Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
one for the money
English answer:
It\'s just a really cool up-beat beginning for the song
English term
one for the money
Well, it's one for the money,
Two for the show,
Three to get ready,
Now go, cat, go.
But don't you step on my blue suede shoes.
You can do anything but lay off of my Blue suede shoes.
Non-PRO (2): Graham Allen-Rawlings, Edith Kelly
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Responses
It's just a really cool up-beat beginning for the song
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=111626
Re: one for the money, two for the show
A much earlier use is in the intro to "Blue Suede Shoes". But it's an expression that was used, at least when I was a kid, to indicate the start of impromptu foot races.
One for the money,
Two for the show,
Three to get ready
And four to go.
I suspect the expression has its roots in horse racing, where the third place finisher is the "show" horse.
Some support for ewhite's horse-racing connection appears here.
Quote:
In "The Annotated Mother Goose" p 259 the following rhyme is included
One to make ready
And two to prepare
good luck to the rider
And away goes the mare.
The annotation says this is 'a race starting jingle, the forerunner of the
modern 'one for the money, two for the show, three to make ready and four to go!'
Elizabeth
Brazil
Brazilian lawyer - 40+ years in Brazil
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK, Irish, US, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Scottish) 
, Portuguese (Variants: Brazilian, Mozambican, Angolan, European/Portugal) 
Works in: Portuguese to English, English to Portuguese, English, and 1 more.
one, two, three, go!
So he expanded each number by adding words, like "one for the money", etc. The three words "money", "show", "ready" suggest the sequence of events to prepare to go to a show. I cannot see any more profound meaning for the words within the context of the lyrics.
| Thanks for your expertise! |
no counting going on
| Thanks for your interesting answer! |
Going out for the night
http://www.top40db.net/lyrics/?SongID=96178
The Elvis lyrics, in contrast, are not about having made it to a life of luxury, hence the significance of the blue suede shoes and the aggressively boasting tone.
| Thanks for your answer! |
| agree |
Tony M
: Well spotted! I've listened to this song countless times, and never picked up on this, which seems so obvious now you point it out!
2 mins
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Thanks Tony.
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| agree |
British Diana
5 hrs
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Thanks Diana
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United States
Small World Language Services
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English, English to Spanish, and 4 more.
Origin information of this phrase
| Thanks! |
start with the backer
(and please don't step on my Blue Suede Shoes)
| Thank you! |
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