200 Rock songs about taxes

Blog post only

Tax lines in rock songs

Last year, I made a playlist exploring tax references in hip hop which highlighted hip hop’s many facetted attitudes to tax (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tax-hip-hop-1973-2023-leonard-wagenaar/).

Why stop there? This month, I dug into rock music history (helped in part by this great podcast: https://500songs.com/). With a bit of research, I now have a playlist of rock songs about taxes, revealing how rock music’s many-facetted attitudes about tax (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1McT9cR2hOrms2PhQ9iz8b).

Rock music is between 70 to 90 years old. This year, it will be 70 years since the term “rock & roll” came in widespread use (but the term “rock music” didn’t come into use until 1967), 73 years since the recording of Rocket 88 (often quoted as the “first rock & roll record”), 80 years since key electric guitar based gospel recordings of Sister Rosetta Tharpe and 86 years since the key pioneering recordings of Joe Turner, Charlie Christian and the Spirituals to Swing concerts in Carnegie Hall.

Where a lot of hip hop lines about taxes were throwaway comments or metaphors for something else, the tax lines in rock music tend to fit closer into the narrative of the song. With hip hop the meaning is often difficult to disentangle due to slang and IYKYK references. But with rock music, it can be difficult to disentangle, because references are embedded in the large narrative of the song. For instance, it is not automatically true that the singer agrees with the protagonist of the song, even if it is written in the first person.

Rock music rarely primarily concerns itself directly with taxes. Perhaps that’s because, throughout its history, rock music has been closely associated with youth culture and young people usually don’t care too much about taxes.

In the 1950s, rock & roll music broke into the mainstream, drawing strong influences from both R&B and country music. Both R&B and country often talked about personal, adult problems, but many of the musicians were poor and tax was rarely a significant concern. As it turned to rock & roll music, the music became wild, danceable and exuberant (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/13cJy3RlguIgyP3FUm6SxK), but it also became geared to teenagers who cared even less about tax. In the 1960s, rock music emerged, changed by aligning more closely to blues traditions (particularly Chicago blues, https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7vAW0Y4XU8dr9IodzvgOto), became slowly taken over by white, middle class teenagers (now British as often as American) and became associated with counterculture. Though this opened the road to more politically relevant commentary, this was usually reserved for more immediate problems such as war, riots, racism and drugs.

In the 1970s, progressive rock music became harder and more elaborate, which meant less lyrics and sometimes lyrics dipped into abstract phantasies. Folk rock and country rock also became more prevalent which usually focused on everyday stories, particularly of ordinary people. By the late 1970s, punk entered the scene, simplifying rock conventions, but often with political, left-leaning and anarchist undertones. In the 1980s, new wave, indie rock and metal came of age. Though lyrics were often more intellectual, these styles were usually quite apolitical. In the 1990s, both grunge and britpop talked about society and politics mostly to criticise middle aged parents. So, through all of this, what do rock musicians have to say about taxes?

So here’s a selection of lyrics with explanation, presented by theme. Which one did you think was best? Did I miss any major ones? How does this compare and contrast with the hip-hop playlist? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.

Note 1: Genre boundaries are always difficult. I have generally taken a relaxed approach, but have excluded blues, country, folk, funk, jazz, R&B and soul (even though the latter genres were generally considered part of rock & roll until rock music became a predominantly white genre in the late 60s).

Note 2: Rockstars don’t particularly mince words, so there’s probably a variety of trigger warnings appropriate here. If you are likely to get upset about references to disease, violence, war, death and even genocide, please refrain from reading on. It also goes without saying that me highlighting quotes doesn’t mean I endorse the underlying worldview.

Note 3: There is a shortened version of this playlist (available here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2PTH6Be6jnfwh43BPZ8wu6) for which notes will be coming soon.

Note 4: There is no note 4. But as most rock music is in 4/4, I needed a note 4.

Disclaimers: this is not advice. These views are my own and do not necessarily represent my employer.

Part 1 – Personal impact of taxes

1.1 Complaints about taxes

Any overview of rock songs with lines about taxes would have to start with Taxman by the Beatles, the opening track of the Revolver album (1966) often hailed as one of the best (or even the best) Beatles albums. It came at a time when the Beatles were moving away from writing mostly love songs and were exploring other topics. George Harrison wrote Taxman one after the Beatles were facing a marginal tax rate of over 90% on their royalty income.

“Let me tell you how it will be
There’s one for you, 19 for me
‘Cause I’m the taxman
Yeah, I’m the taxman
Should five percent appear too small
Be thankful, I don’t take it all”
The Beatles, Taxman (1966).

The Kinks were in a similar position to the Beatles. They were often described as the third or fourth biggest British rock band in the 60s (after the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and possibly the Who, who all feature in this playlist). The Kinks frontman Ray Davies recorded almost 10 songs with tax references both with the Kinks and as a solo artist (several ones are in this playlist), so he must have either liked the narrative function of tax or just liked the way the word sounded. The most prominent tax reference is on Sunny Afternoon, the Kinks’ second biggest hit (after You Really Got Me). This song is about relaxing on a sunny afternoon after taxes made you broke.

“The tax man’s taken all my dough
And left me in my stately home
Lazin’ on a sunny afternoon
And I can’t sail my yacht
He’s taken everything I got
All I’ve got’s this sunny afternoon”
The Kinks, Sunny Afternoon (1967).

Billy Joel considers the pros and cons of working hard on a regular job in Movin’ Out. As he closes the song off, taxes are the final reason he rejects that lifestyle.

“You oughta know by now
You can pay Uncle Sam with the overtime
Is that all you get for your money?
If that’s what you have in mind
If that’s what you’re all about
Good luck movin’ up
‘Cause I’m moving out”
Billy Joel, Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) (1977).

