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Listen, Soak Up and Enjoy...Behind the Music is a Living Whole Online podcast series that spotlights the stories of musician composers. The more we deepen our understanding and appreciation of the creative process from which music, art, writing, photography, filmmaking, energy practices and family connections emerge, the more we can embrace those creative energies within our own lives, and enhance our health, healing and relationships with ourselves and others.

Award-winning composer and musician Bill Shontz, in this conversation with Kathryn Hayward, MD, describes why he wanted to create an album about money management for children,. Bill is now performing on his own, having been one half of RosenShontz, the music duo that brought children’s music into genres including rock n’ roll, rap, blues, country and jazz. Bill and Gary Rosen composed and performed songs that both children and adults love. 

This Behind the Music podcast comes from Bill’s  album, Money is Music to My Ears: Where Did My Money Go?, and features the song Where Did My Money Go? Bill explains that all the songs on the album have their roots in lessons that he had to learn, lots of times the hard way, about how to manage money. This song was written by his friend, Dave Kinnoin, and is about a kid who has a certain amount of money and at the end of the day he has no money.  

The song is about raising awareness, raising consciousness, so that if you know you have “this much money,” you make wiser decisions about what you want to spend it on.

-Bill Shontz

Lyrics

Where Did My Money Go?

Music and Lyrics By Dave Kinnoin and John Hoke

I had a bundle of money, a couple of fives and a one

17 nickels a dime and 5 pennies, a pretty good sum for some fun

I can remember the movie; there was some food and a drink

I must have spent more, maybe at the toy store

I’m scratchin’ my head as I think

Chorus:

Where did my money go?

Where did my money go?

My pockets are empty and I want to know

Where did my money go?

Verse:

I know the movie was 4 bucks

3 dollars more for the snacks

The toy store was havin’ a special on posters

2 for 4.40 plus tax

I bought a couple of gumballs

That brought me down to 1 dime

And that seemed so small I, bought another gumball

It seemed pretty smart at the time

Chorus:

Bridge:

I have learned a lesson

Now that my stack is thin

I better take care, I better beware

Those gumballs can do you in!!

Chorus: