Silas Stingy lyrics
Once upon a time there lived an old miser man
By the name of Silas Stingy
He carried all his money in a little black box
Which was heavy as a rock
With a big padlock
All the little kids would shout
When Silas was about
[Chorus:]
Money, money, money bags
Money, money, money bags
There goes mingy Stingy
There goes mingy Stingy
Money, money, money bags
Money, money, money bags
There goes mingy Stingy
There goes mingy Stingy
Silas didn't eat, which was just as well
He would starve himself for a penny
He wore old clothes and he never washed
'Cause soap cost a lot
And the dirt kept him hot
All the little kids would shout
When Silas was about
[chorus]
In the back of his head
Was a voice that said
"Someone will steal it all
You'll be lying in the gutter with an empty box
The thieves will be having a ball"
[chorus]
He bought a safe to put the box in
And a house to put the safe in
And a watchdog on a chain to make quite sure
And his face was very funny
When he counted up his money
And he realized he hadn't any more
Analysis
From the very first words, “Once upon a time”, the reader can tell that this song will tell a story that is meant to teach a lesson, just as all stories that start out with those same words do. The writer uses the name of the “old miser man” to describe his characteristics, since the reader is likely to see the character in that light if his name describes him that way. The fact that the children, which have long been depicted as symbols for purity, happiness, and livliness, recognized and taunted Silas because of his strange habit makes him seem a little sinister. The image of a “black box” and the fact that he “didn’t eat” add to his sinister appearance, raising images of evil, sin, and secrets into the readers mind. These are all very story-like, sing-song attributes.
The alliteration used makes the fact that “Silas Stingy” is stingy more obvious. The reader is also told that he puts every bit of “his money in a little black box”, which is a very stingy act. The box he stores his money in is as “heavy as a rock”, which allows the reader to assume that he had a lot of money in the box. The box also has “a big padlock” to keep out “the thieves” hand and possibly his own, since he is stingy.
He never took care of himself, even though he could; “He would [rather] starve himself for a penny”. Because he “didn’t eat…wore old clothes and never washed”, others, like “little kids”, feel fine calling him “mingy Stingy”. Since Silas has replaced his love for people with his love for money. Silas Stingy can help his appearance but chooses not to since his love for money is so severe. This act almost encourages their jokes; “he would [ruin his name] for a penny”.
The reader never observes any words spoken to Silas other than the name-calling that the children do, and that is most likely because he is socially awkward. In this poem, he has no relationships with other people. If this is true, then the reader can understand why he would only harbor feelings of paranoia toward people. His paranoia has “a voice [in the back of his head]” telling him he will lose all of his money to the people he hates, and they “will be having a ball”.
In his state of paranoia, he buys many different objects for his money’s security, “realiz[ing] he hadn’t any more” only after he had counted it. Money can be used as a very loose symbol in this poem for anything material. The moral of this poem is that being “stingy” does no good, especially when it makes a person crazy enough to ignore their own morals. I have no idea what the social implications were that might have inspired this poem. I do know that 1967 was the last year that the American dollar was actually worth a dollar, and that everyone (in any decade) meets a stingy person.
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