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) – their first entirely original album – 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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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)
As Time Goes By
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sit and watch the children play
The things that they think are new
I used to do
I sit and watch
As time goes by
Why do i feel so alone
Smiling faces i can see
But they're not for me
I sit and watch
As time goes by
My riches can't buy everything
I want to hear the children sing
All i hear is the sound of rain
falling on the ground
I sit and watch
As time goes by
Hmmm... hmmm...
All i hear is the sound of rain
falling on the ground
I sit and watch
As time goes by
I sit and watch
As time goes by
I sit and watch
As time goes by...
The Rolling Stones's song "As Time Goes By" seems to be a nostalgic song about looking back at childhood memories and realizing how much has changed with time. In the first verse, the singer watches children play and realizes that the things they find new are things he used to do himself. He sits and watches as time goes by, implying a sense of melancholy that comes with growing older and feeling left behind. The second verse seems to speak to the loneliness and isolation that can come with aging as the singer questions whether leaving home was a foolish decision. He sees smiling faces around him but they are not for him. The final verse expresses a sense of longing for simpler times and the desire to hear children sing once again. Instead, all he hears is the sound of rain falling on the ground. The repetition of the line "I sit and watch as time goes by" at the end of each verse further emphasizes the feeling of being powerless to stop time.
Line by Line Meaning
It is the evening of the day
The day is ending, and now it's nighttime.
I sit and watch the children play
I'm sitting here and watching the kids have fun.
The things that they think are new
These kids think they're doing things for the first time, but I know I used to do the same.
I used to do
I did these same things when I was young.
I sit and watch
I'm observing but not really participating.
As time goes by
Time is passing, and I'm just watching.
Why do I feel so alone
I'm wondering why I feel isolated.
Was I a fool to leave my home
I'm questioning if I made a mistake by leaving where I used to live.
Smiling faces I can see
I observe happy people around me.
But they're not for me
But I don't feel like I'm one of them.
My riches can't buy everything
Even though I have money, I can't buy everything I want.
I want to hear the children sing
I wish I could hear the kids singing again like I used to.
All I hear is the sound of rain
All I can hear is the raindrop sounds.
Falling on the ground
The sound this rain makes is falling on the ground.
I sit and watch
I'm still just observing.
As time goes by
Time is still passing.
Hmmm... hmmm...
No specific meaning for these humming sounds.
All I hear is the sound of rain
Again, all I can hear is the sound of raindrops.
Falling on the ground
Rain keeps falling on the ground.
I sit and watch
I'm just sitting and observing.
As time goes by
Time continues to pass, and I'm still not really doing anything.
I sit and watch
I'm really just watching things happen.
As time goes by
Time is still passing, and I'm still watching.
Contributed by Andrew N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@henrylee4948
Yes,I still love this song even though I am already 70. May God bless us with more healthy years to come.
@talitafavarotata
As Tears Go By is one of the most beautiful songs by the Rolling Stones ❤
@gustavogorocica2580
yes i love this song
@FredPickett
Amen.
@johngore7744
Keith wrote most of it.
@kshelaanofelaas1967
Right Up There With They're RUBY TUESDAY!
@fredpendergrass6960
@kshelaanofelaas1967
'Goodbye Ruby Tuesday'
@maximpopov8651
Rest in Heaven Charlie Watts, my deepest condolences to the Stones. He was the best.
@missellendiane
RIP Charlie Watts
@rosangelarodrigues4633
No no