Cheap Trick explored their dislike of taxes more directly. The chorus refers to “Taxman, Mr. Heath” which is turned into Taxman (Mr. Thief) in the song title. “Mr. Heath” refers to a line from the Beatles’ Taxman, which called out Mr. Wilson (the UK Prime Minister 1964-1970 which includes when Taxman was written and then again 1974-1976) and then Mr. Heath (the leader of the Opposition at the time, who became Prime Minister 1970-1974). But Cheap Trick were an American band and by the time they wrote this song the Prime Minister was James Callaghan, so it could have been clever, the wordplay was somewhat dated by the time it came out.

“You work hard, you went hungry
Now the taxman is out to get you
You worked hard
And you slaved and slaved for years
Break your back, sweat a lot
Well, it’s just not fair”
Cheap Trick, Taxman (Mr. Thief) (1977).

Of course, these are not the only rock stars to complain about paying too much taxes.

“And nailed and left without a stitch
I been scratched ‘n’ taxed ‘n’ finally axed”
Rod Stewart, Ain’t Love A Bitch (1978).

“Your job is big, your pay is small
Your income tax takes it all”
The Blues Magoos, Albert Common Is Dead (1967).

“But then came my frustration
The taxman took my money”
Sweet, So Far So Good (2002).

“I seem to have a lot more friends
I pay the landlord and the taxman
And it’s time to go to work again”
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Hikes, I’ve Been Working Too Hard (1991).

“The taxman cometh,
and the landlord too”
Chumbawumba, Hey You! Outside Now (1995).

“You work a little longer
To double up on that pay
Then the tax man comes along”
Leo Sayer, Work (1979).

“I’ve got just enough cash to pay a lot of tax,
But not enough to quit my job.”
Bachelor Girl, Lucky Me (1998).

Some say all these taxes makes it hard just to get by.

“It’s been another hard day
Bust my balls for the tax man
So what else can I say?”
Scorpions, Crazy World (1990).

“The tax man’s coming
(…)
This ain’t no place to be a man”
Spinal Tap, Hell Hole (1984).

“Got to be a Superman to survive
Gas bills, rent bills, tax bills, phone bills
I’m such a wreck but I’m staying alive”
The Kinks, (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman (1979).

“There’s no time for dreams when commerce calls
And the taxman’s shouting, ’cause he wants his dough”
The Jam, Burning Sky (1979).

“The taxman came knockin’ on my door,
I said I already gave, he said he wanted some more”
John Mayall, I Can’t Complain (1990).

“You pay your taxes, you pay the rent
Until you haven’t got a cent”
KISS, Betrayed (1989).

“I’m so tired
(…)
The man from the tax board
(…)
I’m everybody’s slave”
Jane’s Addiction, I Would For You (1987).

“When nothing’s left but death and taxes
The matter of the real fact is
You go through life as someone’s doormat
Cause you don’t get no sportin’ chance”
David Lee Roth, The Dogtown Shuffle (1991).

“I paid my taxes and I stayed out of jail
You stay in the game when you’re too broke to fail”
James McMurtry, If It Don’t Bleed (2021).

“I hear the taxman knocking at my door
I’ve got a feeling he’ll be asking for more”
Paul McCartney, Get Out Of Here (2013).

“There’s not enough to
Pay my taxes
And I, I can’t cry anymore”
Sheryl Crow, Can’t Cry Anymore (1993).

“They bring out laws and taxes
Try to cut you down”
Nazareth, Local Still (1983).

“I want to keep my money
And give away absolutely nothing
To the government who moderates my spending”
Dethklok, Dethharmonic (2007.

“My head’s been beaten, my soul’s been spent
My taxes taken, my back’s been bent
And no one ever paid me any mind”
The Devil Makes Three, Native Son (2018).

“Like the tax-man come to call
They go knock-knock”
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Blind Lemon Jefferson (1985).

“Taxman came and took my money
Now all my other bills are gonna be late”
The Descendents, Everything Sux (1996).

“You break your backs just to pay your tax”
Bread, This Isn’t What The Governmeant (1972).

“You’re busy running but you never relax
Live now pay later including the tax”
Nazareth, Back To School (1989).

“Between the hot dry weather, the taxes and the Cold War
Its been hard to make ends meet”
Don Henley, A Month Of Sundays (1984).

Though sometimes, rock stars put themselves in this position.

“I couldn’t pay my taxes these last few years
And every time I go to court, they wipe away my tears
(…)
I spend my money all around and now they’re after me
But oh, ow, don’t you know, feels so good to go broke.”
Blue Cheer, Money Troubles (1971).

Some are looking for a way out and try running away.

“Suppose the tax man,
He comes to town.
And you don’t lay your money down.”
Primus, To Defy The Laws Of Tradition (1990).

“Taxman woman I keep running
Can’t you see it’s only money”
Scorpions, Taxman Woman (1993).

“Then one day he went away
(…)
If he hadn’t of disappeared
The Taxman would have got him”
Grinderman, Get It On (2007).

“Everybody hurry ’til the taxman comes”
My Chemical Romance, Vampire Money (2010).

Some only see salvation in death.

“Someday we will all be lying on our backs
Free at last from income tax”
Billy Joel, You Picked A Real Bad Time (2005).

“If tax don’t get ya then cancer will”
Rod Stewart, Better Off Dead (1980).

“If the cancer don’t
The taxman’s gonna get you”
Primal Scream, Medication (1997).

“Yeah, they sent the taxman
I lost my job, and
You got hooked on oxycodone
They shut the lights off
They took the car, and
I bought a sawed-off shotgun”
The Glorious Sons, S.O.S. (Sawed Off Shotgun) (2017).

