Sympathy For The Devil – English Lyrics

• By: The Rolling Stones
• Album: Let It Bleed (50th Anniversary Edition)

Lyrics & Translation

Delve into the provocative world of The Rolling Stones' 'Sympathy For The Devil,' a compelling song that offers a unique perspective on history and human nature. Its rich, narrative lyrics and hypnotic samba-rock rhythm provide an excellent opportunity to explore nuanced English vocabulary related to history, philosophy, and morality, making it a powerful and engaging piece for language learners.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
wealth /welθ/ B2	noun - an abundance of valuable possessions or money.
taste /teɪst/ B1	noun - the sense by which flavor is perceived. verb - to perceive or experience the flavor of something.
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
faith /feɪθ/ B2	noun - complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
doubt /daʊt/ B1	noun - a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction. verb - to feel uncertain about.
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury.
fate /feɪt/ B2	noun - the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as predetermined.
name /neɪm/ A1	noun - a word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to. verb - give a name to.
puzzling /ˈpʌzəlɪŋ/ B2	adjective - difficult to understand; mysterious.
nature /ˈneɪtʃər/ B1	noun - the basic or inherent features, character, or qualities of something.
game /ɡeɪm/ A1	noun - a form of play or sport, especially a competitive one played according to rules and decided by skill, strength, or chance.
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	noun - the act or instance of making or becoming different. verb - to make or become different.
killed /kɪld/ A2	verb - cause the death of (a person, animal, or plant).
screamed /skriːmd/ B1	verb - to give a loud, piercing cry.
bodies /ˈbɒdiz/ A2	noun - the physical structure of a person or animal.
stank /stæŋk/ B2	verb - to smell strongly and unpleasantly.
kings /kɪŋz/ A2	noun - a male monarch of a country.
queens /kwiːnz/ A2	noun - a female monarch of a country.
sinners /ˈsɪnərz/ B2	noun - a person who transgresses against divine law.
saints /seɪnts/ B1	noun - a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death.
restraint /rɪˈstreɪnt/ C1	noun - a measure or condition that keeps someone or something under control.
courtesy /ˈkɜːrtəsi/ B2	noun - the showing of politeness in one's attitude and behaviour towards others.
sympathy /ˈsɪmpəθi/ B1	noun - feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune.
waste /weɪst/ B1	noun - an act or instance of using or expending something carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose. verb - use or expend carelessly, extravagantly, or to no purpose.

Key Grammar Structures

• Please allow me to introduce myself

  ➔ Imperative mood with "please" for politeness and "allow + object + infinitive"

  ➔ "Allow me to introduce" is a polite way of offering to do something. "Please" further enhances the politeness.

• I've been around for a long, long years

  ➔ Present perfect continuous tense.

  ➔ Uses "I've been around" which indicates an action that started in the past and continues to the present. "For a long, long years" emphasizes the duration.

• Stole million man's soul an faith

  ➔ Simplified past tense with omission of articles and possessive apostrophe for stylistic effect. "Man's soul" is singular possessive.

  ➔ The line is grammatically unconventional. It omits 'a' before 'million' and the apostrophe in 'man's', contributing to a raw, impactful feel.

• Had his moment of doubt and pain

  ➔ Simple past tense.

  ➔ "Had" is the past tense of "have", indicating a completed action in the past.

• Hope you guess my name

  ➔ Simple present tense with a verb of wishing/hoping. Ellipsis of "that" after "hope".

  ➔ The "that" is often omitted in informal speech and song lyrics after verbs like "hope", "think", "believe".

• What's puzzling you is the nature of my game

  ➔ Subject-verb inversion with a "what" clause as the subject. The "what" clause functions as a noun clause acting as the subject of the sentence.

  ➔ Instead of "The nature of my game is puzzling you", the sentence is rearranged for emphasis and a more poetic feel.

• Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints

  ➔ "Just as...so..." structure (implied). Using present simple for general truths/observations.

  ➔ The "so" is implied. The full structure would be something like "Just as every cop is a criminal, so all the sinners are saints". It uses paradoxical comparisons to highlight moral ambiguity.

• As heads is tails

  ➔ Simplified present simple, with non-standard subject-verb agreement ("heads is" instead of "heads are") for stylistic effect. Uses present simple to describe a general truth/equivalence (though a controversial one).

  ➔ The grammar is deliberately incorrect to create a more conversational and impactful tone, despite "heads" being plural, the verb is used in singular. The phrase implies that two opposing sides are essentially the same.

• Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah

  ➔ Future simple with "will" in a conditional clause. "Lay + object + to waste" is a specific idiom.

  ➔ "Lay someone/something to waste" means to destroy or ruin something completely. The conditional here creates a threat based on lack of courtesy.