[Verse 1]
Gettin' near the end, now I knew the time was right for a breakdown
Megaton surprise, but your eyes never made it a shakedown
Shot you full of rock 'n' roll, couldn't make your soul
Didn't burn you to the bone
Do what the man says, take the money and run
[Pre-Chorus]
But I never saw the splendour
In stealing all your gold
And taking all your silver
And doing what I'm told
[Verse 2]
I never saw the tears, but I knew you cried for rhythm and blues
Screaming like a wildcat, I knew that I had nothing to lose
Shot you full of rock 'n' roll, couldn't make your soul
Do what the man says, take the money and run, ha
[Pre-Chorus]
But I never saw the splendour
In stealing all your gold
Taking all your silver
Doing what I'm told
[Chorus]
It's just a breakdown
A breakdown
A breakdown
A breakdown
Oh, look out
[Verse 3]
Shaking like a leaf in the wind, see me blowing away
Never see me fall on the ground till I've had my say
Shot you full of rock 'n' roll, couldn't make your soul
Couldn't burn you to the bone
Do what the man says, take the money and run
[Pre-Chorus]
But I never saw the splendour
In stealing all your gold
Taking all your silver
And doing what I'm told
[Chorus]
It's just a breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
It's just a, a breakdown
Oh, look out, ha
But it'll come back and get you someday
[Guitar Solo: Micky Moody]
[Verse 4]
Gettin' near the end, now I knew the time was right for a breakdown
A megaton surprise, but your eyes never made it a shakedown
I shot you full of rock 'n' roll, couldn't make your soul
Couldn't burn you to the bone
Do what the man says, take the money and run
[Pre-Chorus]
But I never saw the splendour
In stealing all your gold
And taking all your silver
And doing what I'm told
[Chorus]
It's just a breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
Breakdown
Oh, look out
“The man” here could be Steve Miller.
Shortly after Deep Purple’s dissolution, and a few months before Breakdown was recorded (March/April 1977), the Steve Miller Band issued a single called “Take the Money and Run”. The song was a hit, peaking at #11 in the Billboard during the summer of 1976, staying altogether 16 weeks in the charts.
Otherwise the phrase could refer to Woody Allen’s 1969 movie of the same name.
Though the expression “Take the money and run” had been around in English before 1969, and can’t be attributed to a single author, it became more known in pop culture after the aforementioned movie then hit song in the mid 70s.
This could be about David’s friend Glenn Hughes, bassist and co-vocalist in Deep Purple (1973-1976); who infused the band with soul, funk and rhythm and blues. Glenn struggled with substance abuse issues, to the point he had to go in rehab just before they finished recording their last album together. Glenn Hughes has a remarkable scream, like a wildcat, and the more the last tour progressed, the more he was unhinged. Jon Lord claimed it was Glenn’s and Tommy’s substance abuse problems on tour and how it affected their performance or attitude on stage who made him and drummer Ian Paice decide to call it a day and dissolve the band.
The mention of ‘Burn’ could be a reference to one of the first songs David recorded with Deep Purple.