Amazing...some posters list a bunch of songs with great lyrics (don't think they got Gimme Shelter and Brown Sugar), and people say "well, they're not for a thinking man" or "they're not that good lyrically".

I'd say the Stones have by far the best and most fitting lyrics for rock music. Songs about women, sex, hurt, longing, anger...along with songs about partying. Many hold up well as poetry.

The quintessential lyrics from the world's greatest!

bianca Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> And spare me the Dylan crap. His popularity is due
> to the fact that he is such a wierdo that nobody
> admits that they don't understand him.
>
>
>


gotta disagree with this statement...his popularity is because of his body of work....understand him or not....his work speaks for itself and to his fans

life is rich and way too short what song?

oooo see the fire sweepin my very street today burns like a black coal carpet mad bull lost its way

The Stones have both deep and non-deep lyrics. Same with Springsteen, U2 and Dylan. B2B has a lot of good lyrics...
"Saint Paul the persicutor was a cruel and sinful man
Jesus hit him with a blinding light and then his life began
I said a' yes
Augustus knew temptation he loved women, wine and song
And all the special pleasures of doing something wrong
I said a' yes, I said a' yes"

that is quite possibly my fave Stones song. I love it.

virgil Wrote:

> What the hell would highwire be remembered for?
> The lyrics sound stupid to me> Its a piss poor
> attempt by Mick to politically sound off and be
> noble. I love mick as a performer but he has a
> cloak full of ego and greed. So I cannot take him
> seriously on any world issue. I dont care what any
> celebrity's view is. I just want to see them
> perform and shut the F%^# Up.
word.

@stonedmike

OK, it's from Jagger's 1993 solo album. I think the song is called "Don't tear me up"
So strictly speaking it's not a stones song.

virgil Wrote:

>
> What the hell would highwire be remembered for?
> The lyrics sound stupid to me> Its a piss poor
> attempt by Mick to politically sound off and be
> noble. I love mick as a performer but he has a
> cloak full of ego and greed. So I cannot take him
> seriously on any world issue. I dont care what any
> celebrity's view is. I just want to see them
> perform and shut the F%^# Up.


Hm, apparently you don't agrew with him. The lyrics might sound stupid to you, but be sure they don't to some others.
You cannost take him seriously on world issues? Mind you, if you - and onyone - had such talent and charisma as Jagger, you would also be a celebrity, no doubt. But hat doesn't mean you would stop having relevant opinions on politics and whatever else.
Apparently not many celebrities agree with bushies and bush-fans have to try hard to cope with it somehow. Good luck, haha.
This "I just want to see them perform and shut the F%^# Up" is the poorest attempt there can be.

jumpinjackgreg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Stones have both deep and non-deep lyrics.
> Same with Springsteen, U2 and Dylan. B2B has a lot
> of good lyrics...
> "Saint Paul the persicutor was a cruel and sinful
> man
> Jesus hit him with a blinding light and then his
> life began
> I said a' yes
> Augustus knew temptation he loved women, wine
> and song
> And all the special pleasures of doing
> something wrong
> I said a' yes, I said a' yes"
>
> that is quite possibly my fave Stones song. I love
> it.
>

Why, because of the lyrics or because of the song itself. I'm quite interested, because I thing it's a great song with appealing lyrics. But I can't quite get what he wants to say.
I mean, I know the story of Saint Paul and Augustus, but what's Mick's (he must have written it) point?

This must be a joke! The Stones wrote some of the best lyrics ever. For example: the imagery in Gimme Shelter is unmatched. Sympathy has probably the best lyrics anyone ever wrote down on paper.

Someone mentioned Let It Loose... that first sentence is of such high quality.. again the imagery is so powerfull... Let it all come downnnn tonight.. what a finish.

Loving Cup: gimme little drink from your loving cup... just one drink and I'll fall down drunk. It doesn't get better then this.

Waiting On A Friend: a smile relieves a heart that grieves....

Saint Of Me, No Expectations, Paint it Black, etc..

Shine A Light.
And take a sneak peek at Majesties lyrics...

Sitting On A Fence (Jagger/Richards)

Since I was young I've been very hard to please
And I don't know wrong from right
But there is one thing I could never understand
Some of the sick things that a girl does to a man, so

I'm just sittin' on a fence
You can say I got no sense
Trying to make up my mind
Really is too horrifying
So I'm sittin on a fence

All of my friends at school grew up and settled down
And they mortgaged up their lives
One things not said too much, but I think it's true
They just get married cause there's nothing else to do, so

I'm just sittin' on a fence
You can say i got no sense
Trying to make up my mind
Really is too horrifying
So I'm sittin on a fence

I'm just sittin' on a fence
You can say I got no sense
Trying to make up my mind
Really is too horrifying
So I'm sittin on a fence

The day can come when you get old and sick and tired of life
You just never realize
Maybe the choice you made wasn't really right
But you go out and you don't come back at night, so

I'm just sittin' on a fence
You can say I got no sense
Trying to make up my mind
Really is too horrifying
So I'm sittin on a fence

mrD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "what a cast of charaters
> her lovers and my friends."
>
> yeah baby yeah!!!!
>
>
>
> btw, comparing to the dutch band "de dijk" is just
> to silly to talk about.

