The Rolling Stones – Sympathy for the Devil (uh uh)

Esta es una de mis canciones favoritas casi desde que recuerdo empezar a interesarme por la música. Me encanta el ritmo que domina toda la canción, y aún cuando no sabía el título (es lo que tiene oír música en casettes y 6 años, así ni tags en los MP3 ni hostias…), sabía que me encantaba «la canción de los Rolling de los grititos de uh-uh». Incluso, más tarde, cuando empecé a entender el inglés, me di cuenta de que también me gustaba la letra… Vamos, que la fui descubriendo poco a poco durante mucho tiempo, y cada vez me gusta más.

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
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
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general’s rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out,
«Who killed the Kennedys?»
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I’m a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s confusing you
Is just the nature of my game
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, um yeah
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, um yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, um mean it, get down
Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!
Tell me baby, what’s my name
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name
Tell me baby, what’s my name
I tell you one time, you’re to blame
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Oh, yeah
What’s me name
Tell me, baby, what’s my name
Tell me, sweetie, what’s my name
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Oh, yeah

Esta versión no es demasiado buena, en el disco original suena mejor (o en cientos de actuaciones en directo), pero este concierto que dieron en Río de Janeiro es espectacular. Llenaron la playa de Copacabana con un concierto gratis (para los espectadores, que cobraron un pico de 750.000$), en el que estuvieron cerca de dos millones de personas para ver a sus Satánicas Majestades… que se dice pronto. Y teniendo en cuenta el detalle de que por aquel entonces Mick Jagger tenía sus 63 añitos y Keith Richards otros tantos, aún flipa más…