Rooted in blues and early rock and roll, the Rolling Stones started out playing covers and were at the forefront of the British Invasion in 1964, becoming identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. They then found greater success with their own material, as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (1965), "Get Off of My Cloud" (1965), and "Paint It Black" (1966) became international number-one hits. Aftermath (1966) โ their first entirely original album โ is considered by The Daily Telegraph to be the most important of their formative records. In 1967, they had the double-sided hit "Ruby Tuesday"/"Let's Spend the Night Together" and experimented with psychedelic rock on Their Satanic Majesties Request. They returned to their rhythm and blues roots with hit songs such as "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1968) and "Honky Tonk Women" (1969), and albums such as Beggars Banquet (1968), featuring "Sympathy for the Devil", and Let It Bleed (1969), featuring "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Gimme Shelter". Let It Bleed was the first of five consecutive number-one albums in the UK.
Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor. That year they were first introduced on stage as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World". Sticky Fingers (1971), which yielded "Brown Sugar" and included the first usage of their tongue and lips logo, was their first of eight consecutive number-one studio albums in the US. Exile on Main St. (1972), featuring "Tumbling Dice", and Goats Head Soup (1973), yielding the hit ballad "Angie", were also best sellers. Taylor was replaced by Ron Wood in 1974. The band continued to release successful albums, including their two largest sellers: Some Girls (1978), featuring "Miss You", and Tattoo You (1981), featuring "Start Me Up". Steel Wheels (1989) was widely considered a comeback album and was followed by Voodoo Lounge (1994), a worldwide number-one album. Both releases were promoted by large stadium and arena tours, as the Stones continued to be a huge concert attraction; by 2007 they had recorded the all-time highest-grossing concert tour three times, and as recently as 2021 they were the highest-earning live act of the year. From Wyman's departure in 1993 to Watts' death in 2021, the band continued as a four-piece core, with Darryl Jones playing bass on tour and on most studio recordings, while Steve Jordan became their touring drummer following Watts' death. Their 2016 album, Blue & Lonesome, became their twelfth UK number-one album.
The Rolling Stones' estimated record sales of 200 million make them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The band has won three Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Billboard magazine and Rolling Stone have ranked the band as one of the greatest of all time.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones
Studio albums
The Rolling Stones / England's Newest Hit Makers (1964)
12 X 5 (1964)
The Rolling Stones No. 2 / The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965)
Out of Our Heads (1965)
December's Children (And Everybody's) (1965)
Aftermath (1966)
Between the Buttons (1967)
Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
Beggars Banquet (1968)
Let It Bleed (1969)
Sticky Fingers (1971)
Exile on Main St. (1972)
Goats Head Soup (1973)
It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974)
Black and Blue (1976)
Some Girls (1978)
Emotional Rescue (1980)
Tattoo You (1981)
Undercover (1983)
Dirty Work (1986)
Steel Wheels (1989)
Voodoo Lounge (1994)
Bridges to Babylon (1997)
A Bigger Bang (2005)
Blue & Lonesome (2016)
Hackney Diamonds (2023)
All Down The Line (Live At The Beacon Theatre
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, heard the wires a humming all down the line.
Yeah, hear the women sighing all down the line.
Oh, hear the children crying all down the line.
(All down the line.) We'll be watching out for trouble, yeah.
(All down the line.) And we'd better keep the motor running, yeah.
(All down the line.) Well, you can't say yes and you can't say no,
I need a sanctified girl with a sanctified mind to help me now.
Yeah, all the people singing all down the line.
Mmmm, watch the men all working, working, yeah. (All down the line.)
(All down the line.) We're gonna open up the throttle yeah.
(All down the line.) We're gonna bust another bottle, yeah.
(All down the line.)
I need a shot of salvation, baby, once in a while.
Hear the whistle blowing, hear it for a thousand miles.
(All down the line.) We're gonna open up the throttle, yeah.
All down the line, We're gonna bust another bottle, yeah.
Well you can't say yes, and you can't say no,
Just be right there when the whistle blows.
I need a sanctified mind to help me out right now.
Be my little baby for a while.
Won't you be my little baby for a while?
