Comments, input and alterations are very welcome!
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Jig-Saw Puzzle
(Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Olympic Sound Studios, London, UK, March 23, 1968 and
Sunset Sound Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, July 7 - 25, 1968

Mick Jagger - vocals
Keith Richards - acoustic guitar, electric slide guitar
Charlie Watts - drums
Bill Wyman - bass
Brian Jones - mellotron
Nicky Hopkins - piano

There's a tramp sittin' on my doorstep, tryin’ to waste his time
With his mentholated sandwich, he's a walking clothes line
And here comes the bishops daughter on the other side
And she looks a triffle jealous, she's been an outcast all her life
Me, I'm waiting so patiently, lying on the floor
I'm just trying to do my jig-saw puzzle before it rains anymore

Oh, the gangster looks so frightening with his luger in his hand
But when he gets home to his children, he's a family man
But when it comes to the nitty-gritty, he can shove in his knife
Yes, he really looks quite religious, he's been an outlaw all his life
Me, I'm waiting so patiently, lying on the floor
I'm just trying to do this jig-saw puzzle before it rains anymore, yes, yes, alright

Me, I'm waiting so patiently, lying on the floor
I'm just trying to do this jig-saw puzzle before it rains anymore
Oh, the singer, he looks angry, at being thrown to the lions
And the bass player, he looks nervous, about the girls outside
And the drummer, he’s so shattered, trying to keep up time
And the guitar players look damaged, they've been outcasts all their lives
Me, I'm waiting so patiently lying on the floor
I'm just trying to do this jig-saw puzzle before it rains anymore

Oh, there’s twenty thousand grandma's waving their hankies in the air
All burning up their pensions and shouting: It's not fair!
There's a regiment of soldiers standing, looking on
And the queen is bravely shouting: What the hell is going on?
With a blood-curdling tally-ho, she charged into the ranks
And blessed all those grandma's who with their dying breaths screamed: Thanks!
Me, I'm just waiting so patiently with my woman on the floor
We're just trying to do this jig-saw puzzle before it rains anymore
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, alright

Produced by Jimmy Miller

First released on: The Rolling Stones - “Beggars Banquet” LP
(Decca SKL 4955) UK, December 6, 1968

Great tune.

Can we clear up what mentholated sandwich actually is?

I've read it is a cigarette, explaining why he's a walking 'clothesline' because he doesn't eat.

Anyone have anything definitive?

Jig-Saw Puzzle it's in my TOP10 great song great lyrics and never bored..............

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treaclefingers
Can we clear up what mentholated sandwich actually is?

I've always assumed it's a reference to metholated spirits, something alcoholic tramps (or "bums" in the USA) drink.

Great song!

Here is a great cover......





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methylated sandwich?

There's a tramp sittin' on my doorstep
Tryin' to waste his time
With his methylated sandwich



As a way to soak up the alcohol Alco's often consume anything from
metho (metholated sandwich) to boot-polish by dipping it in bread .... I kid you not

Or check-out Tommy Johnson and his love for Sterno an alcohol based
fire-lighter that he sang about in his famous Canned Heat Blues



ROCKMAN

Everything is GREAT about this song, and especially the lyrics...First Stones-tune that had Dylan-class in lyrics I thought back in 1968....but as ususal, that's me being Swedish-spoken...

2 1 2 0

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Come On
Everything is GREAT about this song, and especially the lyrics...First Stones-tune that had Dylan-class in lyrics I thought back in 1968....but as ususal, that's me being Swedish-spoken...

Your right one and I wouldn't hold that against you!

This song and Beggar's Banquet in general marked a major change in lyric writing for Mick and one that was obviously influenced by Dylan and I'd say Marianne and her great literary knowledge.

Instead of generally writing about girls and frustration - the druggy Satanic Majesty's was a one-off! - Mick was now looking more at society and focussing on outsiders, loners, losers, and vagabonds in general. Of course we'd seen a few exceptions along the way, the fantastic Mother's Little Helper being a prime example.

But on Beggar's Banquet and particularly Jigsaw Puzzle and Salt of The Earth Mick was drawing directly from the lyrical richness of Dylan's then latest album John Wesley Harding, which was also a favourite of Jimi Hendrix. And if you want further proof Jagger even namechecks one of the JWH songs, I Dreamt I Saw St.Augustine on the BB outtake, Family.

From this point on, Mick was able to slip into his satanic alter ego persona as created on Sympathy For The Devil and one that we would further see on Gimme Shelter, Midnight Rambler, Jumping Jack Flash, Street Fighting Man, and Monkey Man.

So, yes, for me, a really important song and album.

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Come On
Everything is GREAT about this song, and especially the lyrics...First Stones-tune that had Dylan-class in lyrics I thought back in 1968

I always thought Who's been sleeping here? was strongly influenced by Bob Dylan too.

But that aside, I like the way this song builds up from a rather relaxed first stanza into
the frenzy of the last one. Are we very sure about Brians role on this tune as stated in René's
post?

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

Great track! The bassline is amazing, this has to be one of Bills best contributions.

