I’ve never been a fan of the lottery for a number of reasons. The slangy label “idiot tax” contains more than a little truth, but it doesn’t scratch the surface of the real negative effects of the lottery. Profits supposedly earmarked for education or other worthy causes are quietly pushed to other budget items, poor people with little other hope become addicted to the petty thrill of gambling, and those who beat the odds frequently blow through their entire winnings and end up worse off than when they started.

Nonetheless, one of my favorite songs actually portrays the lottery in a fairly positive light. In fact, I think what draws me to the song is how it made me rethink some of my preconceived notions and come out with a stronger, more nuanced viewpoint. The appropriately titled “The Lottery Song” was originally recorded by Harry Nilsson in 1972, but it was The Format’s 2006 cover version that I heard first and identify with more.

“You could do the laundry, I’ll come by on Monday

You give me the money, I will buy a ticket

On the local lottery, we could win the lottery

We could go to Vegas and be very happy”

This first verse leans into the fantasy that powers the lottery (and the countless ads promoting it). In between your humdrum household chores, you could punch your ticket to an exciting new life! It’s a powerful message, and if you don’t think about it too hard it’s easy to become a believer. But when distilled to just a few lines in a song, the absurdity shines through. How could anyone bank any future happiness on something so unlikely?

“I could be a plumber, we could wait ’til summer

We could save our money, have a fine vacation

We could buy a trailer, if we bought a trailer

We could go to Vegas and be very happy”

On a first listen, this sounds like a stark alternative to the previous verse. Working an honest job, putting money away dollar by dollar, and taking a well-earned vacation every once in a while is the epitome of responsibility and self-control, right? Yet this lifestyle is portrayed in a verse with the same format and same ending as the previous one, which encourages us to explore a little deeper. It turns out that the responsible life isn’t such a sure thing after all.

“If life is just a gamble, gamble if you want to win

Life can be so easy, let the wheel of fortune spin”

Nothing in life is guaranteed. You could lose your job through no fault of your own, watch your savings evaporate in a market crash, or even have your brand-new trailer break down in the Arizona desert. When we live our lives the “right” way, we’re still counting on a series of day-to-day lucky breaks to get us what we “deserve”. Every step is a gamble towards a better life whether we acknowledge it or not. 

“We could make a record, sell a lot of copies

We could play Las Vegas, and be very happy”

Ultimately, though, the decisions that really count in life fall somewhere between “no hope” and “sure shot”. The idea of starting a band and making a record exemplifies that gray area – the product is under your control and dependent on your talent and hard work, but the world you put your work out into may or may not like it. When you have an opportunity of any kind, you have to decide whether to pass or play with imperfect knowledge of how it will all turn out.

“If life is just a gamble, gamble if you want to win

Life can be so easy, let the wheel of fortune spin”

For me, this song is saying that it’s worth erring on the side of taking a chance, especially in small things. When perfectionism is telling me, “Don’t bring that idea up to your boss until you’re 100% sure it work,” or social anxiety is telling me, “Don’t strike up that conversation, you’ll just embarrass yourself,” I can tell myself, “Life is just a gamble, gamble if you want to win.” I could be losing the next step in my career, my new best friend, or something even greater if I don’t at least buy a ticket.

You still won’t see in line for the Powerball any time soon. But this understanding of how life is like a lottery has helped me seize opportunities that I might have otherwise passed up, and I hope it can help you do the same.