Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked

Given my status as a white and privileged male, I sometimes fall into the trap of casting judgements upon people who don’t hold the same moral standards as I do. I have often caught myself wondering how someone could break multiple laws just to make some easy cash. However, I now realize I can’t make judgements upon criminals because I have no idea what they are going through. This is what the song, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant picks up on and it shows how we shouldn’t be so quick to make judgements on one another.

The song begins by describing a young prostitute:

I was walking down the street when out the corner of my eye
I saw a pretty little thing approaching me
She said, “I never seen a man, who looks so all alone
And could you use a little company?
If you can pay the right price, your evening will be nice
But you can go and send me on my way”
I said, “You’re such a sweet young thing, why you do this to yourself?”
She looked at me and this is what she said

Lead singer Matt Schultz’s shows his privilege when he asks the young girl why she has resorted to prostitution.  She’s so young and beautiful which makes him think that she could be doing something else to make some good money. By asking the question, he shows how he doesn’t know what she is going through.

The prostitute responds to him by saying:

Oh there ain’t no rest for the wicked
Money don’t grow on trees
I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed
There ain’t nothing in this world for free
Oh no, I can’t slow down, I can’t hold back
Though you know, I wish I could
Oh no there ain’t no rest for the wicked
Until we close our eyes for good

Here, it is apparent how things have gotten so bad for this young woman that she has had to resort to prostitution. To her, it is the easiest way to make money and she shouldn’t be judged for it. After all, she has bills to pay and mouths to feed which makes prostitution a good way to make some money fast. She wishes that it didn’t have to be this way but due to her dire circumstances, it has to be.

The song continues when Schultz runs into a robber:

Not even fifteen minutes later after walking down the street
When I saw the shadow of a man creep out out of sight
And then he swept up from behind, he put a gun up to my head
He made it clear he wasn’t looking for a fight
He said, “Give me all you’ve got, I want your money not your life
But if you try to make a move I won’t think twice”
I told him, “You can have my cash, but first you know I gotta ask
What made you want to live this kind of life?”
He said

Like with the prostitute, Schultz wonders what would make this man want to rob him. It is clear here that the robber doesn’t want to make any trouble but just wants the money. To the man, this is the best way for him to make some money. Like the prostitute, his situation has become so dire that robbing people is the only thing he can do.

After asking the question, the robber responds just like the prostitute:

Oh there ain’t no rest for the wicked
Money don’t grow on trees
I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed
There ain’t nothing in this world for free
Oh no, I can’t slow down, I can’t hold back
Though you know, I wish I could
Oh no there ain’t no rest for the wicked
Until we close our eyes for good

The man has chosen the life of a robber because he has people in his life that he needs to take care of. Money doesn’t grow on trees so he has to do something to support the people he loves. Even though he wishes it didn’t have to be this way, the man has no other route to take.

The song ends with another criminal situation involving a preacher:

Well now a couple hours past and I was sitting in my house
The day was winding down and coming to an end
And so I turned on the TV and flipped it over to the news
And what I saw I almost couldn’t comprehend
I saw a preacher man in cuffs, he’d taken money from the church
He’d stuffed his bank account with righteous dollar bills
But even still I can’t say much because I know we’re all the same
Oh yes we all seek out to satisfy those thrills

Like the prostitute and the robber, the preacher has to make money too. Since he doesn’t make enough dough, he has to resort to stealing from the church. What’s compelling here, however, is when Schultz says, “But even still I can’t say much because I know we’re all the same.” According to Schultz, we all have to make money somehow and that may mean resorting to criminal means. When it comes down to it, we’re all human and have to make a living somehow. The preacher then goes on to respond with the same answer as the prostitute and robber.

So as one can see, we shouldn’t be so quick to cast judgements upon people. You never know what someone else is going through so you shouldn’t hold yourself to a higher moral standard. Just because someone is a criminal, doesn’t mean they are a bad person. In the end, we are all human trying to make sense of this world and we shouldn’t have a judgmental mindset.

See the music video here: