Fool For Money (2026 Song) | Edward Lytton & Friends | 70's-Style Laid Back Protest Soul Music

Описание: From the album 'Lightning Lithium' (2026) by Edward Lytton & Friends. Link:    • Lightning Lithium (2026 Album) | Edward Ly...  

Lyrics:

[Verse 1]

Corner office, glass and chrome
City groanin’ like a broken home
Everybody climbin’ the same tall wall
But the top ain’t big enough for us all

I see the headlines, suits and ties
Gold-plated dreams, hungry eyes
The higher the ladder, the longer the fall
You can’t take it with you when the night wind calls

[Pre-Chorus]

You can buy a watch but not your time
Buy a truth but not a mind
Every bill got a shadow side
Every crown sits uneasy inside

[Chorus]

I don’t wanna die a fool for money
Chasin’ paper till my soul goes numb
I seen kings with nothin’ to lose
Still losin’ sleep over what they own

I don’t wanna live a fool for money
When the счета fade and the lights go low
You can’t hug your gold when the cold wind comes
Only love walks you home

[Verse 2]

Overflow in a thirsty land
Bossman squeezin’ with a velvet hand
Profit rise while the people bend
That circle just don’t ever end

Got more shoes than you got feet
Still can’t rest when you lay down to sleep
Full plate, but your heart still aches
Rich man starvin’ at his own gates

[Pre-Chorus]

What good’s a vault if you’re locked inside
What’s a win if you never arrive
You work all day for a restless night
That ain’t livin’, that’s just survive

[Chorus]

I don’t wanna die a fool for money
Countin’ coins while the years run fast
You can own the future on paper, son
But the present’s always slippin’ past

I don’t wanna live a fool for money
Heard the truth in an old man’s tone
You spend your life tryin’ to own the world
End up leavin’ it all alone

[Bridge (spoken-sung, Marvin-style reflection)]

I knew a man who had it all
House on the hill, name on the wall
Then the wind came, took it away
Asked him who he’d curse that day

He said, “I came in barehanded
I’ll leave the same, still standin’”
Some things you lose, some truths you gain
Ain’t every loss a kind of chain

[Verse 3]

Eat your bread while the sun still shines
Hold your people, read the signs
Joy ain’t stored in a bank downtown
It’s a quiet peace when the night comes down

Work is good, but it ain’t your god
Rest your feet on the same old sod
If you got enough and you sleep real deep
Man, that’s a blessing most folks don’t keep

[Chorus]

I don’t wanna die a fool for money
Sell my mercy for a bigger throne
I seen the rich and the poor alike
Still beggin’ heaven to feel at home

I don’t wanna live a fool for money
Let the numbers tell me who I am
If I got my breath and a little love
I’m a wealthy man

[Outro]

Yeah…
I don’t wanna be
I don’t wanna be
A fool for money
(fade with strings, congas, soft backing vocals humming)

Style:

Genre & Era:
1970s conscious soul, cinematic protest soul

Influences:
What’s Going On (album), Curtis Mayfield, 'Songs in the key of life' atmospheres

Mood:
Reflective, warm, bittersweet, socially observant, spiritually grounded but non-religious

Instrumentation:

Deep, melodic electric bass

Light congas + brushed drums

Fender Rhodes / Wurlitzer keys

Wah-tinged clean guitar

Subtle string section swelling in chorus and outro

Gentle background vocal harmonies

Vocals:

Smooth, intimate male lead

high, soulful delivery

Occasional spoken-sung phrases (rich, smooth tenor influence)

Tempo & Feel:
mid tempo, laid-back pocket, widescreen groove
Feels like driving through the city at dusk

Production Notes:
Warm analog mix, tape saturation, wide stereo field, emotional restraint—message over theatrics