“If I throw myself off Lookout Mountain
No more pain my soul to bare
No more worries about paying taxes”
Drive-By Truckers, Lookout Mountain (2000).

“Well what’s she lost to?
Who knows politicians, taxes it’s a disgrace”
Styx, Half-Penny Two-Penny (1981).

But death is not the end. Humble Pie highlights that death comes with a tax charge which may be even higher than life.

“It ain’t hard to see
That you’re worth more to them dead
Don’t you know the taxman
Mourns you to the nearest bank”
Humble Pie, Bang? (1969).

Rupert Holmes continues on a nihilist streak, as he sees little point in trying to earn enough money.

“Spend it as they lend it
Better us than them, I guess
What we don’t spend now finds its way somehow
To a guy at the IRS”
Rupert Holmes, Drop It (1979).

It’s no surprise that attitudes to the IRS are generally negative.

“But now your life’s a mess
It took the IRS
To blow it all away”
Saga, House Of Cards (2001).

““IRS is on my case
Shove”
L7, Shove (1990).

So, rock stars would like to avoid the IRS where they can.

“I ain’t got no time for Uncle Sam
Taxin’ my money, tax my land”
Tesla, Time (2023).

“I don’t want no trouble
Tax or Uncle Sam, especially Uncle Sam”
Chicago, I Don’t Want Your Money (1971).

1.2 Tax as metaphor for another burden

Tax can feel like a high burden and rock songs sometimes use it as metaphors from other things feeling just as burdensome as a tax. For instance, love can be overbearing.

“You want my love but you don’t want me
You sell your goods with no guarantee
You’re taxing me at your highest rate
You want my heart served on a plate”
Howard Jones, The Balance Of Love (Give And Take) (1986).

“So don’t say that it’s love you lacked
I paid the price now we’re paying the tax
I gave it all, and I got nothing back”
Karla Bonoff, Only A Fool (1979).

And it’s not just your loved ones that are imposing burdens.

“When a heart’s regret can tax the air you breathe
(…)
And your superiors will tax the blood you bleed”
John Mark McMillan, Sheet Of Night (2011).

“But the wreckage is in a mess
An emotional tax figured in after the facts”
Calexico, Missing (1998).

“In and out just like a knife would
Tax the flesh and leave a cheap wound”
Fugazi, Forensic Scene (1995).

Grateful Dead ‘s tax metaphor is more literal, as they describe a relationship that’s financially one-sided.

“My baby gives me the finance blues
Tax me to the limit of my revenues”
Grateful Dead, Money Money (1974).

1.3 Tax morale

All this leads to poor tax morale. That doesn’t necessarily mean cheating on taxes. Rock is often about escapism and some rock stars think that means just ignoring taxes.

“I’m gonna make you worry none about the income tax
No, there’s no need to hurry, I think I have to relax”
The Byrds, Lazy Days (1968).

“Runnin’ for the money, layin’ out the green
It’s a tax accountant’s nightmare, it’s a rock n’ roll dream”
Billy Squier, Keep Me Satisfied (1982).

“The tax I’m receiving
Now I know that it never was there”
The Lovin’ Spoonful, Full Measure (1966).

The logical next step is to approach even taxes with hedonism.

“dancing on the taxman
dancing on the crown
we’re dancing to the dark side of this tune”
Bauhaus, Dancing (1981).

“You say smile, I say cheese
Cartier, I say please
Income tax, I say Jesus
I don’t wanna be a candidate
(…)
‘Cause all I want to do is
Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle”
Queen, Bicycle Race (1978).

Although some of these references are hard to follow.

“Doctor, baker, fine shoe-maker
Wise man, madman, taxman, please”
The Yardbirds, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor (1967).

“Crosswords, crosswords, smart words, smart words won’t tease me
Crosswords, tax man”
Split Enz, Crosswords (1977).

“Why did it have to be so extra-terrestrial?
Tax deductible. Cash corruptible”
ABC, The Power Of Persuasion (1983).

Some rock stars take escapism to the next level and literally escape. They want to be so mobile that taxman can’t get them. This was digital nomadism ‘avant la lettre’.

“I’m an air-conditioned gypsy
That’s my solution
Watch the police and the tax man miss me
I’m mobile, ooh yeah, hee-hee”
The Who, Going Mobile (1971).

“Taxman, rentman, they all chase me
I ain’t home when they come round”
The Yardbirds, I Can’t Make Your Way (1966).

“So cover up your tracks
And avoid a tax
And you’ll live to love another day”
The Black Crowes, Movin’ On Down The Line (2008).

The Kinks too are looking to move away. But though they complained about taxes at the start of this playlist, they feel the need to settle their taxes before they go.

“It was a matter of fact that when I paid all my tax
I held my world in the palm of my hand
And all of my debts were causing me to defect
To a land of bananas and sand”
The Kinks, In A Foreign Land (1978).

Relient K and Mark Lanagan also think that all these negative views of taxes go too far.

“Never forget
There’s life after death and taxes”
Relient K, Life After Death And Taxes (2004).

“They kill the messenger, they kill the tax man waiting in line”
Mark Lanegan, The Wild People (2014).

Radiohead agrees. In A Wolf At The Door, they tell a politician they should accept criticism rather than take it personal or fight it. Radiohead compares it to taxes, which is also a burden you just pay rather than complain about.

“Take it with the love its given
Take it with a pinch of salt
Take it to the tax man”
Radiohead, A Wolf At The Door (2003).

Guns N Roses go further and even see the I.R.S. as their friend who can solve problems for them, including romantic problems.

“Love
Is it true
What they say of you
(…)
Gonna get the IRS
Gonna need the FBI”
Guns N Roses, I.R.S (2008).

