The song is written from the Devil’s perspective. He’s saying “you humans commit these atrocities then blame me, WTF?”

A real history lesson here. The lyrics aren't glorifying the devil, just pointing out that humans are responsible for these evil events. The Stones were not "demonic." This was at the Rock and Roll Circus; that's why they were dressed that way. Other artists present included John Lennon and The Who.

It's songs like this that scared the hell out of the "older" generation in the 60's and the reason they hated the Rolling Stones.......side note: the song basically describes the evil that. man does and blames rhe devil for it...

Black Pegasus, I am a 71y/o white woman, Christian, who is glad she stumbled upon your videos. I grew up with great R&R, and it's so nice to see how balanced you are and how you love your family. You have great instincts about this song. The devil doesn't dress in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork and announce himself. He's a subtle liar.

This song is summarize by "We shouted out who killed the Kennedy's, when after all it was you and me". That's the whole point of the song. Lucifer is our scapegoat. Always has been. The Devil made me do it is the oldest excuse in the world.

He's saying basically that it's us that give "Lucifer" The power.. he's recalling The horrific moments in history because we as mere humans can't fathom anything other thana demonic force that caused these people to do the things they did.. because we can't even come close to understanding something that evil.. the devil will always have power as long as we continue to give it credit for the deeds of evil men.

This song, and 'Paint it Black' are my favorite Rolling Stones songs. Both are on my permanent play lists.

This is possibly my favorite Stones song. It is thought provoking, disturbing, and brilliant.

People were against rock music because they didn't like the way it made them think about how WE'RE the problem, not a supernatural enemy.

I've always assumed that this song means we should have sympathy for the devil because he keeps getting blamed for the things that people do.

the Rolling Stones have released 31 studio albums, 13 live albums, 28 compilation albums, 3 extended plays, 122 singles, 31 box sets, 51 video albums, 2 video box sets and 77 music videos. Throughout their career, they have sold over[1] 200 million records worldwide

Context is everything. This was when rock‘n‘roll was dangerous, relevant and thought provoking. Jagger made a statement. No place for gods or devils. We are all Lucifer. Clever guy.

He's saying don't give the devil all the credit. When in reality it's man that's just as evil.

"who killed the Kennedys? It was you and me" - Very controversial in 1968.

The key line is "Who killed the Kennedys, when after all it was you and me" indicating that the devil is in all of us and we are all capable of committing evil acts.

The Devil is in all of us, and we create the evil. This is one of the best Stones songs ever!

Mick Jagger is a very educated man. The novel "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov was his inspiration for this song. The original title was "The devil is my name", meant to be, like the book, a story about good and evil. While recording the song, all members of the band brought in their thoughts, like life isn't that easy. There were discussions like - when a president or king starts a war, who is to blame for all the killing, the president/king or the soldier who pulled the trigger? And at the end it is "you and me". Where two fight, two are to blame, and good isn't always good and evil not always evil. In France and in Russia, royals were killed because they lived in "wealth and good taste" while the rest of the country was starving. Who's the real devil in this? I guess the only right answer is -look in the mirror and ask yourself, "Hope you guess my name".

My favorite Stones song is "Gimme Shelter." The story surrounding the background singer Merry Clayton is crazy. You gotta listen to this track.

“Lay your soul to waste, not rest. My favorite song, favorite performance.

I think the biggest misconception about rock bands, is that they are all about party & women, when in actuality a majority of them had very deep lyrics & meaning to their songs, but back in the day, there had to have double & triple entendre's to avoid being censored on the radio......some other songs you might like to check out by the stones are, Paint it black, I can't get no satisfaction, You can't always get what you want, & Brown Sugar 😊 I can see where you get the cultish thing, but I think if you look a little more into their catalog, you will see they are far from that, and when I heard Mick Jaggar talk about this song, it's meaning was, that the sympathy for devil because he keeps getting blamed for the things that humans do........

Mate. The devil is saying "give a guy a break". I'm not the one to blame for these tragedies. It's all you guys.

"The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus," was a concert filmed on a makeshift circus stage in December 1968. The show, hosted by and featuring the Rolling Stones, also included performances from a number of famous acts of the time, and was intended for British television. Although recording of the performances began at about 2 pm on 11 December 1968, the production time was lengthy. So, the final performances took place at about 5 am on the 12th. By then, the audience and most of the Rolling Stones were exhausted. It was only due to Mick Jagger's sheer enthusiasm and stamina, and director Michael Lindsay-Hogg's patience and encouragement, that they kept going until the end. The Rolling Stones were the final act on the bill, and were introduced by John Lennon. Their set included "Jumping Jack Flash", "Parachute Woman", "No Expectations", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Sympathy for the Devil", and "Salt of the Earth". Unfortunately, Jagger was reportedly so disappointed with his and the band's performance that he cancelled the airing of the film, and kept it from public view. Btw, it was Brian Jones' last appearance with the Rolling Stones; he drowned some seven months later while the film was being edited....RIP The film was eventually released commercially almost 28 years later in October 1996.

