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| CS |
"In the song, 'Sympathy for the Devil' Mick refers to 'Troubadours who get killed before they reach Bombay'. I seem to remember way back in AP history something about troubadours (a military group's moniker as opposed to wandering minstrels) being massacred, but all internet research has come up empty."
We got all kinds of responses. Reader W said, "This website: http://www.hedweb.com/tomtruth/india.html offers that the meaning is musical, not military, troubadours. The catch, according to the site, is that the troubadours (musicians) are '60's types traveling to India for "enlightenment." Can't prove or disprove this one. Guess only Mick knows for sure...." W also recommended
http://members.aol.com/jmpjflash/Sympathy.htm and asked that we mention http://www.geekonics.net (which has nothing to do with the Rolling Stones.)
Reader LL says, "I suspect the basis for the phrase is Jeremiah 5:26. Beyond that, I suspect the reference to troubadours is merely a node to the influence of musicians of the period. And Bombay may be a reference to India. Possibly he is referring to musical groups whose songs or actions contributed to the great hippie trail searching for enlightenment on the Indian subcontinent. Did he mean killed as in death or spiritually? Most likely, he was weaving in the biblical theme with fun words that fit the meter of the tune."
Reader SG suggests, "After reading about references to the song, and a surprising number of lyrics sites, I found the song was based on a book called "The Master and the Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov. Having not read the book myself, I do not know what the actual reference regarding the troubadours is. The following page makes reference to the same as well as a movie called "Sympathy for the Devil": http://www.rollingstonesnet.com/Sympathy.htm "
Reader MB looks at troubadours: "Bombay (a British name) is actually called Mumbai. The Kathaks were the troubadours of India: dancers, singers and storytellers. A search on "mumbai kathaks" turned up: http://www.travelomart.com/travel/dance/kathak.htm ... and a few other similar sites which explained how they traveled."
Finally, reader RT offers, "The song itself is based in large part on "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov, but there are also some references to 60s life and culture. I always took the line to refer to the Beatles and their entourage heading to India, with "killed" not meaning death, but-- given the turmoil of the group during the time-- referring to rumors of their dissolution. Kill also could mean the spiritual death or distractions before discovering some level of enlightenment they tried to find there. Or simply the hippies who "junked out" on drugs before reaching the spiritual high they sought in a time of chaos."
http://www.researchbuzz.com/news/2002/dec12dec1802.shtml#readerresponse |
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| sasca |
I think the lyric's move to the present tense means it concerns the hippie trail but I think other images are present, like harmonics around a note. |
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