Sympathy For The Devil
The Rolling Stones Lyrics

Please allow me to introduce myself
I want to tell you all about me

I'm a man of wealth and taste
I have a lot of money and enjoy the finer things in life

I've been around for a long, long year
I've been around for a very long time

Stole many a man's soul and faith
I've led many people astray from their beliefs and values

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
I existed during the time of Jesus' crucifixion

Had his moment of doubt and pain
When Jesus experienced doubt and pain during his crucifixion

Made damn sure that Pilate
I took care to ensure that Pilate played his role in the crucifixion

Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pilate tried to absolve himself of responsibility for Jesus' death but ultimately sealed his fate for doing it

Pleased to meet you
It's nice to meet you

Hope you guess my name
I hope you can figure out who I am

But what's puzzling you
What you might be struggling with is

Is the nature of my game
what I'm really up to in life

Stuck around St. Petersburg
I was in St. Petersburg at a time when change was imminent

When I saw it was a time for a change
I knew that it was time for something new to happen

Killed the Czar and his ministers
I played a role in the assassination of the Czar of Russia and his government officials

Anastasia screamed in vain
The Czar's family member, Anastasia, was unable to stop their deaths and screamed in terror.

I rode a tank, held a general's rank
I was instrumental in military invasions

When the Blitzkrieg raged and the bodies stank
During times of war and conflict, I was present and aware of the death toll and destruction happening

I watched with glee while your kings and queens
I watched with delight as political leaders struggled for power

Fought for ten decades for the gods they made
These leaders fought for decades and were guided by their own ideologies, which became their religion

I shouted out, "Who killed the Kennedys?"
I was aware of JFK's assassination and spoke out about it

Well, after all, it was you and me
Ultimately it was the collective fault of all society for the downfall of a leader.

Let me please introduce myself
Let me formally introduce myself

And I laid traps for troubadours
I caused problems for entertainers

Who get killed before they reach Bombay
These entertainers often died before being able to complete their tours

Just as every cop is a criminal
Not everything is as it seems, even those we perceive as helpers can be enemies

And all the sinners saints
Those we label as bad might actually be good deep down, and vice versa

As heads is tails, just call me Lucifer
The line represents the duality of everything, good and evil, up and down. Lucifer is a reference to the devil.

'Cause I'm in need of some restraint
I'm not perfect, and I need help to control my bad behavior

So if you meet me, have some courtesy
If you run into me, please be polite to me

Have some sympathy and some taste
Understand that I have feelings too, so show some compassion

Use all your well-learned politesse
Use what you know about manners and social etiquette

Or I'll lay your soul to waste
If you don't follow my advice, I may cause you harm.

Tell me, baby, what's my name?
Can you guess who I am?

Tell me, honey, can you guess my name?
Can you figure out who I am?

I'll tell you one time, you're to blame
You are partially responsible for what has happened to you.