# One for the Money

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{{short description|Nursery rhyme}}
{{other uses}}{{Wiktionary|one for the money, two for the show, three to make ready, and four to go}}
"'''One for the Money'''" is an [English-language](/source/English_language) [children's rhyme](/source/children's_rhyme). Children have used it as early as the [1820s](/source/1820s)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/one_for_the_money_two_for_the_show_three_to_make_ready_and_four_to_go|title=Barry Popik|first=Barry|last=Popik|website=BarryPopik.com}}</ref> to count before starting a race or other activity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/one-for-the-money-two-for-the-show|title=What Does One for the Money, Two for the Show Mean?}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mamalisa.com:443/?t=es&p=1714|title=One for the Money - England|website=Mama Lisa's World of Children and International Culture}}</ref>

The full rhyme reads as:
<blockquote><poem>One for the money,
Two for the show;
Three to make ready,
And four to go.</poem></blockquote>

==In popular music==
The rhyme has been used or [interpolated](/source/Interpolation_(popular_music)) in [popular music](/source/popular_music) since the 1950s. The earliest known song to contain the rhyme's lyrics is "Rock Around the Clock" by [Hal Singer](/source/Hal_Singer) in 1950. Other early examples are in the intros of "Whatcha Gonna Do" by [Bill Haley & His Comets](/source/Bill_Haley_%26_His_Comets) from 1953 and "Roll Hot Rod Roll" by [Oscar McLollie](/source/Oscar_McLollie) and "[Blue Suede Shoes](/source/Blue_Suede_Shoes)" by [Carl Perkins](/source/Carl_Perkins), both from 1955. The latter was further popularized in a version by [Elvis Presley](/source/Elvis_Presley) released in March 1956 on his [eponymous debut album](/source/Elvis_Presley_(album)). Since then, many other artists have interpolated the rhyme's lyrics in their songs, mainly in [hip hop music](/source/hip_hop_music), notably ["Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park)"](/source/Illmatic) by [Nas](/source/Nas),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVuxllwGqE&list=RD9KVuxllwGqE&start_radio=1 |title= Nas - Memory Lane (Sittin' in da Park) (Official Audio) |publisher=Nas |date=2022-06-22 }}</ref> ["My 1st Single"](/source/Encore_(Eminem_album)) by [Eminem](/source/Eminem),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=nWjL9b_s_18?si=8iOskqrkAd0Cmivx |title=My 1st Single |publisher=EminemMusic |date=2019-01-19 }}</ref> "Spoonin' Rap" by [Spoonie Gee](/source/Spoonie_Gee), "[Jussummen](/source/Dead_Serious_(album))" by [Das EFX](/source/Das_EFX), "[Bomdigi](/source/Bomdigi)" by [Erick Sermon](/source/Erick_Sermon), "[Elevators (Me & You)](/source/Elevators_(Me_%26_You))" by [Outkast](/source/Outkast), "[Anything Goes](/source/Anything_Goes_(Ras_Kass_song))" by [Ras Kass](/source/Ras_Kass), "[Go to Church](/source/Go_to_Church)" by [Ice Cube](/source/Ice_Cube), "[All Outta Ale](/source/MF_Doom_discography)" by [MF Doom](/source/MF_Doom), "[Boyfriend/Girlfriend](/source/Call_Me_If_You_Get_Lost)" by [Tyler, the Creator](/source/Tyler%2C_the_Creator), "[Pelotuda](/source/Post_Mortem_(Dillom_album))" by Argentinian rapper [Dillom](/source/Dillom) and "[Give It to Me](/source/Agust_D)" by South Korean rapper [Agust D](/source/Suga).<ref>{{Citation|title=Give it to Me - Agust D|url=https://genius.com/Genius-english-translations-agust-d-give-it-to-me-english-translation-lyrics|language=en|access-date=2024-12-21}}</ref> 

In [pop music](/source/pop_music), the lyric appears in [Taylor Swift](/source/Taylor_Swift)'s "[Champagne Problems](/source/Champagne_Problems_(Taylor_Swift_song))", [Lana Del Rey](/source/Lana_Del_Rey)'s "[Million Dollar Man](/source/Born_to_Die)", [Everything Everything](/source/Everything_Everything)'s "[The House Is Dust](/source/Arc_(Everything_Everything_album))" and [Marianas Trench](/source/Marianas_Trench_(band))'s "[Stutter](/source/Stutter_(Marianas_Trench_song))".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whosampled.com/Carl-Perkins/Blue-Suede-Shoes/sampled/|title=Samples of Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins on WhoSampled|website=[WhoSampled](/source/WhoSampled) }}</ref>
 
In [rock music](/source/rock_music), it appears in "[Sure Feels Good to Me](/source/Cherry_Pie_(album))" by [Warrant](/source/Warrant_(American_band)), "[Let the Music Do the Talking](/source/Let_the_Music_Do_the_Talking_(song))" by [Aerosmith](/source/Aerosmith) and "[Piece of Me](/source/Skid_Row_(Skid_Row_album))" by [Skid Row](/source/Skid_Row_(American_band)). The phrase was also used as the title and in the main hook, with altered lyrics, for the song "[One for the Money](/source/Ungrateful_(album))" by American rock band [Escape the Fate](/source/Escape_the_Fate).<ref>{{Citation|title=Escape The Fate – One For The Money|url=https://genius.com/Escape-the-fate-one-for-the-money-lyrics|language=en|access-date=2021-02-02}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{song-stub}}{{poem-stub}}
Category:English children's songs
Category:English folk songs
Category:Counting-out rhymes

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [One for the Money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_for_the_Money) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_for_the_Money?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.