine relationships as seen in the lines "If a woman calls a man honey/And it's on account of his money/Honey & money will soon be gone." The sisters then assert that they don't want money in their lives because they have the things that really matter, such as love and good health.
The song also touches on themes of unemployment and financial struggles. The lines "Haven't got a cent but don't worry/Haven't got a job but no hurry" reflect the sentiments of those who are out of work but are not in a rush to find a job because they value their happiness and well-being over monetary gain.
Line by Line Meaning
Money is the root of all evil
Money is the source of a great deal of immoral and dishonest acts and it's the basis of all injustice in the world.
Won't contaminate myself with it
I do not wish to soil myself with wealth and become corrupted by it.
Take it away, take it away, take it away
I do not want to have anything to do with money, so please remove it from my presence.
If a woman calls a man honey
If a woman is drawn to a man because of his wealth.
And it's on account of his money
And it's because of his financial status.
Honey & money will soon be gone
The love and money will soon disappear and nothing will remain.
I got the one I love
I have the person I am in love with, which is of greater value than any amount of money.
I got the moon & stars above
I have the natural beauties of the world, the moon and stars, which are of greater value than any amount of money.
I got my youth & health
I am healthy and young, which is of greater value than any amount of money.
What do I want with wealth?
I do not care about wealth as I have more important things in my life.
Haven't got a cent but don't worry
I do not have any money but I am not concerned about it.
Haven't got a job but no hurry
I am currently unemployed but I am not in a rush to find a job as it is not a priority for me.
I would answer if they gave me gold
I would accept money if it was given to me but I am not actively seeking it out.
If you want no income tax mister
If you want to avoid paying income tax, sir.
Take it easy & relax mister
Just take it easy and relax instead of worrying about avoiding paying taxes.
When they offer work be strong & say
When they offer you a job, be confident and say.
Take it away, take it away, take it away
I do not want to be involved with money, so please take it away.
Contributed by Cole K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ironshirt32
I love this song! And it is so true, that money is the root of all evil.
futbolangel02
P.S. My Grandfather Absolutely Loved the Andrew Sisters and Vera Lynn. Those ladies kept him company on the battlefield. He truely believed in what the American Government and the International Bank had him fighting for. When he told me about the time he was blown up in his LVT by a landmine on a Beach in Guam and the only thing he regretted was that his Vera Lynn records were destroyed. Nevermind the 6 weeks he spent recovering in the hospital having skin grafts on his mangled leg. :o)
OttoVon Jizzmark
THE international bank? Dude, what are you talking about?
Oskars AA
time is money, money is power, power corrupts, corruption is evil
Ooopie
Now this is real music
spindlegrinder
Awesome the truth never dies
Clelia Romaneix
I like this dancing melody!
Sadie Rita
I love this song and The Andrews Sisters! In The Monkees TV show there was always a sign on the wall that said "Money Is The Root Of All Evil". Now I know what it was referring to!
Paperback Writer
Ada Jones fan
Watch your language.
maureen1938
Down Memory Lane we go again. Thanks for the share this is soooo good.