Sympathy For The Devil (Part II)
Let The Bragging Begin
I will say that because the stories that are told in the narrative of these lyrics are so dense, I will do my best to stick solely to the stories told and not go into the history of the story if it can be helped. However, if you are interested in learning more about any of the following stories, I strongly encourage you take the time to read about them. I am always in favor of anyone pursing their interest and learning.
Now let us take a deep dive into the lyrics and understand the stories that are told in this 6 minute and 18 seconds masterpiece.
The first half of the first verse is an introduction and a tease as to who is speaking without giving away the answer to the forthcoming riddle.
“Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith”
Then we go into the first and oldest story as if we are starting from the beginning of time.
“And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate”
In the first century, Jesus Christ was a Jewish preacher. His death marked the beginning of a religion centered around him known as Christianity. Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judaea, a Roman province. His religious beliefs were that of the Roman Imperial Cult, which was based on Roman and Greek precedents. It is believed that Pilate offended the Jewish people by bringing this religion into power. This began an on-going religious battle. Threatened by the teachings that Jesus was preaching, Pilate had him arrested for blasphemy and claiming that he was King of the Jews.
There is some controversy over whether it was Pilate’s decision to execute Jesus. Some believe that it was Pilate, solely, that condemn Jesus to the cross. Others believe that he was a witness to Jesus’s innocence and was reluctant to put him to death. Pilate had a custom of releasing a single prisoner in honor of Passover. He had two to choose from, Barabbas and Jesus. In the Bible, Matthew 27: 21-24 reads:
The governor said to them in reply, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Messiah?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.”
As to the line referencing, Jesus’ doubt, I can only speculate that Jagger was taking artistic liberties as it is believed that Jesus was all knowing and never had doubt.
The next stanza is the narrator toying with you. This is his mysterious riddle. While it seems like he is happy to meet you, it is part of his disguise. He is more appreciative rather than happy. He is always interested meeting anyone that can DO something for HIM.
“Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
“Is the nature of my game”
After teasing you with his riddle of choice, the narrator jumps from the first century in Jerusalem to the 20th century in Russia.
“I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain”
With the mention of St. Petersburg, he is now recalling his account during the February Revolution. This was the first of two which made up The Russian Revolution, which took place during World War I. The biggest events of this revolution took place in what was the capital of Russia, Petrograd, which is now St. Petersburg. A long-standing dislike of the monarchy finally exploded on February 23rd, when the people began protesting against food rationing. Local police and the police from the Imperial Russian Army faced demonstrations that lead to violent armed riots that lasted eight days. Three days after the forces of Russian officers sided with the revolutionaries, Czar Nicholas II renounced the throne of the Russian Empire on behalf of himself and his son. Uproar and fighting continued despite his having stepped down.
Following his leave of office, Nicholas II and his family went into exile and were captured by the Russian government. They were held in Yekaterinburg, while, Nicholas II was awaiting his trial. On July 17, 1918, they were awoken at 2am and were told they are being they were being moved for their safety. They were shuffled into a room in the basement. Once all in the room, a door from adjoining room opened up and in marched the firing squad. By orders of the Russian government, the former Czar and his party were executed. Amongst those killed were former Czar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, their children Olga, Maria, Alexei, Tatianna, and Anastasia. Also in attendance was tree servants that were chosen to stay with the family, Nicholas II’s personal physician Eugene Botkin, Alexandra’s maid, Anna Demidova, the family chef, Ivan Kharitonov, and footman, Alexei Trupp. Nicholas II was the first one shot several times in the chest. His children survived the first round of shots ultimately to be killed in the second round.
So, analyzing this section of lyrics again, when Jagger refers to killing the Czar and his ministers, he is referring to his family as well as those that worked closest to them. When stating that Anastasia screamed in vain, he refers the sound of the gunshots ringing out scaring her, her screams were in vain, only to be killed in the second round of shots fired by the firing squad. Anastasia Nikolaevna was only 17 years old.
Until Next Time,
Thanks for reading!
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