The Rolling Stones's All Down The Line is a blues-rock song that speaks of the train tracks and their significance in the world of transportation. It is a song about the hustle and bustle of the train tracks, with the "diesel drumming" being the sound of the locomotive and "the wires humming" being the sound of the electrical lines along the tracks. The track's scene is rocked with women sighing and children crying, reflecting the hardworking, poverty-stricken people who rely on the train tracks for their livelihoods.
The song then switches to talk about the people watching out for trouble and keeping the motor running. There is a sense of urgency as nobody knows what is going to happen when the whistle blows. Mick Jagger sings about needing a sanctified girl with a sanctified mind to help him out of the mess that he is in, perhaps referring to a romantic partner, as the music speeds up and the sound of the train whistle becomes louder.
The latter part of the song is all about the engine revving up, opening up the throttle and busting yet another bottle. Jagger sings about needing a shot of salvation once in a while, and the sound of the whistle blowing echoes over a distance of a thousand miles. The song ends with Jagger asking a girl to be his "little baby for a while."
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, heard the diesel drumming all down the line.
The sound of the train engine can be heard all along the tracks.
Oh, heard the wires a humming all down the line.
The electric wires are making a humming sound all along the tracks.
Yeah, hear the women sighing all down the line.
Women can be heard sighing along the tracks.
Oh, hear the children crying all down the line.
Children can be heard crying along the tracks.
(All down the line.) We'll be watching out for trouble, yeah.
We will be vigilant for anything that could cause trouble.
(All down the line.) And we'd better keep the motor running, yeah.
We need to keep the engine running and be ready to go at any moment.
(All down the line.) Well, you can't say yes and you can't say no, Just be right there when the whistle blows.
We are committed to being present and ready to go when the train whistle blows.
I need a sanctified girl with a sanctified mind to help me now.
I am looking for a pure-hearted girl to help me in this moment.
Yeah, all the people singing all down the line.
Everyone is singing along the tracks.
Mmmm, watch the men all working, working, yeah. (All down the line.)
We are watching the men working along the tracks.
(All down the line.) We're gonna open up the throttle yeah.
We will increase the train's speed.
(All down the line.) We're gonna bust another bottle, yeah.
We will open another bottle of alcohol to drink.
I need a shot of salvation, baby, once in a while.
I need a drink to help me feel better from time to time.
Hear the whistle blowing, hear it for a thousand miles.
The train whistle can be heard from far away.
All down the line, We're gonna bust another bottle, yeah.
We will open another bottle of alcohol to drink.
Well you can't say yes, and you can't say no, Just be right there when the whistle blows.
We are committed to being present and ready to go when the train whistle blows.
I need a sanctified mind to help me out right now.
I need someone pure-hearted to help me in this moment.
Be my little baby for a while.
Stay with me and comfort me for a little while.
Won't you be my little baby for a while?
Please be my comfort and support for a little while.
Contributed by Xavier R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tan Dod
Happy birthday to Mr. Charlie Watts... Thanks Ed... Great song ๐๐ฅ๐พโ๏ธ๐๐น๐
EdBmusic
Yes, Love Exile and Charlie, the best drummer of course.
โงยก! Sweet Motivษtionsห.เผ
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE STONE, CHARLIE! I love him so much, I want to thank him for being in the band since the beginning and for being the glue that keeps them together. What a great man and lovely soul โค๏ธ๐โจ๐๐๐โจโจ๐๐โจ๐๐๐โจ๐๐
Wilma Baumann
Ein wahnsinnig guter Drummer....und dabei so sympathisch und bescheiden geblieben...Happy Birthay Charly Watts, Grรผรe aus Deutschland ๐ผ๐ถ
EdBmusic
Ja, er ist sehr Gute Drummer. Herzlichen Glรผckwunsch zum Geburts Tag Charlie ๐ฅ
Marisa Valenzisi
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREAT CHARLIE ! YOU'RE THE BEST DRUMMER OF THE WORLD FOREVER AND EVER !!!!
EdBmusic
Yes, he is. The heart of the Rolling Stones ๐ฅ
john scialfa
@EdBmusic indeed
Hannible100
He has died as far as I am concerned the stones are dead too! I have tears in my eyes!
john scialfa
@Hannible100 obviously they'll never be the same band again that's for sure... But given their age and their passion for playing I doubt they'll call it quits