Sympathy For the Devil (1968) – The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones received serious heat with Sympathy for the Devil. They were accused by many of it being devil worship. Yet, the point of the song is clearly more about the flaws in mankind as it documents events through history that could be seen as “works of the devil”. Mick Jagger has stated that it reflects the darker aspects of human nature, rather than being a tribute to Satanism: “It’s a very long historical figure – the figures of evil and figures of good – so it is a tremendously long trail he’s made as personified in this piece.”

This song is sung in first person form, with Mick Jagger playing no one else but Satan himself. These lyrics were inspired by the book The Master and Margarita written by Mikhail Bulgakov. Singer Marianne Faithfull who featured here with The Rolling Stones‘ penned song As Tears Go By; and was Mick Jagger’s girlfriend at the time had given him the book. In the book, the Devil (and his ‘gang’) roams Moscow in the 1930s and play tricks on stupid/greedy people. He is portrayed as an elegant socialite, described as a “man of wealth and taste.”

Sympathy for the Devil is the opening track on the band’s 1968 album Beggars Banquet. It’s vibrant and energetic, driven by its samba rhythm. Jagger stated: ‘It has a very hypnotic groove, a samba, which has a tremendous hypnotic power, rather like good dance music. It doesn’t speed up or slow down. It keeps this constant groove.’ The song has received critical acclaim and was ranked No. 106 on Rolling Stone magazine’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

[Verse 1]
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul and faith
And I was ’round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate

[Chorus]
Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzlin’ you is the nature of my game

[Verse 2]
Stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Tsar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank, held a general’s rank
When the Blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank

[Verse 3]
I watched with glee while your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades for the gods they made
I shouted out, “Who killed the Kennedys?”
When, after all, it was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reach Bombay

[Verse 4]
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails, just call me Lucifer
‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me, have some courtesy
Have some sympathy and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste
Mmm, yeah

References:
1. Sympathy for the Devil – Wikipedia

About observationblogger

“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand