this phrase and lines like 'gold erodes the soul' and 'gold destroyed the soul' (in gold against the soul [lyric]) may be based on the theme of the 1948 movie the treasure of the sierra madre, starring Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston and Tim Holt. this movie is about three men searching for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains. it is an intense character study showing the corruptive and cancerous effects of greed on the souls of men. One of the film's posters clarified the theme: "The Nearer They Get to Their Treasure, the Farther They Get From the Law!"at a certain moment, howard, one of the searchers for gold who has been in the area before, says: "I know what gold can do to men's souls". this line and the whole theme of the movie may have been the inspiration behind gold against the soul.