WHY?

sladog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't listen to the Stones for deep meaning
> songs. They are not "thinking mans" rock.


Very true. The lyrics aren't much. Still I have to say that the lyrics they make gives the song more feel. Perfect example: I Got The Blues. That one has feeling beyond all limits man.

JumpingKentFlash

arjan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jumpinjackgreg Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > "Saint Paul the persicutor was a cruel and
> sinful
> > man
> > Jesus hit him with a blinding light and
> then his
> > life began
> > I said a' yes
> > Augustus knew temptation he loved women,
> wine
> > and song
> > And all the special pleasures of doing
> > something wrong
> > I said a' yes, I said a' yes"
> >
> > that is quite possibly my fave Stones song. I
> love
> > it.
> >
>
> Why, because of the lyrics or because of the song
> itself. I'm quite interested, because I thing it's
> a great song with appealing lyrics. But I can't
> quite get what he wants to say.
> I mean, I know the story of Saint Paul and
> Augustus, but what's Mick's (he must have written
> it) point?

It's (St.) AugustINE, not (Caesar) Augustus. The song is somewhat brilliant for following up that first verse with the chorus: "You'll never make a saint of me." So mick seems to be saying he admires the turnarounds that Paul and Augustine made, but it won't happen to him. It would be clearer if he sang "BUT you'll never make a saint of me." He seems sad about it (or the angels are, anyway), but ultimately has no regrets. If we are to take it seriously, it's actually an anti-christian song about a christian topic.

I don't the lyrics are very good in that they're not very elegant -- mick has a weakness for these songs full of facts and references that sound awkward -- but they are intriguing and fairly weighty. I'm surprised this aspect of the song doesn't seem to have gotten more comment. Really, the title is deceptive in that it sounds positive, when it should be negative: "No Saint of Me" or something.

cc

cc Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------
mick has a weakness for these
> songs full of facts and references that sound
> awkward -- but they are intriguing and fairly
> weighty. I'm surprised this aspect of the song
> doesn't seem to have gotten more comment.

I'd agree with this as a weakness, at least post-IORR. But not on, for example, SFTD or earlier songs.

Examples of the weakness, to me, show up in something like SW's Blinded By Love with it's facile references to Cleopatra, Romeo & Juliet, Samson, and the Poor Prince of Wales who was involved with Wallace Simpson, not to add to these narratives but simply to cobble them together them together in a song that really has more of a mexi-country feel to it. Hardly appropriate to my ears, lazy even. Saint of Me, on the other hand, I find to be quite strong perhaps because the themes of sin, sacrifice, and redemption are well illustrated with Augustine and Saul, and John the Baptist. A somewhat stranger instance of it for me is "Goya's Paranoias" in Back of My Hand. Strange because one doesn't expect to hear a Goya reference in a blues song, but strangely appropriate given the apocalyptic images of the song. As a result I view BOMH as one of the smartest lyric on the album: cogent and compact blues-based lines that have political and personal meaning. I guess I'd say that sometimes Jagger's weakness can be one of his greatest strengths.

OK, but they probably hold the record for the number of songs that you can immediately identify from the first note/chord/drumbeat/cowbell than any other band, not that it matters

Milo, NYC
I can't get no satisfaction

a dyk in new orleans ok you just dont live such great songs some times so deep funny @#$%& you dyk compared t stones how sweet the bad boys from holland last time no no

did you ever feel the night with the dyk i doubt it rs for ever

camper88 Wrote:
> I'd agree with this as a weakness, at least
> post-IORR. But not on, for example, SFTD or
> earlier songs.
I agree, camper. And its success on Sympathy is probably what leads mick back to the well. At its worst ("Blinded by Rainbows"[is that the right title? the one that cites "semtex"]), it's an insincere way to "dignify" a song and associate it with Sympathy. But he might sometimes genuinely try to recapture the Sympathy vibe and create something meaningful.

I like the lyrics of "Back of My Hand," too, and was surprised by them. I first read the Goya line in an article, hadn't noticed it on the track. That's probably a good sign. It's a cool line.

By the way, this is the background of the Goya reference:
[goya.unizar.es]

prodigalson22 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> a dyk in new orleans ok you just dont live such
> great songs some times so deep funny @#$%& you dyk
> compared t stones how sweet the bad boys from
> holland last time no no



I don't understand you. Must be my english. I didn't compare De dijk to RS but to Dylan and Springsteen