As heads is tails, just call me Lucifer…

In The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” the devil is the speaker and we get to meet him and learn a little bit more about him. One of the most interesting things about The Devil is how polite he is. He says, “Please allow me to introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and taste.” He seems to point out that there are two sides to him: The Devil and Lucifer.

The Devil was around when there was war and takes glee in it. He may even have agency: “I rode a tank, held a general’s rank…” Sure there is that side to him, but if you meet him call him Lucifer and be courteous, because he doesn’t always want to be killing. He was an angel once, after all. Or don’t be courteous…he is The Devil, and there is that side to him too.

There are two parts of The Stone’s “Sympathy for the Devil” that make it sound distinct: the bongos and the background singers. We rarely if ever hear bongos used as the sole percussion in a rock song. It creates part of the unique sound. The “woo woo”s that the background singers is…interesting. I would have preferred it for one verse, but it gets kind of annoying as it lasts about ¾ of the song. Keith Richards has some great guitar solos in the song, and I like the outro that sounds like an improvised jam similar to what McCartney did on Hey Jude.

Lyrics Sympathy For The Devil

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 to waste

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

I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the czar 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, mm yeah

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, 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

Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh 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
Oh, right

What’s my name
Tell me, baby, what’s my name
Tell me, sweetie, what’s my name.
written by Jagger/Richards