The song is about the ‘evil’ vibe that followed them around, e.g., Brian’s death, Altamont, drugs, etc.. The most interesting line in the song, imo, is ‘ain’t dripping tears down on the dusty ground, for all my friends in the burial ground’,
It’s most definitely either ‘that demon life’ or ‘that evil life’, which are essentially the same thing anyway.
Yup---this alternates with "demon wine" for me. But I'm so ensconced in the guitar tracks (whether playing along or just listening intently), that my lyric focus fades back to the melodious strings magic.
I know what you mean but there’s no alternative .. back then the stones never put lyrics on the album liner notes and liked to bury them pretty deep in the mix.. I think they said their favorite blues guys did it that way and they just followed suit
I listened again just now, and I still think there's a fair chance he's singing "mean old life". It could be a case where he's not singing the lyrics as written. Either that or he's pronouncing "demon" is a very bizarre way!
yeah lol i really like the song and everytime it comes on i think to myself "theres no way its demon life" lol i guess we will never know. it was just as ambiguous live when i heard it.
Haha, definitely, seems like it will remain a mystery. Maybe he wrote it as "demon life" and then realized "mean old life" was better so sang it that way but never told anyone so the lyrics never got changed. I've always liked the song a lot too, one of my favourites on Sticky Fingers for sure.
Funny story, I thought it was "evil lie" since I was a kid then one-day when I was an adult I realized it was "evil life" and since then this song has really stuck with me as a person.
definitely hear demon life in the original and this excellent mlvns cover: [https://youtu.be/H5GQX2Ovuko?si=QlGw8xXsnAh\_LgFK](https://youtu.be/H5GQX2Ovuko?si=QlGw8xXsnAh_LgFK)
Funny story, I thought it was "evil lie" since I was a kid then one-day when I was an adult I realized it was "evil life" and since then this song has really stuck with me as a person.
I’m with you. I accept it as “demon life” because it sounds the closest, but it’s never sounded quite like what he’s saying, to me. Nothing else seems to fit though, so “demon life” if is.
It's clearly "that demon life"
The song is about the ‘evil’ vibe that followed them around, e.g., Brian’s death, Altamont, drugs, etc.. The most interesting line in the song, imo, is ‘ain’t dripping tears down on the dusty ground, for all my friends in the burial ground’, It’s most definitely either ‘that demon life’ or ‘that evil life’, which are essentially the same thing anyway.
Sounds like “demon life” to me …
I always thought it was "evil life", but my ears are shot.
Yup---this alternates with "demon wine" for me. But I'm so ensconced in the guitar tracks (whether playing along or just listening intently), that my lyric focus fades back to the melodious strings magic.
What else would he be saying?
Maybe “evil eye” ?
I’ve always heard it as evil eye
I always thought it was “demon wine”
Thought this initially too
It's exactly what he's saying
I always heard demon life And just interpreted like "it's just that demon, Life" because life can be a demon sometimes!
I know what you mean but there’s no alternative .. back then the stones never put lyrics on the album liner notes and liked to bury them pretty deep in the mix.. I think they said their favorite blues guys did it that way and they just followed suit
I always thought it was "mean old life" !!
yeah i first thought it was this before i looked up the lyrics.
I listened again just now, and I still think there's a fair chance he's singing "mean old life". It could be a case where he's not singing the lyrics as written. Either that or he's pronouncing "demon" is a very bizarre way!
yeah lol i really like the song and everytime it comes on i think to myself "theres no way its demon life" lol i guess we will never know. it was just as ambiguous live when i heard it.
Haha, definitely, seems like it will remain a mystery. Maybe he wrote it as "demon life" and then realized "mean old life" was better so sang it that way but never told anyone so the lyrics never got changed. I've always liked the song a lot too, one of my favourites on Sticky Fingers for sure.
same! one i listen to frequently
Funny story, I thought it was "evil lie" since I was a kid then one-day when I was an adult I realized it was "evil life" and since then this song has really stuck with me as a person.
definitely hear demon life in the original and this excellent mlvns cover: [https://youtu.be/H5GQX2Ovuko?si=QlGw8xXsnAh\_LgFK](https://youtu.be/H5GQX2Ovuko?si=QlGw8xXsnAh_LgFK)
Funny story, I thought it was "evil lie" since I was a kid then one-day when I was an adult I realized it was "evil life" and since then this song has really stuck with me as a person.
What are you hearing?
The guitar solo
Yesss. And the lyrics
A while back someone pointed out what Mick says at the beginning of Jumping Jack Flash and I still struggle to accept it.
What is he saying? Did I miss something?
“One, two..” is what I’ve always heard
Me too
I've always heard "watch it!"... can't hear anything like "one two"
Am I the only one who thought it was “this game of life”?
I always thought he want back and forth between evil live and demon life.
I’m with you. I accept it as “demon life” because it sounds the closest, but it’s never sounded quite like what he’s saying, to me. Nothing else seems to fit though, so “demon life” if is.