Man, the Stones lyrics have some serious depth. This is just one of many

Brilliant song by The Rolling Stones.

One of the greatest songs ever written

your daughter coming in was such a cute and precious moment. i wish all the best to you and your beautiful family. love your reactions

Yoko had nothing to do with John's death. They genuinely loved each other. John let Yoko sing on several recordings, and if you ever heard her sing, you know he had to love her insanely bad to intentionally record her singing.

A classic by the Rolling Stones. This banger was released in 1968 and still relevant today.

Importantly for context, this live version does not include the final line of the album version - "I'll tell you one time - you're to blame". Reportedly Jagger wrote this after reading "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov which challenged soviet citizens beliefs towards religion by condemning their own behaviour in history.

This performance of Sympathy For The Devil was from "Rock and Roll Circus," a British TV special The Stones taped in 1968 but never aired. During the performance, Jagger removes his shirt to reveal devil tattoos on his chest and arms. However, Jagger has claimed this song is about the dark side of man, not a celebration of Satanism. This sinister song perpetuated the image of the Stones as frightening bad boys, as opposed to the clean-cut Beatles. It was great marketing for the band, who got some press by implying an interest in the occult. Keith Richards said in 2002: "'Sympathy' is quite an uplifting song. It's just a matter of looking the Devil in the face. He's there all the time. I've had very close contact with Lucifer - I've met him several times. Evil - people tend to bury it and hope it sorts itself out and doesn't rear its ugly head. 'Sympathy For The Devil' is just as appropriate now, with 9/11. There it is again, big time. When that song was written, it was a time of turmoil. It was the first sort of international chaos since World War II. And confusion is not the ally of peace and love. You want to think the world is perfect. Everybody gets sucked into that. And as America has found out to its dismay, you can't hide. You might as well accept the fact that evil is there and deal with it any way you can. Sympathy for the Devil is a song that says, Don't forget him. If you confront him, then he's out of a job."

Your child is precious! What a sweet moment between the two of. you.

I so appreciate a young guy appreciating our old original rock! Thanks!

My brother and his band have opened for the Stones for the last three years. It is the highlight of their aspirations.

Umm, just a correction here. Yoko Ono was not responsible for John Lennon's death. They were together romantically and had a son together-Sean Lennon. Yoko and John were walking from their vehicle to their home when a fan-Mark David Chapman who had gotten an autograph from John Lennon, shot John in the back twice and in the shoulder twice at close range. John Lennon was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital where he died around 11:15 p.m.(EST) on Dec. 8, 1980. Credit goes to John Lennon-Wikipedia. I was trying to make sure I got the facts correct. Yes, I skipped over some of the breakups and such but John and Yoko were back together when he was killed.

" You can't always get what you want " is another Stones masterpiece.

This is my absolute favourite Stones song, and one of my favourite songs of all time... absolutely amazing song.

The point is with all our free choice these are the things we have done with it and it's always blamed on him,so have sympathy for the devil because after all it was you and me. This is how I have always viewed it.

You were ALMOST there when you said they were giving the devil "too much credit" because "we have free will and choice." When you said that I was like "EXACTLY!" you got it. The song has that title because he's saying the devil is deserving of some sympathy for taking on the sins and blame of so many supposedly god fearing people throughout history. He gives example after exempt of MAN causing evil yet blaming the devil for the evils of war and suffering. I've always felt that this song was genius for pointing out the hypocrisy of mankind. The lyrics paint an image of the devil being like "How about you show some sympathy for laying the nastiness of your evil deeds on me, y'all know who was responsible." *holds mirror up in mankind's face* The devil has never had to do more then one thing to spread evil throughout history. That thing is now, and always has been, to "offer temptation" to man. And we have gleefully ran with it from there. As for your having a bit of a freak out over his taking off his shirt and revealing the "fake tatts" . YES, it was done for shock value and no he had never had them on his body. The was no cult, those" cultish outfits" were literally just the style, that part was fk'ing hilarious. Today doing something like that on the tv screen wouldn't cause people to even bat an eye but back then? Well, that was putting the entire performance/filming at risk of being tossed in the trash bin and never being aired. At that point in time our supposedly "free" governments had so much power, influence and muscle to flex than today because the People held so much more trust and belief in it than today. Considering how easy it was to "disappear" troublemakers dank them compared to now, they were brave to kick sand in the faces of so many powerful people. After all, governments being responsible for so much pain suffering and death the last thing they wanted was to have a mirror held up so the fact that this performance wasn't erased from history is actually the most shocking thing to me. Don't let YOUR fears trigger you AKA, don't be a brittle snowflake. The Stones certainly weren't holding devil worship ceremonies in dungeons somewhere. And even if they were? Who cares,? they shit is on them. Their religious beliefs hold no more power and influence over you and me than they would if they were worshipping any other God, Saviour or Saint. When was the last time you learned the religion of a great performer or idol of yours? And how many times did it convince you to switch your faith?