Radiohead is not alone in having a more realistic view on taxes. Other songs portray the tax burden as a reason to keep working hard. They may not like tax, but they accept it as a burden to take to get anywhere in life.

“If it’s you I need
I’ve got to pay the levy”
The Who, Much Too Much (1965)

“Away for the weekend
I’ve gotta play some one-night stands
Six for the tax man, and one for the band”
The Who, Success Story (1975).

“It takes money to buy your freedom
And the tax man’s knockin’ on your door”
Jimmy Buffett, Carnival World (1989).

“Pay the tax and alimony.
Take care of yourself,”
Level 42, Take Care Of Yourself (1988).

“Ah, bless you tax man, bless you all
You may take some but you never take it all”
The Kinks, Harry Rag (1967).

Taxes are a reality check, forcing people to think about their financial situation.

“When I get home it’s much the same
The tax returns return again”
Squeeze, The Day I Get Home (1991).

“Oh we got bills
We got taxes
We got dreams
We need satisfaction”
grandson, Bills (2016)

And even if everything seems to go wrong in life, taxes will still continue.

“World dies, I still pay taxes”
Alice In Chains, God Am (1995).

It’s not just taxpayers that complain about having to work hard. It’s people working at the tax authorities too.

“Well, I was working for the tax man
Digging out the facts at the Inland Revenue
I was slowly going nowherere, thinking it was somewhere”
Stealer’s Wheel, Monday Morning (1975).

Others take pride in paying taxes.

“Last year it seemed the things we’ve worked for were all gonna come to pass
One hit proclaimed that Mrs. Reid’s boys would finally pay some tax”
The Proclaimers, Better Days (1988).

More abstract, but on a similar note.

“I hear of a country.
Where they say the city’s all have purdy streets.
That are paved with gold.
They may not be gold…
But they were built by people,
Paying heavy taxes for a dream they still hold.”
The Rainmakers, Spend It On Love (1989).

Sting is not ashamed of his tax position and is not afraid to disclose it. But like many other pieces of information, Sting feels it doesn’t reveal much about who he really is.

“Check my records, check my facts
Check if I paid my income tax
(…)
But you’ll still know nothing ’bout me”
Sting, Nothing ‘Bout Me (1993).

Warren Zevon ups the sarcasm, as he delivers his lines about being proud to pay taxes.

“I’m a law-abiding man
(…)
I pay my taxes when I can”
Warren Zevon, Model Citizen (1991).

1.4 Critique on tax morale of others

When rock music criticises culture, their main target is often petty middle-class and upper class values. In their famous Fortunate Son, Creedence Clearwater Revival loathes how the wealthy dodge their responsibilities, including on taxes.

“Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don’t they help themselves, Lord?
But when the taxman come to the door
Lord, the house lookin’ like a rummage sale, yeah”
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fortunate Son (1969)

Pink Floyd’s classic Money is a critique of a society obsessed with money. Though it doesn’t reference taxes directly, it comes very close.

“Money
Get back
I’m alright, Jack, keep your hands off of my stack
(…)
Money
It’s a crime
Share it fairly, but don’t take a slice of my pie”
Pink Floyd, Money (1973).

On a similar note, Jethro Tull, the Rolling Stones and Steve Forbert mock how people living in luxury complains about taxes.

“I need money, now, to soothe my heart!
Buy me a Datsun or Toyota
Get the tax man to agree
All expenses I can muster
From the lap of luxury”
Jethro Tull, Lap Of Luxury (1983)

“Your mother who neglected you owes a million dollars tax
And your father’s still perfecting ways of making sealing wax”
The Rolling Stones, 19^th Nervous Breakdown (1966).

“Some guys fear Capital Gains Tax
Some people more then get by”
Steve Forbert, New Working Day (1991).

And how some of the rich and the politically powerful seem to get away with paying no to little taxes.

“The collection from the faithful is tax free
It’ll pay for his presidential campaign and his yacht”
Fish, Big Wedge (1990).

Part 2 What taxes stand for

2.1 Tax as signifier for a life that’s not “rock & roll”

Rock songs may look down on tax avoidance and poor tax morale of others and as we’ve seen, that’s often an extension of youth culture, rebellion and counterculture. Taxes just feel like something that’s too middle class to fit into rock star’s alternative lifestyle. Taxes are an adult thing and being confronted with taxes means that your young years are over.

“Say goodbye to the halls and the classes
Say hello to a job and the taxes”
All Time Low, Somewhere In Neverland (2012)

Yusuf / Cat Stevens knows this too, but he seems to have quite unrealistic expectations of how the transition to adulthood and taxes will take place.

“I’m gonna be a mayor of some small town
And tax the crowds.”
Yusuf / Cat Stevens, School Is Out (1967).

Similarly, Stephen Stills has already moved into adulthood, but also still holds naïve views on taxes and how to get out of it.

“I don’t pay taxes ’cause I never file”
Stephen Stills, Treetop Flyer (1991).

More commonly, tax shows up as a worry that fits in a mundane life. Tax is a contrast to the freedom represented by rock music.

“Write a new line
Work overtime
To pay your tax
(Are you cuckoo)”
Bay City Rollers, Are You Cuckoo (1976).

“Mister you’re just brainwashed
They give you social security
Tax saving benefits that grow at maturity”
The Kinks, Brainwashed (1969).

“First it wanes and then it waxes
So procreate and pay your taxes”
Andrew Bird, Tenuousness (2009).

“Man you’re workin’ hard as hell
You only end up paying more taxes
Give ’em all your money baby”
Helloween, Juggernaut (1999).

“So now you pick who you serve
(..)
Half empty, half full, save half for your taxes”
Twenty One Pilots, Overcompensate (2023).

“Work, debt, poverty, taxes
Life’s oppressive rules”
Sick Of It All, Take The Night Off (2006).

