# Declare the pennies on your eyes - huh? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910 "2003-08-08T21:10:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/1 "2003-08-08T21:10:22Z")
What does “declare the pennies on your eyes” mean? I heard this in the Beatles’ _Taxman_, and I realized that I never understood the phrase. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/2 "2003-08-08T21:18:04Z")
I don’t know if it’s true, but supposedly people used to put pennies on the eyes of corpses to keep them closed. So, he’s saying the tax man is so rapacious that he’d require you to declare your literal last two cents. ---
**Author:** ![Lilacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lilacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilacs)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/3 "2003-08-08T21:19:32Z")
I’ve heard that once upon a time, they would put pennies on the eyes of the dead to keep the eyelids from opening. Declare the pennies – as in “declare as income” A very good, wry song. I’ve always loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/4 "2003-08-08T21:38:32Z")
The pennies are to pay the boatman to transport your soul over the river Styx. And you need to declare them because they tax everything these days (1966?). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/5 "2003-08-09T00:07:25Z")
A bit of useless trivia: Back in the '80s, Rockwell (of “Somebody’s Watching Me” fame) covered this song, and changed the line to “beware the pennies on your eyes.” ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/6 "2003-08-09T00:35:46Z")
I don’t know what the pennies on the eyes exactly means. It was, as was posted above, a common practice or mythichical saying. But the **meaning** of it’s use in _Taxman_\* is this: This is a SCATHING rebuke of the English govenrments tax policies of the '60’s (and into the '70’s) (and beyond? I don’t know.) If you were making “Rock Star” $$$, you had to pay like 80% taxes. Many famous rock stars went into “tax exile.” If you stayed out of the country (England) for more than half of the time, you would be exempted from this ridiculous rate. The Beatles di it, Stones, Led Zep, David Bowie, many others. One line I always loved (in the background vocals…) “Taxman, Mr. Wilson…Taxman Mr. Heath” two former PMs. So, therefore, you’d better declare all of your wealth, INCLUDING the pennies on your eyes when you die! ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/7 "2003-08-09T00:46:10Z")
I don’t know what the pennies on the eyes exactly means. It was, as was posted above, a common practice or mythichical saying. But the **meaning** of it’s use in _Taxman_\* is this: This is a SCATHING rebuke of the English govenrments tax policies of the '60’s (and into the '70’s) (and beyond? I don’t know.) If you were making “Rock Star” $$$, you had to pay like 80% taxes. Many famous rock stars went into “tax exile.” If you stayed out of the country (England) for more than half of the time, you would be exempted from this ridiculous rate. The Beatles di it, Stones, Led Zep, David Bowie, many others. One line I always loved (in the background vocals…) “Taxman, Mr. Wilson…Taxman Mr. Heath” two former PMs. So, therefore, you’d better declare all of your wealth, INCLUDING the pennies on your eyes when you die! ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/8 "2003-08-09T00:50:06Z")
Sorry about the double post! (NOT MY fault!) ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/9 "2003-08-09T00:58:37Z")
I don’t think it was a common practice even in times as ancient as the 70s, but in the old days you put pennies on the eyes of a corpse to allow him or her to pay Charon to ferry them across the river Styx in Hades. I think it’s one of those cultural practices that long outlived its origins, like carrying the bride across the threshold (which harkens back to the custom of bridal capture, something I wholeheartedly approve of, but is, alas, no longer a common practice). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/10 "2003-08-09T01:21:36Z")
…So it’s just another example of how picky and excessive the tax man in the song is. He’s demanding people include the pennies put on the eyes of the dead as part of their assets. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/11 "2003-08-09T01:53:22Z")
I impressed you could HEAR this. For years I thought the line was “The clever cat is on your eyes.” Which clearly doesn’t make any sense at all, aside from implying that Paul is dead. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/12 "2003-08-09T01:56:27Z")
I don’t think it was a common practice even in times as ancient as the 70s, but in the old days you put pennies on the eyes of a corpse to allow him or her to pay Charon to ferry them across the river Styx in Hades. I think it’s one of those cultural practices that long outlived its origins, like carrying the bride across the threshold (which harkens back to the custom of bridal capture, something I wholeheartedly approve of, but is, alas, no longer a common practice). ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/13 "2003-08-09T03:00:06Z")
I don’t think it was a common practice even in times as ancient as the 70s, but in the old days you put pennies on the eyes of a corpse to allow him or her to pay Charon to ferry them across the river Styx in Hades. I think it’s one of those cultural practices that long outlived its origins, like carrying the bride across the threshold (which harkens back to the custom of bridal capture, something I wholeheartedly approve of, but is, alas, no longer a common practice). ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/14 "2003-08-09T03:01:54Z")
Shoot, I’m sorry guys, the computer kept telling me it wasn’t making a connection. Obvious it was lying to me. Scheming bastard computer. I shall never believe it again. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/15 "2003-08-09T03:27:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lilacs \* > I’ve heard that once upon a time, they would put pennies on the eyes of the dead to keep the eyelids from opening. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Captor \* > in the old days you put pennies on the eyes of a corpse to allow him or her to pay Charon to ferry them across the river Styx in Hades. I think it’s one of those cultural practices that long outlived its origins, The way I heard it, it was probably both. That is, the story of paying the ferryman developed to explain why they had this practice, but the practical reason was to keep the eyes closed. ---
**Author:** ![Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linus_Van_Pelt)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/16 "2003-08-09T03:37:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by if6was9 \* > \*\*\ > This is a SCATHING rebuke of the English govenrments tax policies of the '60’s (and into the '70’s) (and beyond? I don’t know.) If you were making “Rock Star” $$$, you had to pay like 80% taxes. \*\* It was worse than that. The highest tax bracket was, supposedly, 95%. That’s where the line “one for you, nineteen for me” came from. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/17 "2003-08-09T06:29:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Linus Van Pelt \* > \*\*It was worse than that. The highest tax bracket was, supposedly, 95%. That’s where the line “one for you, nineteen for me” came from. \*\* And: Should five percent appear too small Be thankful I don’t take it all Stevie Ray’s remake rocks. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declare-the-pennies-on-your-eyes-huh/193910/18 "2003-08-09T06:39:30Z")
Stevie Ray did a cover? I never heard that one.