We humans are the problem! Always have been 😊 One of my many favourite Stones songs 🎵

Another groundbreaking song of theirs is Painted Black. Anyone suffering a death of someone close WILL feel that song on a deep level. Absolutwly beautiful in it catharais.

This I believe is how persons blame Satan too much for their actions like they don’t have free will. It’s like old saying the devil made me do it. The people are not cult members just rock fans.

John Lennon and Yoko clapping and part of the audience is so cool. The message is simple throughout history humans have been way too evil instead of Love and Peace.

I saw The Stones in concert in New Orleans, Louisiana, back in the 70's! There were 120,000 people in the Super Dome and they gave a great show! Still have my ticket stub .... $15! Mick Jagger's still going strong!!! Two of my old favorites are Time Is On My Side and As Tears Go By! They've got a treasure trove of great music!!! At one time, the radio stations banned their song, Let's Spend The Night Together! They finally gave in and we all know the rest of the story! LOL

One of my favorites is "Waiting on a Friend" it's so iconic NYC in the 70's. They have tons of great songs that's why they're icons! "Angie" , "Wild Horses"

The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956

This is an old favorite. Looking back, we were so lucky to hear this stuff when it came out new ...

You can see what inspired Don Mclean to write this part of American Pie: "So, come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick Jack Flash sat on a candlestick 'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend Oh, and as I watched him on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage No angel born in Hell Could break that Satan spell And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite I saw Satan laughing with delight The day the music died" 'him' on stage being Mick Jagger singing his 'satanic' music while one of the Hell's Angels stabbed and killed a man in the crowd.

Reminds me of a long time ago, I was 16-years old (more or less) delivering newspapers, and the article on the Entertainment page announced a Rolling Stones tour coming to town, and commented about how long Mick Jagger might be able to keep rocking, since he was already the ripe old age of 36 years old!

Yoko had nothing to do with John Lennons death. They were actually married. John was murdered by a psychotic fan. A great loss to the music world.

History is damned to repeat itself. I saw the Stones in 98. They were getting up in age then. BLEW ME AWAY!!! GOAT. Period.

I found the Stones with their hit Miss You. I was in high school and my dad wouldn’t let me go to their concert. I had so many of their albums. I’ve always loved Mick’s voice. Amazed they are still around, RIP Charlie Watts.

I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED ABOUT THIS VERSION ! I AGREE 💯💯💯

This is a history lesson in a musical format. The island sound mixed in is such a fantastic contrast to the lyrical content.

I like the song. It's not about satanism - I interpret it is as a view of the devil as being evil as it manifests through people's actions. I was a Rolling Stones fan and I assure you I was not a satanist (and neither was anyone else I knew who also loved the Stones). We blame the devil when it is the complexity of human beings we'd be better looking at.

The first time I saw the Stones was in 1989 in Dallas. Living Color was the opening act.

He had to change some lyrics. It was originally 'I shouted out who killed John Kennedy' . Bobby Kennedy was killed during the making of the song, so he changed it to 'the Kennedies'

I really like the point the Stones were making in the lyrics that we blame the devil for man's evil plus telling it from the perspective from the Devil was interesting. Also the music to this one is great!

Wikipedia-Sympathy for the Devil" is credited to Jagger and Richards, though the song was largely a Jagger composition. The working title of the song was "The Devil Is My Name", having earlier been called "Fallen Angels". Jagger sings in first person narrative as the Devil, who boasts of his role in each of several historical atrocities and repeatedly asks the listener to "guess my name." The singer demands the listener's courtesy towards him, implicitly chastising the listeners for their collective culpability in the listed killings and crimes. In the 2012 documentary Crossfire Hurricane, Jagger stated that his influence for the song came from Baudelaire and from the Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita (which had just appeared in English translation in 1967). The book was given to Jagger by Marianne Faithfull and she confirmed the inspiration in an interview with Sylvie Simmons for the magazine Mojo in 2005