“One fine day near the end of the tax year
Mr Richards was gripped by a new fear
Who would be at his retirement party”
Frank Turner, Mr. Richard (2009).

“The antique people are down in the dungeons
Run by machines and afraid of the tax”
Tim Buckley, Goodbye And Hello (1967).

And the obsession with filing taxes accurately is an easy target to mock.

“I worry about money and taxes and such”
Lou Reed, Average Guy (1982).

“Fill out my income tax form
Pen in hand I write so legibly”
Primus, Nature Boy (1993).

Taxes don’t feature in rock & roll dreams, but part of that is because they’ll be so poor that they won’t pay any taxes.

“Wouldn’t have no taxes, cause I wouldn’t have no means”
Cinderella, Sick For The Cure (1990).

In this Nirvana song, Kurt Cobain is also looking for a way to retire early without paying taxes.

“I’m gonna empty out all of my Mrs. Butterworth jars
And I’m gonna put ’em on a shelf with my 800 dollar a month tax free Century 21
Shop”
Nirvana, Mrs. Butterworth (1988).

Paying taxes and avoiding to pay taxes signify middle class activities and middle class values. Punk rockers in particular mock this. For instance, in their 2024 track, Green Day list taxes as one of the things they reject, so that they are not part of the masses.

“Don’t want no huddled masses
TikTok and taxes”
Green Day, The American Dream Is Killing Me (2024).

But they are not the only punk rockers who see taxes as part of the problem with all those other people.

“Unending quest for power, taxes that make us slaves
Don’t believe a word of it ignore the f’ed up things they say”
Pennywise, My Own Country (1999).

“Just keep telling yourself
It was going to happen any way
If that’s what takes to help
You get through another day”
Municipal Waste, Death Tax (2012).

“You’re just another number
To be checked and then balanced
A tax to extract”
Battlecross, Force Fed Lies (2013).

“Fill in the sheet with all your fax
They screw you with their poll tax
Take from the poor give to the rich
Dosent that just make you sick
Don’t pay the poll tax”
The Exploited, Don’t Pay The Poll Tax, (1990).

The poll tax was of course a proposed tax that would be a barrier for voting. This comes up more often as metaphor how taxes shut people out.

“And no lilly-white committees, politicians of note
Nor poll tax layer through which coloured can’t vote”
Manic Street Preachers (sampling Langston Hughes), Let Robeson Sing (2001).

“Race hatred cannot stop us, this one thing I know
Poll tax and Jim Crow and greed have got to go”
Billy Bragg and Wilco, All You Fascists (2000).

“The poll tax hangs above our heads,
as Thatcher wields the axe”
Conflict, The A Team (1989).

“Can’t pay tax
Won’t pay tax
No poll tax”
Chaos UK, No Tax! (1989).

Many punk songs use sarcasm as a way to describe society’s pressure to pay taxes and contribute to a society they don’t believe in.

“Pay your rates
Pay your water rates
If your rates too high
You’d better sign this letter
If you don’t pay your rates
You’re gonna end up here”
The Fall, Pay Your Rates (1980).

“God says file taxes late
(…)
God says taxes are a sin”
Anthrax, Make Me Laugh (1988).

“Society, pay your taxes stand in line help them plan for your demise
(…)
Society, pay your taxes stand in line you can vote or get a life”
Pennywise, Society (1997).

“The sun beams down on a brand new day
No more welfare tax to pay
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light
Jobless millions whisked away”
Dead Kennedys, Kill The Poor (1979).

““The sanctioned annihilation
Death tax to the third world equation”
High On Fire, Fire, Flood and Plague (2010).

“Yeah addicted to all that shit
Pocket full of real estate
Tax return”
Courtney Love, Hello (2004).

Taxes are for the wealthy and many rock stars don’t see themselves in that league.

“It seems to be that the powers that be
Keep themselves in splendour and security
(…)
They make the masses, kiss their asse(t)s
Lower class jackass, pay me tax take out the trash”
Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Warriors Of The Wasteland (Attack Mix) (1986).

“Don’t wanna be no millionaire, don’t wanna own no mint
I don’t wanna be no tax exile and I don’t mind being skint”
The Police, Dead End Job (1993).

“Just pity all those millionaires they never can relax
Because they’re always worryin’ about their income tax”
Elvis Presley, Who Needs Money (1967).

“Bit too green and we paid no tax on our quick romantic cul de sac”
Iron & Wine, Grace For Saints And Ramblers (2013).

Status Quo also doesn’t put themselves into that league, but at least they are being honest that they would like to be so rich that they’d have tax problems like that.

“They say money just buys you problems
Bigger taxes, jealousy
(…)
I would cross that bridge when I come to it
When I come to it
I wanna get to it”
Status Quo, Cross That Bridge (1988).

Finding a deeper, more bleak connection, Passion Pit criticizes the tendency for a patriarchal father to blame taxes for his own failings.

“Honey, it’s your son I think I borrowed just too much
We had taxes, we had bills, we had a lifestyle to front
And tonight I swear I’ll come home and we’ll make love like we’re young
And tomorrow you’ll cook dinner for the neighbors and their kids
We can rip apart those socialists and all their damn taxes”
Passion Pit, Take A Walk (2011).

King’s X did a song about people complaining about first world problems, while ignoring other needs. Taxes get mentioned too.

“I’m thinking about Carter
And how I’m gonna be taxed”
King’s X, Complain (1994).

The Divine Comedy refers to tax in their sarcastic description of a rich woman.

“You had to marry someone very very rich
So that you might be kept in the style to which
You had all of your life been accustomed to
But that the socialists had taxed away from you”
The Divine Comedy, A Lady Of A Certain Age (2006).

