Sympathy for the Devil

Fifty nine years ago today, on July 12, 1962 the Rolling Stones played their first concert at the Marquee Club in London. I caught up with them a couple of years later ... my story goes like this: THE ROLLING STONES

One of my favourite songs is the 1968 Sympathy For The Devil ... you have to watch it on YouTube - they won't allow to share the video - but stay with the words here (incredible that Brian Jones has such a low-key role in the video ... and spot a grooving John Lennon in the audience, at 4:53 minutes, and again at the end, with Yoko Ono; I think I also spotted Pete Townshend, from The Who.) Well, I just love live recordings of songs ... indeed, this is music at its very best.

The Rolling Stones

Please allow me to introduce myself

I'm a man of wealth and taste

I've been around for a long, long years

Stole million man's soul an 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

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guess my name

But what's puzzling you

Is the nature of my game

Stuck around St. Petersburg

When I saw it was a time for a change

Killed 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

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guess my name, oh yeah

Ah, what's puzzling you

Is the nature of my game, oh yeah

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 reached Bombay

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah

But what's puzzling you

Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah

But what's confusing you

Is just the nature of my game

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 politnesse

Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah

Pleased to meet you

Hope you guessed my name, mm yeah

But what's puzzling you

Is the nature of my game,

mm mean it, get down with it

Woo, who

Oh yeah, get on down

Oh yeah

Aah yeah

Tell me baby, what's my name?

Tell me honey, can ya guess my name?

Tell me baby, what's my name?

I tell you one time, you're to blame

What's my name

Tell me, baby, what's my name?

Tell me, sweetie, what's my name?

Songwriters: Mick Jagger / Keith Richards