The 5 Perfect Song Lyrics About Winning The Lottery

Winning the lottery is kind of like finding the perfect song. It’s almost impossible, but when you do find that song, it changes your life.

Or, at least, we’re guessing that’s what it’s like, since none of us here at Lottery Geeks have ever won a massive, life-changing lottery jackpot (yet).

In any case, here are five great songs that reference the lottery in some way, shape, or form. (And no, “The Gambler” is not on here. That song is about the kind of cards you find in a deck, not the kind of cards you scratch off.)

“The Lottery Song,” Harry Nilsson

Choice lyric: “We could win the lottery / We could go to Vegas / And be very happy”

Why it’s magical: People may not be blasting Harry Nilsson music with their windows down these days, but this song has earned its spot here. “The Lottery Song” distills the hope and dreams of lottery players into one heartfelt hippie anthem.

If you’re ready to daydream, then take this vibey ‘70s singer-songwriter tune for a spin.

“Ironic,” Alanis Morrissette

Choice lyric: “An old man turned 98 / He won the lottery and died the next day”

Why it’s magical: Because it isn’t ironic at all. Like most of this song. It’s just a little bittersweet that this aging man was absolutely ecstatic for the last day of his life — only to die without getting his money.

Thankfully, the comedy duo of Eliza and Rachael Hurwitz corrected the lyric in their parody song, “It’s Finally Ironic.” They rewrote this lyric as, “An old man turned 98. He won the lottery and died the next day … from a severe paper cut from his lottery ticket.”

“Free Money,” Patti Smith

Choice lyric: “Every night before I go to sleep / Find a ticket, win a lottery / Scoop the pearls up from the sea / Cash them in and buy you all the things you need”

Why it’s magical: Like Nilsson, ‘70s punk rocker Patti Smith echoed the dreams of every lottery player with this song.

As someone who grew up poor, she could relate to the struggles of someone strapped for cash — and praying for a financial way out. This song captured that feeling, telling the story of a young woman dreaming of owning her own jet plane after winning “free money.”

“W.M.A.,” Pearl Jam

Choice lyric: “He won the lottery, by being born / Big hand slapped a white male American”

Why it’s magical: Well, maybe it’s more depressing than magical. But it is a little magical (in a clairvoyant sense) that Eddie Vedder sang about privilege in this 1993 song, long before the topic went as mainstream as it would eventually go.

In Pearl Jam – The Illustrated Story, Vedder claimed that this song emerged from an instance when a cop accosted his quite respectable friend, a person of color, and ignored Vedder — even though Eddie looked raggedy, drug-addled, and even homeless at the time.

“Lottery,” Train

Choice lyric: “Every time you’re here with me / It’s like I won the lottery / As rich as I could wish to be / It’s like I won the lottery”

Why it’s magical: Here, the pop rockers turn the lottery into a metaphor about the elated feeling you have when you’re in love. Maybe it’s a bit on the nose, but it’s hard not to get on Patrick Monahan’s wavelength when he sings, “Here comes the winning number / Thunder clapping in the summer skies / ‘Til confetti comes down.”

Maybe this should be the lucky song that you listen to if you play the lottery today.