A more endearing take comes from Cold War Kids, portraying an alcoholic patriarch’s constant struggle to stay sober and be a good family. In the verses, he describes everything he does to try to be a good family man. One of those things is managing his personal finances and taxes in a way that maximises the good he does in the world.

“I’m just an honest man
Provide for me and mine
I give a check to tax deductible
Charity organizations”
Cold War Kids, We Used To Vacation (2006).

But the relationship with this middle-class life filled with taxes is complicated, as a lot of musicians are directly or independent on funding from people who live such tax filled lives.

“But nobody has any respect, anyway they already expect you to all give a check
To tax-deductible charity organizations”
Bob Dylan, Ballad of a Thin Man (1965).

“Is it you or your parents in this income tax bracket?”
CAKE, Rock ‘N’ Roll Lifestyle (1994).

Because, let’s be honest, a lot of young people giving off on middle class also live a life full of inconsistencies. Look at this non-sequitur, bashing taxes in the name of being cool.

“I’m so boring, my clothes wanna keep
Someone else warm, someone cooler
Tax on cigarettes, treats my cancer
These things elevate me above animals”
Mansun, Being A Girl (1998).

2,2 Nostalgia and idealisation of tax systems

Rock stars grow old too and end up being confronted by the same tax worries they once despised. George Harrison came to look back on the 95% tax of Taxman with nostalgia, but it’s not clear if he is referring to the income tax rate or the song.

“Long time ago when we was fab (Fab!)
Back when income tax was all we had”
George Harrison, When We Was Fab (1987).

Similarly, Cornershop’s nostalgia extends to the tax system too.

“Tax in the post is back again
Worker strikes are back again”
Cornershop, Funky Days Are Back Again (1997).

Taxes of the past are not always looked back at with nostalgia.

“A castle older than a redwood tree
Once lived in by royalty
Who taxed and raped the land”
Bob Seger, Sightseeing (1991).

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Pavement repeat a common myth that US rebellion started in response to a tax increase (it was confusingly actually a tax decrease https://taxfoundation.org/blog/boston-tea-party-history/).

“The king has said he’s going to put a tax on tea
And that’s the reason y’all Americans drink coffee”
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Boston Tea Party (1976).

“You taxed our property, you didn’t give us any choice
And meanwhile, back in England, you didn’t give them any voice
That’s what I call taxation without representation
And that’s not fair (it’s wrong, it’s wrong)
(…)
You had the nerve to tax our cup of tea”
Pavement, No More Kings (2006).

Utopian dreams of low tax or tax free country are common, but as is often the case in Regina Spektor’s song, it turns dystopian pretty quickly here.

“The owner and the manager went walking through paradise
And all their charts showed so much promise and progress
No sick days, no snow days, no unions, no taxes
(…)
What a strange, strange world we live in
Those who don’t have lose, those who got get given”
Regina Spektor, The Trapper And The Furrier (2016).

The reality of tax free is indeed not always rosy.

“The gas station was on the tribal lands, operating tax exempt
Now the owners refused to give the chief his due so the tribe got a little upset”
Royal Trux, Shockwave Rider (1997).

Some use the phrase “tax free” as a euphemism for illegal activities.

“You know a girl who’s tax free
On her back and making plenty cash”
Belle And Sebastian, Lazy Line Painter Jane (1997).

“I’m a man and I work tax free
(…)
I’m a country club gun”
Guadalcanal Diary, Country Club Gun (1986).

With all these references to a supposed tax free America, Jimmi Hendrix’s Tax Free feels appropriate here too. This is an instrumental track, so no lyrics that I can quote.

The image of America as low tax has impact even outside the US. In David Bowie, it instils fear rather than hope.

“Johnny’s in America, no tax at the wheel”
David Bowie, I’m Afraid Of Americans (1995).

Marylin Manson also flips the script on nostalgia for a tax free America. See how he opens this song.

“Death to the ladies first, then the gentlemen
All sorts of tax-free face-lift-abortion-nervous-break-dance”
Marylin Manson, Arma-***-***-geddom (2009).

In reality, the US is far from a tax-free country. So some look abroad for their tax free utopia.

“It is a good life here
Football and beer much superior
Gringo gets cheap servant staff
Low tax and a dusky wife”
The Fall, Marquis Cha-Cha (1982).

“Moved from Barbatos to the country
Won’t pay tax until she’s 83”
Self, Breakfast With Girls (1999).

“Down on Saint Kit’s, and I was lost in a haze of
Tax shelters and Mardi Gras and polluted bays”
Pavement, Rooftop Gambler (1999).

Part 3 – Political impact of taxes

3.1 How taxes are spent

Tax policy is low on the list of political issues that rock stars tend to care about. But they do care about how the government spends its money. Taxes are seen as a bad deal.

“You pay all your taxes
But you don’t know what for
‘Cause nothing seems to get better”
Graham Nash, Liar’s Nightmare (2002).

“What a shame that we can’t teach our kids to read
Makes you wonder where all the tax money goes”
Edwin McCain, America Street (1993).

Eddie Vedder takes that thought further. In Society (written for the movie Into The Wild), he describes disillusionment with all aspects of society (so implicitly taxes too).

“And you think you have to want more than you need
Until you have it all you won’t be free
Society, you’re a crazy breed
I hope you’re not lonely without me“
Eddie Vedder, Society (2007).

Some songs are quite specific on the type of local issues the government should be spending money on, but isn’t.

“You want me to pay my taxes
So you can propagate your lie
While there’s barefoot dudes down in New Orleans
Looking like they’re gonna die”
Conor Oberst, Roosevelt Room (2009).

“I’m driving, here I sit, cursing my government
For not using my taxes to fill holes with more cement”
Twenty One Pilots, Tear In My Heart (2015).

