What exactly are they saying?

Question

Even though this question is about a song, it is also about religion.
I'm not exactly sure what the Rolling Stones are saying in this song. I mean, they aren't exactly a religious band are they? Here are the lyrics. What are your opinions about it?


Saint Paul the persecutor
Was a cruel and sinful man
Jesus hit him with a blinding light
And then his life began
I said yeah
I said yeah
Augustin knew temptation
He loved women, wine and song
And all the special pleasures
Of doing something wrong
I said yeah
I said yeah
I said yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
Oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
And could you stand the torture
And could you stand the pain
Could you put your faith in Jesus
When you're burning in the flames
And I do believe in miracles
And I want to save my soul
And I know that I'm a sinner
I'm gonna die here in the cold
I said yes, I said yeah
I said yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
Oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
Oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
Oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
I thought I heard an angel cry
I thought I saw a teardrop falling from his eye
John the Baptist was a martyr
But he stirred up Herod's hate
And Salome got her wish
To have him served up on a plate
I said yes
I said yeah
I said yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
Oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
Oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
Oh yeah, oh yeah
You'll never make a saint of me
I thought I heard an angel cry
I thought I saw a teardrop falling from his eye
I thought I saw an angel cry
You'll never make a saint of me
You'll never make a saint of me

Here is another one you might not expect from them:


Did you ever feel the pain
That he felt upon the cross
Did you ever feel the knife
Tearing flesh that's oh so soft

Did you ever touch the night
Did you ever count the cost
Do you hide away the fear
Put down paradise as lost

Yeah you're blinded by rainbows
Watching the wind blow
Blinded by rainbows
Do you dream at night
Do you sleep at night
I doubt it

Did you ever feel the blast
As the semtex bomb goes off
Do you ever hear the screams
As the limbs are all torn off
Did you ever kiss the child
Who just saw his father shot
Do you ever shed a tear
As the war drags on and on

Do you ever touch the night
Or is it just another job
Do you feel the final hours
Put down paradise as lost

Yeah you're blinded by rainbows
And faces in windows
Blinded by rainbows
Do you dream at night
Do you sleep at night
I doubt it




It goes on, but I ran out of room...

D.O.G.-lol, I sweat it.....the first one is called "Saint of Me" and is on the Bridges to Babylon album and the second one is called "Blinded by Rainbows" and is on the Voodoo Lounge album.

I am an avid Stones fan...if you don't believe me look it up yourself.

***I "swear" it, not "sweat" it.

Answer 1

The writer of the lyrics, and the band in general, are rejecting Christianity. They seem to have counted the cost of following Jesus Christ -persecution as experienced by the early Church- and have instead decided to remain in their sin because they have no wish to pay the price of persecution. That's my humble opinion.
After reading the lyrics to the second song you quoted I'm even more convinced of what I've stated. Especially the part "count paradise as lost". This 2nd song confirms what is stated in the first.

Answer 2

They're what I call "bad boy" lyrics - and I emphasize the "boy," as in adolescent. The "Reader's Digest" version of the song would be: "I should be better, but I'm not." It seems a lot of girls are quite attracted by the "edgy" sorts - the kind that live a "dangerous" existence and are "rough." Of course when one looks a little closer, there is no danger and roughness is just another word for not having much to say in the first place - so you curl your lip and look like a... whatever that is.

Don't take the allusion to religion seriously. It's just another to gimmick used to seem defiant - when you're not.

Answer 3

I wish I hadn't eaten the white bread even although i have not any at abode and that i became kind of ingesting out (at a church supper); the children on the supper were so loud; I loved Father Fred's shaggy dog tale about the way it sounded like the choir, or something like that; the white bread gained't provide up operating by my mind; i'm a touch worried about babysitting; i'm chuffed for Kristen and would't wait to satisfy her toddler; Jack chews too loudly; i'm hoping i will get some sleep tonight.

Answer 4

Jagger and Richards also wrote Sympathy For the Devil. I've never heard the song before but basically they're affirming life in the Spirit but also acknowledging either it's too hard a row to hoe or where there's no will, there's no way. The angel crying is their guardian angel crying because he knows what's in store for anyone who knows but doesn't try.

Answer 5

I could be completely wrong, but this is my take:

The song’s main character is saying that despite examples where people who were very much like the main character (sinners, cruel, involved in sin, etc.) became saved, the main character doesn’t think it’s possible for him. He sounds like he’s expressing a desire to be saved but that the possibility for him seems to be out of reach, especially because he sees the potential sacrifices as too much. And his resistance to accept the possibility is met with sadness from heaven itself.

Answer 6

The Rolling Stones sang that? WOW!!!
They show a lot more understanding of what Christianity is all about than many regular church-going Christians. True, they are implying they are not ready for it, but they understand what it involves.

Answer 7

It's really interesting. Definitely a response to learning about "martyrs", and resisting the training that being a martyr is a good thing.

Answer 8

They understand what it means to be a true follower of The Lord and have determined in their hearts and through their minds that it is not for them. Thus the angel cries.

Answer 9

My God I'm so glad that you ran out of room.....I don't believe for one minute that the stones would write a song like that....they are professed non-believers

Answer 10

Paul was Saul when he was persecuting the chruch.

I suppose this is catholic. And somebody doesn't want to be a saint so they will continue living as they please.