completely disagree! this is not even in the top 100. the stones would be the stones with or without that song, which disqualifies it as the definite song.

I love the SOUND of it - but the actual song itself is nothing special.
And, yes, there ARE fillers on Exile...this being one of them.

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Gazza


The Stones obviously thought it was still a good tune as late as 1983 because they reworked it as 'It Must Be Hell' !

And then again in 1989 with Rock and A Hard Place...

I knew this would spark alot of interest ! I mean if Exile keeps popping up in the top ten Rock albums of all-time , it has to have some merit with critics fans etc. I'm so impressed with all the different opinions on this particular song . I mean it can't just be Tumbling , All Down ,Sweet V there are the other lessknown songs on Exile that have always intrigued me .

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Hound Dog

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Gazza


The Stones obviously thought it was still a good tune as late as 1983 because they reworked it as 'It Must Be Hell' !

And then again in 1989 with Rock and A Hard Place...

And then Michael Jackson stole the riff for his song "Black and White"!

Drew

League Office must step in on this subject once again. After reveiw, a connection between Black and White and Soul Survivor cannot be identified. It has been determined to be a frivilous comment.

Soul Survivor has been deemed by officials as one of the Stones finest gems and any personal complaints must be dealt within.

L.O.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-17 01:25 by Chris Fountain.

When the waters is rough
The sailing gets tough
I'll get drowned in your love
You've got a cut throat crew
I'm gonna sink under you
I got the bell bottom blues
It's gonna be the death of me

It's the graveyard watch
Running right on the rocks
I've taken all of the knocks
You ain't giving me no quarter
I'd rather drink sea water
I wish I'd never had brought you
It's gonna be the death of me

When you're flying your flags
All my confidence sags
You got me packing my bags
I'll stowaway at sea
You make me mutiny
Where you are I won't be
You're gonna be the death of me

Really think the next to last line should have been "Where you are I wanna be". Regardless of what or who he's singing about, it would have turned the whole thing around and stood it on its head.

Really think the next to last line should have been "Where you are I wanna be". Regardless of what or who he's singing about, it would have turned the whole thing around and stood it on its head.

Ok let's take a closer look at the verse:

When you're flying your flags
All my confidence sags
You got me packing my bags
I'll stowaway at sea
You make me mutiny
Where you are I won't be
You're gonna be the death of me


After review, from L.O. Officials have determined that subject rather die at sea than perish in the relationship itself. Yes subject will miss loved one but will not suffer at loved one's expense.

Therefore, no offense, lyrics must stand.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-17 01:55 by Chris Fountain.

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Chris Fountain
Really think the next to last line should have been "Where you are I wanna be". Regardless of what or who he's singing about, it would have turned the whole thing around and stood it on its head.

Ok let's take a closer look at the verse:

When you're flying your flags
All my confidence sags
You got me packing my bags
I'll stowaway at sea
You make me mutiny
Where you are I won't be
You're gonna be the death of me


After review, from L.O. Officials have determined that subject rather die at sea than perish in the relationship itself. Yes subject will miss loved one but will not suffer at loved one's expense.

Therefore, no offense, lyrics must stand.

If the subject leaves his loved one, how can the loved one still "be the death" of him? He's leaving in order to survive, to be the sole survivor of the two. The loved one is only "gonna be the death" of the subject if they stay together. But if he says "Where you are is where I wanna be" he's saying that his love/hate thang is so strong he has no choice in the matter. He HAS to stay, regardless of the consequences.

I think the message here is that she will always be on his mind regardless of location. As painstaking as the love was, he is still in love, never will get over it, which may perhaps manifest into some type of self annihilation.

L.O. is still pondering these lyrics

For the sake or argument, let's say the person Mick is singing to is a junkie. He knows that if he stays in the relationship with this person, he/she is going to drag Mick down with him/her. Mick knows that if he wants to survive he has to leave. He WANTS to leave. He SAYS he's leaving. But I think he could have given the lyric a cool little twist at the end if he turned it around and admitted that he CANNOT leave, that the two of them will go down together.

