{"id":3836,"date":"2026-07-10T12:54:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T16:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=3836"},"modified":"2026-07-10T12:54:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T16:54:20","slug":"the-meaning-behind-sympathy-for-the-devil-by-the-rolling-stones-and-mick-jaggers-rough-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-meaning-behind-sympathy-for-the-devil-by-the-rolling-stones-and-mick-jaggers-rough-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning Behind \u201cSympathy For The Devil\u201d by The Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger\u2019s Rough Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Rolling Stones have returned with a new album, <em>Foreign Tongues<\/em>. So to celebrate the band\u2019s 25th studio release, let\u2019s revisit one of their epic tunes. \u201cSympathy For The Devil\u201d arrived on the 1968 LP, <em>Beggars Banquet<\/em>. And it came with controversy, as some questioned why this rock-and-roll band had compassion for evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many folk and blues standards feature supernatural themes, and none more crucial than Robert Johnson\u2019s Faustian bargain in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/robert-johnson\/cross-road-blues\">\u201cCross Road Blues\u201d<\/a>. The Stones continue this tradition in \u201cSympathy For The Devil\u201d. But its aim is more grounded than you might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Foreign tongues? How about a mythical beast with enough influence to talk the well-intentioned into terrible mischief?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Supernatural Folk<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GgnClrx8N2k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you are going to write a folk banger, narrating the supreme being of evil is a good way to go. Mick Jagger sings from the perspective of the Devil as it reveals itself to confused earthlings wondering where all this wickedness originates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear humans, you won\u2019t like the answer. Jagger begins with the trial of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Please allow me to introduce myself,<br>I\u2019m a man of wealth and taste.<br>I\u2019ve been around for a long, long year,<br>Stole many a man\u2019s soul and faith.<br>And I was \u2019round when Jesus Christ,<br>Had his moment of doubt and pain.<br>Made damn sure that Pilate,<br>Washed his hands and sealed his fate<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jagger continues. Confusion is the Devil\u2019s game. It\u2019s the whole point. Why else, do you think, so many go to great lengths to mystify?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name,<br>But what\u2019s puzzling you is the nature of my game<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pointy Fingers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Then the Devil turns its eye toward the planet\u2019s leaders and the self-made gods. But Jagger\u2019s most damning line arrives when he turns a mirror toward the audience. Who\u2019s responsible for all this turmoil? How about the Devil\u2019s enablers? After all, it was you and me, Jagger sings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He may be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Bxjfr-cgTL8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pointing fingers<\/a>, but that\u2019s exactly what you paid for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I watched with glee while your kings and queens,<br>Fought for ten decades for the gods they made.<br>I shouted out, \u201cWho killed the Kennedys?\u201d<br>When, after all, it was you and me<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photo by Mark Hayward Archive\/Redferns<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Rolling Stones have returned with a new album, &#8216;Foreign Tongues&#8217;. So to celebrate the band\u2019s 25th studio release, let\u2019s revisit one of their epic tunes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":3837,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"Photo by Mark Hayward Archive\/Redferns","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[18,58],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-3836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-rock-music","tag-the-rolling-stones"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Features","term_id":12,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/features\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"Rock Music","term_id":18,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/rock-music\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Meaning Behind \u201cSympathy For The Devil\u201d by The Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger\u2019s Rough Justice - Songfacts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Rolling Stones have returned with a new album, &#039;Foreign Tongues&#039;. 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