An incredible track from one of their masterpiece albums. Everything about this one is simply brilliant ... the lyrics, the guitars, the drumming, the vocals, and the absolutely stellar production by Jimmy Miller. This track (and the entire Beggars Banquet album, of course) emerged in an era when the Stones and Dylan and the Beatles were producing albums of unparalleled artistic quality ... excellence that has arguably never been equaled since then.

Drew

Surprised they've never played Jigsaw Puzzle. Aside from being a fantastic brilliant song it seems that it would be great to play live.

Fantastic song. I always thought it was Keith playing bass. I was wrong.

Fantastic! Probably my most played Stones track of all time.

Wander how CindyC is doing...............I think it is her number ONE Stones tune

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didn't we just have a convo about this tune? i'll be damned if i'll repeat myself or say the same things over and over again or reiterate what i've said previously or echo thoughts i've shared or in any way be duplicative of prior insights i've given.

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marcovandereijk
Are we very sure about Brians role on this tune as stated in René's
post?

René is correct. Brian is playing a Mellotron mk.II set to "flutes". He use the pitch control to get those whining sliding sounds you hear starting at 1.53.
Very cool!

Brian sure knew how to handle to mellotron using it in way that nobody else did or have done since. The Brass on We Love You, the strings on 2000 Lightyears and the flutes on Jigsaw Puzzle shows what a talent he had for sounds and what to do with them.

>I always thought it was Keith playing bass. I was wrong.

Me too. Until I heard that Keith-interview in the In The Studio-series
(subject: Beggars Banquet) where he states that the track was already
finished when he entered the studio and all he could do was adding his
guitar.

N

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NeddieFlanders
>I always thought it was Keith playing bass. I was wrong.

Me too. Until I heard that Keith-interview in the In The Studio-series
(subject: Beggars Banquet) where he states that the track was already
finished when he entered the studio and all he could do was adding his
guitar.

N

It wasn't finished, because he played the acoutisc guitar, with Nicky, Bill and Charlie. By the way, the sessions included in Satanic Sessions are amazing. Nicky at his best, lots of takes and he never played the same licks two times! What a player.

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"I'm gonna walk... before they make me run"

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Keith didn't say that... He did get things mixed up though, saying he overdubbed slide, but the slide was done live with the bass, piano and drums. The acoustic is an overdub.

Seems to me that on LPs around this period The Stones were referencing
some hard stuff they observed while earning their dues ... simply NOT
subject material for pop LPs in The Mid-'60s, that's for sure. Another
example is the "Mr Jimmy" line from YCAGWYW. Of course, debate still
reigns as to who "Jimmy" was, but it was most likely Phelge.

>Keith didn't say that...
Oops, you are probably right. I'm sorry. First of all, it was
on BBC Classic Albums (aired May 27, 1989). And the quote was like that:
"I had very little to do with that except playing on it.
Mick virtually wrote that song ... and I thought it was a little long...
and I play the slide guitar and maybe the acoustic as well"
At last he mumbles something like just having been a sessionman on this track.

N

Truly a great song.

Love the odd way Jagger sings it. Love the way it builds up too. Absolutely love Keih's strumming pattern on the acoustic: wild, raw excitement. Just how hard is he strumming those strings?

C

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treaclefingers
Great tune.

Can we clear up what mentholated sandwich actually is?

I've read it is a cigarette, explaining why he's a walking 'clothesline' because he doesn't eat.

Anyone have anything definitive?

Yea wandered bout that myself, brilliant track from one of the best four

Interesting to hear again Melanie's cover of the song. She changes the lyric to...

"He's eating a mentholated sandwich"

whereas Jagger sings

"with his metholated sandwich"

A reference surely to meths drinking which Down-and-outs are prone to do.
Has she misunderstood the lyric?

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His Majesty
but the slide was done live with the bass, piano and drums. The acoustic is an overdub.

I really wonder, I doubt the slide was done live. I bet that the master tape consisted of drums and bass, and all else is overdubbed later on.

Mathijs

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dandelion1967

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NeddieFlanders
>I always thought it was Keith playing bass. I was wrong.

Me too. Until I heard that Keith-interview in the In The Studio-series
(subject: Beggars Banquet) where he states that the track was already
finished when he entered the studio and all he could do was adding his
guitar.

N

It wasn't finished, because he played the acoustic guitar, with Nicky, Bill and Charlie. By the way, the sessions included in Satanic Sessions are amazing. Nicky at his best, lots of takes and he never played the same licks two times! What a player.

Here's one of the outtakes:





It's definitely a methylated sandwich - tramps and winos in the UK drink methylated spirit when they can't get anything better. Melanie Safka (nice cover) must have just read one of the many lyric sites that have it wrong.

There is also a nice version from Joan Baez, I have it on my computer but can not find ti on Y-Tube

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StonesTod
didn't we just have a convo about this tune? i'll be damned if i'll repeat myself or say the same things over and over again or reiterate what i've said previously or echo thoughts i've shared or in any way be duplicative of prior insights i've given.

I suggest to add the link so Track Talk can be more complete

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