No Money

Album: Confidence Game (2004)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Dating can be a challenge in any stage of life. Dating when you're a recording star after a divorce is something else altogether. Larry Burnett, sense of humor solidly intact, says this song is a tongue-in-cheek reporting of his own experience with going out and dating. "It gets lots of laughs, actually, in person," he told Songfacts in 2009. "I've been divorced twice, I'm not proud to say, but after my first divorce I was devastated. I'm going, 'Jesus Christ, that wasn't supposed to happen.' So all of a sudden now here I am, I'm older and now I've got to, like, date. Oh God. So, I started building up my courage, go out and be okay and confident. And I'm thinking, 'You're a good guy. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You're smart, you're respectful, your mom raised you right.' And what are women looking for? They're looking for a good guy. You're a good guy. So I went out.

    Anyway, what I discovered is that, no, I was wrong, that's not what women are looking for. They're looking for a guy with money - for the most part. They will tell you many things, but when you get to the part where there's no money, then they go, 'Oh, oh God, I've gotta go. I'm sorry.' So anyway, after a couple of dates I came home and I was laughing. I'm going, 'Boy, this is really weird.' And this song just came out. It's about bumping into two women and getting to the point in the conversation where they discover that there ain't no money. The chorus is, 'No money, no deal, it doesn't matter, baby, how I feel. The things they told you about love ain't real, because no money, no deal.' And like I say, it gets a lot of laughs. It's kind of, I guess, cleverly written in a way that people go, 'Oh, funny.' Or else a lot of people have noticed the same thing that I noticed, and that's where the laughter's going."

Comments: 1

  • Veeb from Phx, AzJust plain clever!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.