Phil Ochs: Money Can Measure

Posted by admin on Friday, February 8, 2019

Phil Ochs Money Quote saying the way we occupy our selves can be futile or painful, but work puts distance between our desires and actions. Phil Ochs said:
 

 

“Life was a game, & work was a shame, & pain was prevented by pleasure. The world cold & grey was so far away, in distance only money could measure” — Phil Ochs

 

 

In this quote, folk singer Phil Ochs seems to be contrasting two different mindsets or phases of life. Some key points:

• He refers to youth as a time when “Life was a game” rather than serious responsibility, and “work was a shame” one sought to avoid and delay.
• Ochs suggests during this carefree stage, unpleasant feelings like “pain” could be prevented or ignored through constant “pleasure”-seeking.
• However, he notes the real “world cold & grey” of adulthood responsibilities becomes increasingly close and unavoidable over time.
• Ochs implies that as one ages, money and financial security (“only money could measure”) becomes the means of putting distance between oneself and life’s harsh realities that youthful pleasures could temporarily obscure.

Overall, the quote conveys Ochs’ perspective that youth is a period of irresponsibility when hard work is shunned and problems are kept at bay through fun, but adulthood inevitably requires facing life’s challenges where money plays a bigger role in managing distance from difficulty. It captures the contrast between two phases of perspective.

Birthday: December 19, 1940 – Death: April 9, 1976

Categories: music