Flogging Molly did a song about power cuts, which they link to misspent tax money by the government. The lyrics suggest it was written decades before the song came out in 2011, but I haven’t been able to find an earlier version of this.

“So, don’t spend your taxes on men on the moon, yeah”
Flogging Molly, The Power’s Out (2011).

The most common complaints about misspent tax money talk about oppression, wars, the military and foreign policy meddling in other countries.

“The world is ruled by Bellophiles
Adding to their weapon piles
Imagine what your taxes buy
We hardly ever try”
Sting, Another Day (1986).

“Ain’t too clear to pay my income taxes
‘Specially when I know it goes to kill the masses”
Steve Miller Band, Industrial Military Complex Hex (1970).

“A life of work is a life of crime
You pay your taxes, you serve your time
All that money, where does it go?
Schools, prisons, hospitals, roads
Government funding of military science
Genetically engineered ultraviolent
DNA, killer genes to program microchips, marines
See stealth bombers and tomahawks on CNN, pay-per-view war”
Primal Scream, Rise (2002).

“Squeezing the middle class whom I detest
Taxing the poor so the rich can invest
I know I’m an asshole, but aren’t you impressed”
Ministry, Rio Grande Blood (2006).

“Minor drug offenders fill your prisons you don’t even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars against the new non-rich”
System Of A Down, Prison Song (2011).

“We’re well-trained by the CIA with Yankee tax money in Ft. Bragg
The Peace Corps builds US labor camps when they think they’re building schools, ha!”
Dead Kennedys, Bleed For Me (1982).

“When will they finally realize
Our taxes pay for war and that’s no surprise”
Exodus, Fuel For The Fire (1992).

“On front line send you, tax the hell out you
And just like any other country, it will lock you, up you”
Gogol Bordello, Your Country (2007).

“Breaking our backs with slurs
And taking our tax for murdering”
Simply Red, She’ll Have To Go (1989).

“Outside the patient millions
Who put them into power
Expect a little more back for their taxes
Like school books, beds in hospitals
And peace in our bloody time
All they get is old men grinding axes”
Billy Bragg, Ideology (1986).

“We don’t pay any taxes
But the state is the axes
Of our minds without love, without hate”
Helloween, Guardians (1985).

Other lyrics point out that paying taxes also doesn’t prevent you from personally becoming a target.

“Your taxes paid, but
Police waylaid”
Morrissey, Ambitious Outsiders (1997).

“You know you pay your taxes and you work all day
But you better watch out for the C.I.A.”
Eric Carmen, Lost In The Shuffle (1980).

Steve Miller Band did a song about two younger lovers who decided to Take The Money And Run. When the detective comes into the story, Steve Miller wrily observes that the detective is paid by taxes, implying that the detective is not really all that different from the two runaway lovers. I usually consider lines comparing taxes to robbery cheap, but this one is quite ingenuous. 

“Billy Mack is a detective down in Texas
You know he knows just exactly what the facts is
He ain’t gonna let those two escape justice
He makes his livin’ off of the people’s taxes”
Steve Miller Band, Take The Money And Run (1976).

In a song about a crackdown on people lingering in New York City parks, Blues Traveller similarly describes the police enforcement as:

“Compliments of your taxes”
Blues Traveller, Closing Down The Park (1996).

3.2 Criticism of allocation of the tax burden

The link between government spending and taxes is hardly ever direct. Sometimes, though, rock songs criticise who is paying the tax, claiming that the burden falls unevenly.

“The lower classes get taxed as their children cry”
Pennywise, Premeditated Murder (2005).

“The laws have all been rigged now to help the middle class
You can bet their money’s hidden and they’re never paying tax”
Pennywise, American Lies (2018).

“That is why the working woman
Well deserves a slice
(Mississippi mud or Key lime?)
But now the nice taxman
In every state has tried
To say that it’s in his jurisdiction to decide”
Tori Amos, Giant’s Rolling Pin (2014).

“Once I was a tax man
Collectin’ dollars and dimes
L heard the rich man grumble
I heard the poor man cry”
Nick Lowe, 36 Inches High (1978).

Ry Cooder idealises the contribution of American farmers to the dominant position of the US economy.

“The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man
He lives on his credit until Fall
With the interest rates so high
It’s a wonder he don’t die
But the taxes on the farmer feeds us all”
Ry Cooder, Taxes On The Farmer Feeds Us All (1972).

James McMurtry’s We Can’t Make It Here criticises the open trade policies that allowed for offshoring of jobs, highlighting the decline of American manufacturing jobs and capabilities. The inadequacy of tax policy gets mentioned too.

“The billionaires get to pay less tax
The working poor get to fall through the cracks”
James McMurtry, We Can’t Make It Here (2005).

NPWA stands for “no power without accountability” and Billy Bragg uses that concept to criticize how international organisations are not held accountable, a discussion that will be familiar to those who have been following the debates about the tax role of the OECD and the UN. Those organisations don’t get named here, but others are:

“The World Bank says to Mexico
“We’ll cut you off if you don’t keep your taxes low”
But they have no right to wield that sword’
Cause they take their orders from the chairman of the board
IMF, WTO
I hear these words just every place I go
Who are these people, who elected them?
And how do I replace them with some of my friends?”
Billy Bragg, NPWA (2023).

Amy Grant does not criticise tax per se, but she senses something is wrong with the heartless way it is applied.

“He said, “First deny your body
And then learn to submit
Pray to be made worthy
And tithe your ten percent”
I said, “Is this all there is
Just the letter of the law?”
Something’s wrong”
Amy Grant, What About The Love (1988).

Thought Yusuf / Cat Stevens approaches the question with humour.

