The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil (Official Lyric Video)
Inspiration Behind Sympathy for the Devil:
Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita is the primary influence behind Sympathy for the Devil. During a trip to Brazil, Mick Jagger was also swayed by French poet Charles Baudelaire and Marianne Faithfull to complete this Rolling Stones hit. Meanwhile, Bob Dylan’s song writing style helped solidify the lyrics with this classic sound.
Biblical Application:
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder, James 2:18-19.
Exegesis of Sympathy for the Devil:
Yeow, yeow
Yeow
Yeow is a term used to express pain or shock. Yeow is repeated 3 times to magnify this pain and shock.
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
Jagger appears to be referring to the Devil. Providing a brief summary of his past.
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
Present at the turn of the first century. Unsure if his plan would be carried out. Influencing the minds of the people who insisted that Jesus be crucified.
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzlin’ you
Is the nature of my game
The Bible refers to the Devil as an entity who travels throughout the world, waiting to inflict pain, 1 Peter 5:8. Playing the game “who am I?” People are trying to figure out the nature of the Devil’s motives.
Stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Tsar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
Quick history lesson of how Communism came to power in the USSR.
I rode a tank, held a general’s rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
The Devil influenced the minds of high-ranking officials to carry out his evil plans on earth.
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, ah yeah
The compassionate and concerned citizens want to know why the Devil is doing this.
I watched with glee (whoo-hoo)
While your kings and queens (whoo-hoo)
Fought for ten decades (whoo-hoo)
For the gods they made (whoo-hoo)
How the Devil encourages wars and worship of foreign gods.
I shouted out (whoo-hoo)
“Who killed the Kennedy’s?” (whoo-hoo)
When after all (whoo-hoo)
It was you and me (whoo-hoo)
The Devil planted seeds of evil within the shooters like planting disobedience in the mind of Eve.
Let me please introduce myself (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
I’m a man of wealth and taste (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
And I laid traps for troubadours (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Who get killed before they reach Bombay (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
The Devil begins to boast of his many victories of evil in his mind.
Pleased to meet you (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
But what’s puzzlin’ you (whoo-hoo)
Is the nature of my game, ah yeah (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Get down, damn it
Jesus refers to the Devil as the father of all lies, John 8:44.
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Celebrating his deception.
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo)
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo)
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo)
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo)
(Whoo-woo)
Human beings end up being unknowing vessels of the Devil, Ephesians 6:12.
Pleased to meet you (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
But what’s confusing you (whoo-hoo)
Is just the nature of my game, mm yeah (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Human beings end up fighting themselves instead of the root cause of evil.
Just as every cop is a criminal (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
And all the sinners saints (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
As heads is tails, just call me Lucifer (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Using ungodly beliefs to spread a false narrative
So if you meet me, have some courtesy (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Have some sympathy, and some taste (whoo-hoo, woo-hoo)
Use all your well-learned politeness (whoo-hoo, woo-hoo)
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah (whoo-hoo, woo-hoo)
A call for sympathy, but you can’t bargain with evil.
Pleased to meet you (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
But what’s puzzlin’ you (whoo-hoo)
Is the nature of my game, mean it (whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
Get down
Not sure what “get down” is unless it is simply a warning to get out of the Devil’s way.
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) whoo-hoo
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) oh yeah, get on down
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) oh, yeah
A call to join the Devil’s side by getting down.
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo)
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) yeah
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) aw, yeah! A-tell me, baby
A series of similar chorus’ to end song.
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo) what’s my name, tell me, honey
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo) can ya guess my name, a-tell me, baby
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo) what’s my name, I tell you one time
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo) you’re to blame, ooh
This is how the Devil rolls, tempting individuals who end up sinning, then blaming themselves.
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) ooh-hoo
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) alright
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) whoo-hoo-hoo, whoo-hoo-hoo
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) whoo-hoo-hoo, oh yeah, whoo-hoo-hoo
A long winded ending.
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo) whoo-hoo-hoo, oh yeah
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo) oh, what’s my name, a-tell me baby
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo) what’s my name, tell me, sweetie
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo) a-what’s my name, whoo-hoo-hoo
The Devil tries to influence others with compliments.
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) whoo-hoo-hoo, whoo-hoo-hoo
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) whoo-hoo-hoo
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) whoo-hoo-hoo, whoo-hoo-hoo
(Whoo-hoo, whoo-hoo) whoo-hoo-hoo, oh yeah
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo)
(Whoo-woo, whoo-woo)
Closing without any additional references to the Devil.
Final Thoughts:
Any time you reference books written by atheists and or secular humanists, you might find Sympathy for the Devil. However, if you perform a deep dive into why bad things happen to good people, you”ll find traces of demonic influences. Instead of blaming God for their problems, human beings need to open their eyes and mind to the spiritual world so that they can begin to understand the devastation left behind by evil influenced by the Devil.
by Jay Mankus
