Cover art for Cash in Your Face by Stevie Wonder

Cash in Your Face

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Sep. 29, 19801 viewer5.2K views

Cash in Your Face Lyrics

[Stevie Wonder]
You just could not know how long we tried
To see how this building looks inside
This must be a lucky day for me
Because the sign says there's a vacancy

[Apartment owner]
Look I know you came a long way
But you made it just too late
So we had to give it to somebody else

[Stevie]
Well I talked to you on the phone less than fifteen minutes ago
And you told me that it was cool
I graduated from Howard U
My job is paying good money too
And if you check on my resume
You'll find they all wanted me to stay

[Owner]
Well I can't take the time out
To check your credit card
‘Cause the computer just broke down today

[Stevie]
Well I'll stop by here tomorrow to complete our interview
But I know what you're gonna say
I know what your bottom line is
[Hook: Owner]
You might have the cash
But you can not cash in your face
We don't want you living in here
Say you might have the cash
But you can not cash in your face
We don't want your kind living in here
Too bad, too sad

[Stevie]
Our first child is due here any day
That's why we're desperate for a place to stay
The location is so perfect too
So please try to do what you can do

[Owner]
Well in this apartment complex no children are allowed
And if you told me that I could have saved you a lot of time

[Stevie]
Well I thought the bill was passed that said you could not discriminate
But I know some excuse you'll find
Because your bottom line is

[Hook: Owner]
You might have the cash
But you can not cash in your face
We don't want you living in here
Say you might have the cash
But you can not cash in your face
We don't want your kind living in here
Too bad, too sad

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Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Stevie Wonder say about "Cash in Your Face"?
Genius Answer

I wrote that about someone who worked for me. He was in an interracial marriage. When he and his wife went in person to see an apartment they had called ahead about, they were told the landlord didn’t have anything available. And this was in California. From that I wrote, “You might have the cash but you cannot cash in your face.”

— Stevie Wonder, Billboard, 2004

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Copyright ©
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Performance Rights
Sound Designer
Synthesizer Programmer
Mixing Engineer
Synthesizer
Fender Rhodes
Synth Bass
Percussion
Recorded At
Wonderland Studios, Los Angeles, California
Release Date
September 29, 1980
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