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Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Tax and Music

One of the tax professor listservs regularly circulates a list of popular songs about taxes.  Believe it or not, taxes are a regular theme in popular music.  My personal favorite has always been Tax Man by the Beatles:

Let me tell you how it will be; There's one for you, ninteen for me; 'Cause I'm the tax man, yeah, I'm the tax man; Should five per cent appear too small; Be thankful I don't take it all; 'Cause I'm the tax man, yeah I'm the tax man . . . 

This post on Paul Caron's TaxProf Blog offers links to more, including one called It's My Money by The Right Brothers:

I pay the Fed tax and the FICA tax before I cash my check; And then the sales tax and this and that tax get most of what's left; They're taxing me to death and it's my money

Although The Right Brothers apparently style themselves as a conservative issues band (see, e.g., here), given that most musicians seem to lean well to the left politically (including John Lennon and George Harrison), I find it interesting how many of these songs complain about paying taxes.  Regardless, I get a kick out of these songs.  Since I'm far from a pop culture guru, I wonder whether any other areas of the law inspire songwriters similarly?

Posted by Kristin Hickman on December 6, 2005 at 12:34 PM | Permalink

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Comments

I hate to post twice in a row like this, but I just noticed JDB's reference to an old Genesis song. How about an even older Genesis number (from the Peter Gabriel era), "Get 'em Out By Friday": landlord tenant law, with strong implications of zoning and/or eminent domain issues.

Posted by: Joseph Slater | Dec 7, 2005 10:59:35 AM

The only thing I can think of that might compete with family law is labor and employment law. First, there's a mess of old union songs ("Union Maid," "Solidarity Forever," etc., etc.) But I'm also interested in rock and country takes on work in general ("16 Tons" is an obvious example). Bruce Springsteen has some good ones ("Factory," "Youngstown").

Although this will show my age and affinity for obscure 80s music, here's a few I like, although none were hits: The Roches, "Dear Mr. Sellack"; the Proletariat, "Piece Work" and "Options"; The Clash, "Career Opportunities"; The English Beat's "Get a Job"; and Billy Bragg's remake of "There is Power in a Union." And although it's more about right-wing-bias in Rupert Murdoch-owned media, I've also been thinking recently of Bragg's "It Says Here," for the opening line, "It says here the unions will never learn/ It says here the economy's on the upturn."

More recently, I like the Dropkick Murphy's remake of "Which Side are You on?" and James McMurtry's "We Can't Make it Here Anymore." Songs that get into class issues also interest me, although the Brits are more knowing on this issue: see, e.g., "Common People" by Pulp and "I Think the Answer's Yes" by the Beautiful South.

Posted by: Joseph Slater | Dec 7, 2005 10:56:57 AM

Family law might even beat tax law. For example, "Makin' Whoopee":

He doesn't make much money
Five thousand dollars per;
Some judge who thinks he's funny
Says, "You pay six to her."

He says, "Now judge, suppose I fail?"
The judge says, "Bud, right into jail.
You'd better keep her
You'll find it cheaper
Than making whoopee."

Posted by: Kate Litvak | Dec 6, 2005 10:08:23 PM

There's always the immortal Kenny Rogers classic "Long Arm of the Law"

Posted by: Alan | Dec 6, 2005 7:34:10 PM

there's all sorts of blues songs about, variously, divorce law, landlord-tenant law, and criminal law... I think Bessie Smith wrote a song called "Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair."

There's also a song by Sonny Boy Williamson II called "The Goat" that starts as follows:

There was an animal called a goat, he butted his way out of the Supreme Court

Said, "Let him go"

Yeah, said, "Let him go, because he butt so hard till you can't use him in our court no more"

Judge give him five hours to get out of town, he got five miles down the road and committed another crime

Posted by: Paul Gowder | Dec 6, 2005 5:22:30 PM

There's an old Genesis tune called "Robbery, Assault, and Battery" (off of _A Trick of the Tale_). Even includes the lines:

If they try to hold me for trial
I'll stay out of gaol by paying my bail
And after I'll go to the court of appeal saying
'You've done me wrong,' it's the same old song forever.

As an appelalte lawyer (& Genesis fan), that flashes through my mind on a daily basis. :)

Posted by: JDB | Dec 6, 2005 4:52:12 PM

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