100 Rock songs about taxes

Originally published: April 2024

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/2PTH6Be6jnfwh43BPZ8wu6).

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 longer version of this playlist (available here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1McT9cR2hOrms2PhQ9iz8b) for which there are notes too (available here: https://taxleonard.wordpress.com/2024/04/30/200-rock-songs-about-taxes/).

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.

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

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

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

“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).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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).

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

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

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

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

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).

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. See this example from Fugazi.

“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 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).

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).

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).

Radiohead thinks that all these negative views of taxes go too far. 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).

Mark Lanagan agrees that there is an overreaction.

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

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).

They are 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.

“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).

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).

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

“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).

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, the Rolling Stones mock how people living in luxury complains about taxes.

“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).

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)

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).

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).

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).

“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).

“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.

“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).

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).

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).

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).

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).

2,2 Nostalgia and idealisation of tax systems

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).

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).

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).

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).

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.

“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).

“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).

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).

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.

“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”
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).

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).

Some accuse politics of crony-ism through tax breaks.

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

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.

“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).

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

“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).

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)