Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

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

"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 nothin' 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"

Not even fifteen minutes later, I'm still walkin' down the street
When I saw the shadow of a man creep 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 lookin' 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 wanna live this kind of life?"

He said, "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 nothin' 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"
Yeah

Well, now a couple hours passed 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

You know there ain't no rest for the wicked
Money don't grow on trees
We got bills to pay, we got mouths to feed
There ain't nothin' in this world for free
Oh no, we can't slow down, we can't hold back
Though you know we wish we could
Oh no, there ain't no rest for the wicked
Until we close our eyes for good

A Incessante Busca Pela Sobrevivência em Aint No Rest For The Wicked'

A música 'Ain't No Rest For The Wicked', da banda Cage The Elephant, é uma narrativa que explora a ideia de que as pessoas são impelidas a cometer atos questionáveis devido às pressões econômicas e sociais. Através de uma série de encontros com personagens de moral ambígua, a letra descreve situações onde a necessidade de dinheiro para sobreviver leva as pessoas a fazer escolhas difíceis.

No primeiro verso, o narrador encontra uma mulher que se oferece para lhe fazer companhia em troca de dinheiro. A resposta dela ao questionamento sobre suas escolhas de vida é um refrão que se repete ao longo da música: a necessidade de dinheiro para pagar contas e alimentar bocas. Esse refrão se torna um mantra que ressoa a dura realidade de que não há descanso para os 'malvados', ou seja, aqueles que são forçados a viver à margem da sociedade para sobreviver.

A música prossegue com o narrador sendo assaltado e, mais tarde, vendo um pregador sendo preso por roubo. Esses eventos reforçam a mensagem de que a corrupção e a necessidade de dinheiro não discriminam; afetam pessoas de todos os estratos sociais. A conclusão da música sugere uma reflexão sobre a natureza humana e a busca incessante por satisfação material, uma busca que só termina quando fechamos os olhos para sempre. 'Ain't No Rest For The Wicked' é um comentário social sobre a ganância e a sobrevivência, encapsulado em uma melodia cativante e letras que provocam pensamento.