On the other hand, it's somewhat ambiguous which one of the two will survive and which one will not. Mick could be saying that HE will survive if he can get off this sinking ship in time, or he could be saying that the OTHER person will be the survivor, by staying with the ship, and that it's Mick who is doomed, out there all alone on his pitiful little life raft. At one point in the song, Mick screams over and over "Soul survivor, soul survivor" and then says "YOU'RE gonna be the death of me!" So it could be that he is referring to the other person as the survivor, that it's the other person's "soul" that will survive the relationship, while Mick's will not.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-17 16:45 by tatters.

tatters

Your comments make sense. Interpretation of lyrics is a tricky business especially concerning Soul Survivor. Nonetheless, it's a great song from both a musical and lyrical standpoint. The more I think about it this should actually be a Track Talk thread. Thanks for an interesting discussion.

LO

I wrote the original post and it's turning into a who wrote what and about who . So let's think about who was around Nellcote at the time . Gram , Anita , all the sycophants, Drugs , wine , wimmen . Exile will always be considered " Keiths Baby " . So as Mick is driving to yet another recording seesion in the basement of Keefs rented villa he's dreading having to deal with everyone and he's already longing to " stow away at sea . mutiny , where you are I want to be " . I still stand by my feeling that this is the ultimate Stones song . The whole package . Blues , piano , solid riff , Mick Taylors exquisite guitar touches , bass drum thumping . It's raggedy and real !!

Kittypoo

No offense -

I think analysis of lyrics is healthy and is within boundaries of this thread. Discussion was centered around interpretation of lyrics. No names were mentioned. In other words, If you don't talk about the music or lyrics, What's the point of this thread?

League Office



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-17 18:47 by Chris Fountain.

'Where you are I won't be' is quite obvious - I want to be anywhere but with you. The whole song is about that, leading up to that, so why would someone who doesn't want to be with someone anywhere want to be where they're gonna be?

THAT makes no sense with this tune.

I think 1972 was the only tour where this tune would have shined until Las Vegas ten thousand people on stage tours since 1889. Mick's voice was at its screaming peak in 72. If you don't believe me, listen to the 73 European shows. Why do you think Bitch & Rocks Off were taken out of the set list? Mick couldn't hit the notes. & even Gimme Shelter he sings differently. Not badly, just not the top of the voice singing from '72.

I still maintain the band just exhausted themselves on the 1972 American Tour & never were able to be that good ever again w/that super nova burning energy. They've been great since then, but never brilliant.

"The wonder of Jimi Hendrix was that he could stand up at all he was so pumped full of drugs." Patsy, Patsy Stone

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skipstone
'Where you are I won't be' is quite obvious - I want to be anywhere but with you. The whole song is about that, leading up to that, so why would someone who doesn't want to be with someone anywhere want to be where they're gonna be?

Oh, skippy, have you NEVER been in love? Didn't you ever get mad at someone and say "I'm leaving! ..... soon!" Hey, wait a minute ....

Is he saying "soul survivor" or is he REALLY saying "soul, survive her"?

And isn't there a KISS album called Destroyer? Holy shit, skippy, this stuff is deep!

Stones stole from themselves when Its must be hell came out. I think its one of their best songs suprised never been played live

Kittypoo wrote: "Listening to Exile's last song today and I had a revelation. I feel it's the one song that captures everything The Stones are all about . I know I'll get alot of different views but here's my opinion . It was recorded in France in a sweat-drenched room . Could it be Mick's way of telling Keith that he was jealous of Gram Parson being around ? " When you're waving your flag , my confidence sags, You've got me packing my bags ". It's a real interesting song with that killer Keith riff that pulls it all together . Any thoughts ? I'm obsessed with it !"
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Wow, so the one song that captures every thing the Stones are about is some obscure filler track off of Exile? I mean its cool, as you point out, that you are obsessed with Soul Survivor but I have to politely (totally) disagree. I think the Stones have had a lot of songs which do a much better Job at capturing everything they are about. Of course, many of these songs were established before Exile or even Mick Taylor joining the band.

