My riches can’t buy everything/
I want to hear the children sing.

In the Rolling Stones’ “As Tears Go By” something bad happened today; Mick Jagger doesn’t tell us what it is. It leaves him crying on a bench. Nearby there are kids playing. When he sees them, feelings of nostalgia are stirred in him–times were so much simpler. He used to play those games too. The kids are oblivious to him and he is fine with that. The kids are smiling; he isn’t.

He doesn’t expand upon his feelings, but we can interpret a lot by the soft tone of the song and using a bit of empathy. Perhaps it would be great to go back to those simpler times when playing on the playground brought such joy. We all have this thought sometimes.

This is a slightly different sound than a lot of the other Rolling Stones work. People hear “Rolling Stones” they think “Satisfaction”. However, The Stones’ “As Tears Go By” really shows off the great subtly of their songwriting and proves that they can do emotional work just as well as rock. It sounds different than most of their other work.

Jagger’s voice sounds good, but it always does. Keith Richards guitar work on the acoustic guitar coupled with the strings makes for a full and unique sound for them. Lyrically, the song is simple, but it really works well.

As Tears Go By Lyrics

It is the evening of the day
I sit and watch the children play
Smiling faces I can see
But not for me
I sit and watch
As tears go by

My riches can’t buy everything
I want to hear the children sing
All I hear is the sound
Of rain falling on the ground
I sit and watch
As tears go by

It is the evening of the day
I sit and watch the children play
Doing things I used to do
They think are new
I sit and watch
As tears go by

Songwriters: Andrew Loog Oldham / Keith Richards / Mick Jagger