CHAINS OF GOLD

money can't buy happiness
a wise man once avowed
but you can choose your misery
that made me laugh out loud

oh yes, i was a poor man
but in time i grew quite rich
i found myself delivered
from the pain of squalor's itch

these days i am wrapped up
in weighty capitals and gains
though golden chains are beautiful
alas, they still are chains

i think about my past
when sudden pleasures were a thrill
a chance to rest a bit
as you went trudging up a hill

these pleasures aren't as rich
when with cold cash they can be bought
i throw away dead presidents
without a second thought

sometimes i think i'll give it up
and let myself fly free
and give away my wealth
to a deserving charity

for joy can gallop off
if you don't pull back on the reins
though golden chains are beautiful
alas, they still are chains