The song is brilliant. It's about mankind. We advance and expand. Good and evil just remains.

the stones music is a rabbit hole of all sorts ,,,not just a rock band ,,,just a real BAND, grunge hell that was the stones,,blues their first love, country, gospel , ballads and jazz (charlie), ..iconic and fashioanble , they drove a generation and still going,,60 years +....been a fan for 55 of them. dude is berating the devil for having infuences on all the early bad times...Jagger always is a showmen and you see how he takes his performances to the top,,...def not devil worshippers :), cheers

I think you’re right on with the description of this lyrics 63 years old never really knew what the song was about. Thank you BP ✌🏼

The guy on the bongos looked like Carl Weathers! LOLs.

a great song, a quick little history lesson too.

I still remember this song coming up at the end of the movie Interview with the Vampire!

Your baby is a beautiful blessing. ❤

The Rolling Stones debuted in 1964 after The Beatles... they felt that The Beatles were perceived as the 'good boys' of rock n' roll... So, The Rolling Stones assumed the role of the 'bad boys' of rock n' roll in the 60's... But the 2 bands were friends (John Lennon can be seen in this 1968 footage) ... It was also one of the last performances of original guitarist Brian Jones (who was playing the maracas on this track) who was out of the Rolling Stones by 1969 and was found that year drowned in his own swimming pool. The original Rolling Stones was seen here - Mick Jagger (vocals), Keith Richards & Brian Jones (guitars), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums) ...Their original songs were mostly written by Jagger and Richards (including 'Sympathy for the devil') As far as the lyrical content of 'Sympathy for the devil'... Mick Jagger (vocals) was assuming the role of the devil as a figure who is attending a high society party and boasting of his achievements to the partygoers... The message is basically - "Do you recognize evil when you see it? Or will you remain oblivious and let it in?" It had nothing to do w/ devil worship or being in a cult... It was simply, "You will recognize me if you know my past deeds and what I'm capable of..." This song has been covered by a lot of artists, including Guns N' Roses... and Motorhead. The Rolling Stones made songs like this to freak people out and we now know that the band members were a lot of things... but not devil worshippers. They were more interested in getting laid... or doing drugs back in the day... In your case, you are just freaked out because of the act and imagery... This was a performance w/ the visuals to make it colorful... hence, the costumes... But the movie it was intended for (titled "Rock n' Roll Circus") was not released until 1996. The Rolling Stones admitted that they played the role of "bad boys" to perfection... and they were a handful - drinking, partying, womanizing, doing drugs... But The Beatles were also indulging in the same vices and nobody called them out on it. Lemmy of Motorhead said that he saw both bands back in the day and The Beatles were the real 'bad boys' but they had the squeaky clean image that was marketed to this day... The Beatles were from Liverpool, which was a hard area full of brawlers to grow up in... while The Rolling Stones were proper boys from London who were art school students. Late guitarist Brian Jones was the only true 'bad boy' in the band... (Late) Drummer Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones was always dressed impeccably before he appeared in public. The fact that the Rolling Stones are the biggest live band today speaks to their legacy of music since the 60's.

There is no Devil without people. That's the whole point here. "Don't lay it all on me, man. You were there, too."

The Rolling Stones formed 2 years after The Beatles and came to America during the British Invasion with the likes of The Who, Herman's Hermits, The Hollies and Dusty Springfield in 1964.

The late sixties to early seventies were mental.

The greatest trick the Devil ever played was to convince man that he doesn’t exist.

I saw The Stones in the 70’s. Jagger wore a Superman cape. I always judge every concert I've ever been to before or since, to the experience of sitting house left near the speaker stack at a Stones concert. I could feel the music so deep indide, I vibrated with it. One helluva concert!

For me, the best of many great songs by the Stones.

More Stones for you........... "Beast of Burden", "Start Me Up", "Waiting on a Friend", "Miss You", "Paint it Black", "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses", "Angie", "GIMME SHELTER", "Honky Tonk Women", "Emotional Rescue", "Under My Thumb""..... just to name a FEW. IF YOU WANT MORE ..... do "Gimme Shelter (Official Lyric Video)"...its about the Vietnam War and was done DURING the War. Very impactful then and today.

This is from what they called The Rolling Stones Circus. John Lennon played a song with Eric Clapton a song called Yer Blues. I think you'll enjoy it.

A good preacher could turn this song into a sermon. Many people say Satan doesn't exist, but this song shows that he's been with us for a long, long time. He's telling you that if you're not prepared Satan can consume you. Have the whole armor of God on when you confront the evil one.

