I was listening to some old blues music and found this song, Money, Marbles and Chalk. Googling around a found another song by Patti Page with the same name. There are country and bluegrass tunes too.
But I couldn’t really tie down the literal meaning of the (apparently popular) phrase. I get that it means you are flush, I think. I understand ‘money’ but why marbles and chalk? Those things seem like something even poor people could afford.
Anyone know what the origin of the phrase might be?
That’s a nice version. I’m used to Jimmy Rogers’ renditionwhich is a lot less exciting.
However, I have no idea about the meaning.
This site suggest that it means you’re wagering everything, and connects it to the term “all the marbles.”
Per that site, my interpretation would be that if you are playing marbles for money, and you bet not only money, but also all your marbles and even throw in the chalk, that you really are going for broke and betting everything. From there to “money, marbles and chalk” meaning all of your wealth, and someone with all of them being flush.