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its good to be anywhere
Kittypoo wrote: "Listening to Exile's last song today and I had a revelation. I feel it's the one song that captures everything The Stones are all about . I know I'll get alot of different views but here's my opinion . It was recorded in France in a sweat-drenched room . Could it be Mick's way of telling Keith that he was jealous of Gram Parson being around ? " When you're waving your flag , my confidence sags, You've got me packing my bags ". It's a real interesting song with that killer Keith riff that pulls it all together . Any thoughts ? I'm obsessed with it !"
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Wow, so the one song that captures every thing the Stones are about is some obscure filler track off of Exile? I mean its cool, as you point out, that you are obsessed with Soul Survivor but I have to politely (totally) disagree. I think the Stones have had a lot of songs which do a much better Job at capturing everything they are about. Of course, many of these songs were established before Exile or even Mick Taylor joining the band.

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A good subject for a thread might be "Which ONE Stones song best captures every thing the Stones are about?" My answer would be HTW, but I think Soul Survivor comes close. And btw, it's NOT obscure, and it's NOT filler. It would have been a bigger hit than Tumbling Dice if they had released it as a single.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-10-18 17:08 by tatters.

Jumpin' Jack Flash would be my pick. Soul Survivor is very obscure. Outside of this board or unless you happen be a hardcore Stones fan NO ONE knows this song.
Interesting theory about Tumbling dice (which of course is a great NON filler track off of Exile) being outsold by Soul Survivor "if" it had been released as a single. And you are basing this on what (factual) information -the fact that you like the song?

I guess what I'm trying to convey is it seems The Stones always close an album ( The last song ) with a killer song . Beggars was Salt of the Earth . Let It Bleed turned out You Can't , Sticky closed with Moonlight Mile . Goats was Star Star . So the Stones felt it was important enough to close EXILE ( considered to be the ultimate Stones album ).

So the Stones felt it was important enough to close EXILE ( considered to be the ultimate Stones album ).

No offense

If possible, finish the thought.

I'll try and finish my thoughts on "Soul Survivor " . It had seemed that The Rolling Stones had enough foresight to end their albums with seminal songs . Maybe I'm overanalysing but I'd think that they were just being consistent with the last song theory . " SS " is always pushed off as filler . But it's the one song that all five members at the time are playing on . And you have to admit that Exile was a hit and miss affair for all five men to be on the same page so to speak .

And you have to admit that Exile was a hit and miss affair for all five men to be on the same page so to speak .


League office under oath would not admit to such bullshit. Another thing, I find referring to the greatest R&R band on Earth as "five men" not only idiotic but rude and offensive to everyone in this forum. Repeatably you have labeled Exile on Main Street songs as fillers. Maybe you need a filler. League Office will not accept this crap no longer.

Comish

I adore this song, love how it caps off the album. Definitive song?
Killer riff, true. Also true that it's ben diluted by so many soundalike (be it Stones or others, hell, even Michael Jackson's 'Black or White is derivative).
I'm not sure if it has a strong enough melody for me to consider it my definitave Stones song though. That goes to either Jumpin' Jack Flash or Gimmie Shelter.

[thepowergoats.com]

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its good to be anywhere
Soul Survivor is very obscure. Outside of this board or unless you happen be a hardcore Stones fan NO ONE knows this song.

GOOD GOD, Y'ALL. Exile has sold at least three million copies. Do you think the three million people who bought it and know Soul Survivor are ALL hardcore Stones fans?

Hell no. I haven't even listened to the album this year!

Great feel and sound, but the songwriting is unfortunately not up to par with that.