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Jones left the band shortly before his death in 1969, having been replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor.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)
Honest Man
The Rolling Stones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where my heart was
The body refuses to die
And the rain's coming down
The night wont end
It looks like it's set for the night
There's a train pullin' in at the station
When love walks in
And love walks out
I'm movin' to the danger zone
Well I wont breathe a word about it
Cross my heart and hope to die
I give you all the love
In this mighty world
Stand up and testify
I'm a' honest man
I'm a' honest lover
Stand by my word
Don't know no other
I'm a' honest man
I'm a' honest lover
Don't tell my friend
Don't blow my cover
Now there's some wild talkin' innuendo
An' some nasty nail-biting games
When the sun comes up
Look me right in the eye
And tell me you don't feel ashamed
Well, I won't breathe a word about it
Cross my heart and hope to die
When love walks out
And love walks in
The fall-man is gonna cry
I'm a' honest man
I'm a' honest lover
Don't tell my friend
Don't blow my cover
I'm a' honest man
I'm a' honest lover
Don't tell my friend
Don't blow my cover
Now there's a hole in my chest
Where my heart was
And nothing's gonna stop the pain
When the train pull out
The night comes in
Thinkin' of me once again
And I wont breathe a word about it
I know I'm gonna take the blame
Give you all the love
In this mighty world
If you just let me clear my name
I'm a' honest man
I'm a' honest lover
Don't tell my friend
Don't blow my cover
I'm a' honest man
I'm an' honest lover
Tell my friend
Don't know no other
Yeah
Uh-huh
Yeah
Uh-huh
Yeah
C'mon, c'mon
C'mon, c'mon
C'mon, c'mon
Mmh-hmm
Uh-huh
Uh-huh
Mmh-hmm
Mmh-hmm
Uh-huh
Uh-huh
Mmh-hmm...
The Rolling Stones' "Honest Man" is a lyrical exploration of loyalty and infidelity. The singer creates an image of himself as a man of integrity, an "honest man" and "honest lover", but his words hint that he's not quite what he claims. The initial lines of the song, "Well there's a hole in my chest / Where my heart was," give way to a sense of dispassion, as the body "refuses to die". Although the singer seems to be describing the pain of a broken heart, the following lines suggest a coolness or detachment in the face of romantic upheaval. The rain is coming down, the night is long, but "I'm moving to the danger zone".
In the second stanza, the singer emphasizes his trustworthiness, pledging to "cross my heart and hope to die" rather than reveal the secrets of his infidelity. There are "wild talkin' innuendos" and "nasty nail-biting games" that threaten to expose him. The song's refrain hammers home the singer's supposed honest nature but the repetition also establishes a sense of anxiety as if the singer is trying to convince himself that he's an honest man, rather than those around him.
Overall, "Honest Man" is a tense exploration of loyalty and infidelity. The singer's insistence on his honest nature suggests a level of guilt and a fear of retribution, even as he tries to mask his duplicity through protestations of innocence.
Line by Line Meaning
Well there's a hole in my chest
I am in great pain and feel empty inside
Where my heart was
I have lost my capacity to love
The body refuses to die
I am physically alive but emotionally dead
And the rain's coming down
My situation is worsening
The night wont end
My suffering is prolonged
It looks like it's set for the night
My situation seems hopeless
There's a train pullin' in at the station
Hope is on the horizon
And its wheels gonna take me home
Love will heal me and bring me back to myself
When love walks in
Love changes everything for the better
And love walks out
Love can also leave and cause pain
I'm movin' to the danger zone
Risking heartbreak is worth it for the possibility of love
Well I won't breathe a word about it
I will keep my secrets and pain to myself
Cross my heart and hope to die
I swear to keep my promises
I give you all the love
I am capable of great love and commitment
In this mighty world
Of all the people in the world, I choose to love you
Stand up and testify
I will declare my love and commitment to you
I'm a' honest man
I am truthful and trustworthy
I'm a' honest lover
I am faithful and committed in love
Don't know no other
I am dedicated only to you
Don't tell my friend
My secrets and true feelings are only for you
Don't blow my cover
Please keep our love a secret from others
Now there's some wild talkin' innuendo
There are rumors and gossip about me and you
An' some nasty nail-biting games
People are trying to interfere and cause trouble for us
When the sun comes up
After all the drama and chaos, a new day begins
Look me right in the eye
Let's face our challenges and problems together
And tell me you don't feel ashamed
Let's be honest with each other and clear the air
The fall-man is gonna cry
If things go wrong, I will take the blame and be devastated
And nothing's gonna stop the pain
Even though I love you, the pain of losing love still hurts
When the train pull out
When you leave and move on from me
The night comes in
The darkness and sadness take over
Thinkin' of me once again
You will remember me and our time together
I know I'm gonna take the blame
I will take responsibility for my mistakes and failures
If you just let me clear my name
Please give me a chance to make things right and redeem myself
Contributed by Kennedy P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ronon3849
This is a great song. The Stones should release this one.
arno c
0
Kony Gutierrez
Temazo deberia haber estado en el album voodoo lounge.creo que es mucho mejor que varios
ronon3849
They could still release it. TATOO YOU was a compilation of a lot of unreleased music they'd done over the years and it was a great album.
Chris Efthymiou
Why this has not put out is beyond me. Gutsy, raunchy, blistering beat, so many songs by the wayside other bands would climb over each other to get to. A blinder.
bluesblaster
I agree!
Dr. Weak Licks of Crashed & Cursed
Very simple and powerful, I like this!
A C
Better than several songs on Voodoo Lounge. As the expanded versions of Goats Head Soup, Exile and Some Girls attest they were not always the best judges of what should be released.
Frederik Saraber
The music sounds good, like the harmonica.
Divine66Intervention
This was done for the Voodoo sessions, so it's a bit too late. Can't help but wonder why it was left off though. it's stronger than a lot of the tracks off Voodoo