“It’s not a sin, it’s the law
It’s richer tax the poor”
Yusuf / Cat Stevens, All Night, All Day (2023).

3.3 Specific tax policy criticisms

On occasion, rock stars make very specific tax policy points. For instance, here is X-Ray Spex highlighting the duality of the government’s approach to tobacco products.

“Packet of cigarettes on the counter
Carrying a government health warning
Still they want the money, still they want the tax”
X-Ray Spex, Cigarettes (1995).

Joni Mitchell calls out tax exemptions for religious organisations in this one:

“He’s immaculately tax free
Multiple hundreds of thousands of
Tax free”
Joni Mitchell, Tax Free (1985).

Van Morrison mocks generous immediate expensing provisions.

“If I had a million dollars
I’d sit right down and relax
I’d go off and buy myself a nightclub
And write it off my income tax”
Van Morrison, News Nightclub (1996).

Accept criticises tax deductions for operations overseas.

“But YOU get your tax deduction
Outsourcing mass production”
Accept, Revolution (2012).

And the Replacement thinks those deductions can be turned into cash directly.

“Income tax deduction, what a hell of a function
It beats pickin’ cotton or waitin’ to be forgotten”
The Replacements, Bastards Of Young (1985).

The Auteurs wrote The Upper Classes as a commentary on class differences in the UK, a theme that was common at the time (eg Pulp’s Common People or Blur’s Country House). In the process, they mention the inheritance tax planning used to ensure the young woman gets her money tax free.

“Put it all in a trust fund
She can’t touch ’till she’s twenty one
Amazing the cruel hand of fate
A tax loss against the state”
The Auteurs, The Upper Classes (1994).

Rancid mentions other ill directed tax incentives.

“When the factory shut down so did the place he lived
(…)
All the tax free incentives ain’t going to help him now
Generations of job security gone out like the horse and plow”
Rancid, Whirlwind (1993).

The Toy Dolls sing about tax evasion about a very specific person.

“He was a rich man, he was a sod
Income tax thief known as Ken Dodd”
The Toy Dolls, The Coppers Copt Ken’s Cash (1991).

Pennywise highlights that tax cuts always seem to go to only the rich.

“Cut rates and tax breaks the bosses”
Pennywise, Punch Drunk (2003).

And there many accusations of crony-ism through tax breaks.

“You’re duty-free, you’re tax-exempt
You party with the president”
Styx, Cold War (1983).

“I’ve got tax breaks in San Francisco
For the link back into the Mayor’s pack”
Cracker, Life In The Big City (2014).

“Let us know where our tax dollars are spent
Tell us how how much it costs to repent”
Exodus, Corruption (1989).

3.4 Taxes in a wider political ideology

If you read this far, it is no surprise, faith in the political system seems to be quite low.

“Brazen hypocrites, answering to idiots
New tax, market crash, high life never lasts
No quick fix, for broken politics”
Slayer, Public Display Of Dismemberment (2009).

“There’s a government whip cracked across your back
(…)
Revolution is the gimmick of a jokerless clown
Another volley’s just the ammo for the taxman’s gun”
Flogging Molly, Requiem For A Dying Song (2008).

“They lie, they cheat, they steal from you and me”
Corporate Avenger, Taxes Are Stealing (1999).

“The man I most resent
You might know him through the government
He’ll tax our lives the money spent
He’s just the president!!!
The land liberty for all mankind and all to see
What’s the use, laws a conspiracy”
Testament, Time Is Coming (1989).

“You who tax and persecute
You who guarded all the loot.”
Public Image Ltd., Attack (1978).

Mason Proffit references taxes in an effort to overcome political apathy.

“Hey friend, you don’t have to be silent anymore,
Things do affect you you know, things like pollution, tax and wars,”
Mason Proffit, The Voice Of Change (1969).

A slightly more developed philosophy on how taxes can help overcome problems in the status quo comes from Ten Years After.

“Tax the rich, feed the poor
‘Til there are no rich no more”
Ten Years After, I’d Love To Change The World (1971).

Cheap Dirty Horse goes into a long explanation about taxes and why does not feel bad about not contributing much, curiously undermining the argument that the burden of taxes is placed on the lower classes.

“I think a fair tax system is very important for a society
But the rich aren’t paying their taxes and the money that I could make working even say
Sixty hours a week is minuscule compared to the money being used to”
Cheap Dirty Horse, Hate Song (2023).

But if you think that all rock artists are left-leaning hippies, think again.

“If you don’t pay taxes you shouldn’t vote”
Type O Negative, Der Untermensch (1991).

“Don’t ya think I’m taxed enuff?
Maybe it’s time to call your bluff
Pimps & whores & welfare brats,
Too much government way too fat.”
Ted Nugent, Stand (2007).

“Tax this
Tax that
No more red tape
I can see can’t you see”
Circle Jerks, Red Tape (1980).

Frank Turner gives a more detailed and historically supported overview of the anarchist outlook of punk rock. Though it doesn’t reference taxes directly, it’s easy to guess his views on tax.

“Once an honest man could go from sunrise to its set
Without encountering agents of his state or government
But a sorry cloud of tyranny has fallen across the land
Brought on by hollow men, who did not understand
That for centuries our forefather have fought and often died
To keep themselves unto themselves, to fight the rising tide
And that if in the smallest battles we surrender to the state
We enter in a darkness whence we never shall escape
(…)
Because the people then they understood what we have since forgot:
That a government will only work for its own benefit”
Frank Turner, Sons Of Liberty (2009).

And with that, we are reaching the end of the playlist. I ended the hip hop playlist by speculating that Gang Starr’s Who’s Gonna Take The Weight could be about the tax burden. But the same could be said about The Band’s The Weight.

“Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And you put the load right on me”
The Band, The Weight (1968)