Sympathy for the Devil

Sympathy for the Devil is the first song on the album Beggars Banquet. It appears before the song No Expectations and it is 6 minutes and 19 seconds in length, making it the longest song on the album. The song has been contravertial in many conservative groups because of it's title.

Meaning of the Song

This song is very contravertial. This is because, most people assume that it just simply means that the Rolling Stones are devil worshippers. However, it has been interprited in another way, as well. It has been interprited as being a song showing that people allow Satin to control their world and that people allow Satin into their lives. The line "Please allow me to introduce myself/I'm a man of wealth and taste" (which is repeated throughout the song) refers to the devil's seemingly good promises. "Made damn sure that pilate/Washed his hands and sealed his fate" refers to Pilate's being the killer of Jesus. "I rode a tank/Held a generals rank/When the blitzkrieg raged/And the bodies stank" refers to WWII and Nazism, the bodies stinking is the concentration camps. "I watched with glee/While your kings and queens/Fought for ten decades/For the gods they made" refers to the hundred years war, which was fought over religious intolerance in Europe.

Sympathy for the Devil Remix

There was an album released containing all of the remixes of the song.

Track Listing

1. Sympathy For The Devil ((The Neptunes Remix) (Radio Edit))
2. Sympathy For The Devil ((The Neptunes Remix))
3. Sympathy For The Devil ((Fatboy Slim Remix) (Radio Edit))
4. Sympathy For The Devil ((Fatboy Slim Remix))
5. Sympathy For The Devil ((Full Phatt Remix) (Radio Edit))
6. Sympathy For The Devil ((Full Phatt Remix))
7. Sympathy For The Devil ((Original Version))

Total Time-38:24

Cover Versions

There have been many remixes and covers of the song, the most popular of which was done by Guns 'n' Roses.

External Links

Song Lyrics