He isn't justifying the devil; he's pointing him out.

It's basically the devil singing and saying it's mankind, not me that is responsible for all these things.

My all-time favourite Stones song, best thing they've ever written. Great choice, and great video as always, I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of your reactions, as well as the appreciation for a great performance like this one. Got me rocking at my desk - much love from Canada!

I just love how they snuck in "The Devil's Cord" "C to F#" in dissonance! 🎶

For the rock genre this is my number 1 favorite band and one of my favorite songs of theirs although they have TONS worthy of reacting to. I was born in 80 and the 70s music was heavy in my life early on. Love your reaction and variety of music ❤

Painted black. It's like a yeng yang. A balance.

"Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails, just call me Lucifer" Each person can be influenced at a particular moment to serve the Lucifer whims in the song. A good cop compelled to do something at that moment, a sinner doing a saint's work, etc. "As heads is tails" shows how it can go one way or the other, and this Lucifer can be the tipping point, depending.

Being a dad is the best thing I've ever done in my life. God bless.

The last lines say it all. Balance of good and evil. He basically says, If you meet me have some respect, but remember what you were taught and avoid me or I will take your soul and lay it to waste and ruin.

“A Song for You” Leon Russell and friends 1971 Your welcome 🤗

This is taken from a TV special which never aired: The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Numerous songs and guests including John Lennon, The Who, Jethro Tull etc. The tv audience all wore the weird outfits no one knows why. The show is available on restored DVD.

I just watched the Rolling Stones in concert last night in all places Ridgedale, Missouri and Thunder Ridge Nature Arena. It is the last stop of the U.S Tour and not in the Hackney Diamond '24 tour schedule. The warm up was Samantha Fish who is absolutely amazing but the Stones blew me away with the energy of their performance and just having fun on stage jamming. Mick Jagger is 80 years old and his moves was on point. Keith Richards was WOW!!!! Ron Wood was ripping his Guitar.

The reason they are icons is for all the groundbreaking work they put out. Their shadow is huge.

Song about the devil at work. Should be called" No sympathy for the devil" Love Mick and the Stone's! 👹❤

18:00 Awwwwwwww... That was too precious :) As a new father that brought a little tear to my eye.

There is no personification of evil. It lives in the heart and mind of every single person who has ever lived. The message is: Have sympathy for the "devil" because he is humanity's scapegoat/excuse for every evil thing they do on their own. Humanity is not responsible because, "The Devil Made me do it"

I remember 40,50 yrs. ago, 4 of us, my best friend, as a joke got up on a stool and said let me survey my domain... I remember his face as he looked down at his hands in shock. They were scaley long curved finger nails, I looked back up he completely transformed, long face, large black eyes that opened and closed like a camera lens, horns, hoofs..my wife screamed, ran to the kitchen, then he was back to normal. Thinking of you John.

"The greatest lie the devil ever told was convincing the world he didn't exist."

This is an all time classic! I wouldn't read too much into Jagger's devil art. Let's just say that this video had a director, lol. Check out Wild Horses for a completely different side of the Stones.

This was an unusual live performance of this song. It was part of a special called the Rock and Roll Circus, and also featured performances by the Who, Yoko Ono, Marianne Faithfull, Jethro Tull, Taj Mahal, and the impromptu supergroup the Dirty Mac (John Lennon, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell, and Eric Clapton). Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, it was set for a BBC special but never aired due to Jones’ departure from the band and death the following summer. ‘Circus’ wouldn’t see an official release until 1996.

Check out - Rolling Stones - Angie - Undercover of the Night - Waiting on a Friend - She's so Cold - Emotional Rescue - Brown Sugar - Gimme Shelter - Paint it Black - Fire

You are an awesome Dad.You always are so polite.Seeing you talking to your Daughter.Amazing.You Rock Sir!!

You would have appreciated this song a lot more if you’d listened to the album version or the really creative lyric video that’s out there.

After Woodstock, the Stones wanted to recreate the experience at a concert called Altamont, using the Hell’s Angels for security. While performing this song an Angel stabbed a fan to death in front of the stage in full view of the band - they never performed this song live again. A movie was made about it called Gimme Shelter - it’s also the name of one of their best modern day songs. IMO the true Stones were a bluesy band who played songs like Not Fade Away and It’s All Over Now - you must compare them to the Beatles and other British Invasion groups to realize how radical they were back in the day. They have a huge song list that has evolved over the years - that’s why they’re still here

I love seeing your notifications. Your energy and gorgeous smile lift my spirits daily, as I sit here with my son. He has a severe traumatic brain injury and no one knows the final outcome. Anyway, thanks for the smile.