Live By The Sword by The Rolling Stones

Album: Hackney Diamonds (2023)

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"Live By The Sword" is a track from The Rolling Stones' 2023 Hackney Diamonds album that explores themes of consequences and karma. The title, a reworking of the biblical saying, "Those who live by the sword, die by the sword," hints at a universal theme: in life, as in music, what goes around generally does find its way back.

The song unfolds as a string of "if this, then that" scenarios - straight talk, Stones-style. If you live by the sword, the song suggests, the sword's likely what'll do you in. Prefer guns? Well, guess how that one turns out. And if you're particularly into knives, well... good luck with that too.
Elton John drops in with a honky-tonk piano riff, and suddenly we're transported back to a time when the Stones' tracks felt like they'd been recorded in some smoky dive, sticky with spilled beer and packed with people who'd stay until sunrise. This piano line has the energy of a barroom anthem, giving the song that unmistakable Stones swagger.
And here's where it gets interesting: Bill Wyman is on bass and the late Charlie Watts on drums, lending the song an almost nostalgic weight. Watts' drum part comes from older sessions, his percussion brought back to life by producer Andrew Watt, who had the idea of reuniting the Stones' rhythm section by calling in Wyman to join Charlie one last time.

Ronnie Wood told NME: "We weren't there when Bill did his part, but Andrew closed the studio just for him, and apparently, they had a great time."
When "Live By The Sword" was completed, not everyone was thrilled with the final product. Bill Wyman admitted he wasn't all that enamored with the song, despite Mick Jagger's praise.

"'Mick called me from France and said how much he liked what I'd done, but I said to the producer, Andrew Watt, 'Have you got another track?,' because I didn't really like that track that they put me on," said Wyman. "It seemed too busy, too much going on, there was no air in it."

"'It didn't break down, it didn't breathe, it just whacked all the way through.'" he added.

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