100 Years Ago

Went out walkin' through the wood the other day And the world was a carpet laid before me The buds were bursting and the air smelled sweet and strange Seemed about a hundred years ago

Through the song, the metaphor of “walking in the woods” refers to the speaker’s reflections on his outlook on his life at various points in his career, beginning with the earliest beginnings of fame. The speaker uses the first flush of spring to symbolize the richness of opportunity and temptations that lay ahead on the red carpet laid before him. This carpet also symbolizes a pathway through the newfound fame that lay ahead, which to his more innocent sensibilities seemed both “sweet” and “strange”.

Mary and I, we would sit upon a gate Just gazin' at some dragon in the sky What tender days we had no secrets hid away Well, it seemed about a hundred years ago

Marianne Faithful was Mick’s girlfriend in the period referenced, and he describes their innocence. I believe this to be a straightforward verse describing young, bored lovers, gazing up at the clouds and talking about the fantastic shapes of their imaginations like dragons. In times like these we expose ourselves at a very basic level to another: “what we see in clouds” is revealing our subconscious in an unguarded and honest way, like a Rorschach Blot used by a therapist. Later, he describes a wish to “hide away”, and perhaps return to the times when he could be completely unguarded emotionally with another, as he was with Mary(anne).

Now all my friends are wearing worried smiles Living out a dream of what they was Don't you think it's sometimes wise not to grow up?

Here Mick raises the issue of the guardedness required of fame and how it has changed his relationships. He describes his friends feigning happiness while chasing a false hope of recapturing their youthful dreams. The theme of the song is nostalgia, however in this case the speaker asserts that there is an inauthenticity (worried smiles) which cannot be overcome by trying to recapture youth and possibility later in life. Mick seems to suggest some of their social circle may be living out a perpetual reenactment of their youth, whereas Mick thinks that “growing up” may be more about attitude than reality.

Went out walkin' through the wood the other day Can't you see the furrows in my forehead? What tender days we had no secrets hid away Now it seems about a hundred years ago

It is evident at the end of this verse that considerable time has passed between the earlier reflections of “walking in the woods”, and those of the present time. The word furrows refers to the speaker’s now worried brow, and also to the agricultural context of furrows. Earlier in the song the speaker invoked the notion of the fertility of spring. The furrows in the speaker’s forehead have been planted with the seed of secrets. In this spring, the world no longer appears as a fertile carpet laid before him. That freshness of youth and possibility, and and the safety and comfort of his relationship with Marianne now seems about a hundred years ago.

Now if you see me drinkin' bad red wine Don't worry 'bout this man that you love Don't you think it's sometimes wise not to grow up?

In order for him to survive in his world, he admits that he needs a certain amount of escapism to maintain his sanity. He repeats that he knows that it is immature and regressive.

You're gonna kiss and say goodbye, yeah, I warn you You're gonna kiss and say goodbye, yeah, I warn you You're gonna kiss and say goodbye, oh Lord, I warn you Please excuse me while I hide away

He knows that she will (and should) eventually reject him. When that occurs, he will retreat to the memory of the unguarded innocence of their early relationship. By hiding away, and artificially creating the boredom that they treasured together, it may be easier for him to retreat into this nostalgic world in his mind as a way of shutting out the artificiality of his lonely fame.

Call me lazy bones, ain't got no time to waste away Lazy bones ain't got no time to waste away Don't you think, don't you think it's just about time to hide away? Yeah, yeah

Kiss your baby Kiss your baby Goodbye, goodbye

[Edit: typos]

veiled psychodelia, I agree.

i agree that this is not a miserable album. while not one of the stones great album probs the last good one they did before keiths addiction and micks international jet setting really fragmented the band.

to say the only good song is way off the mark too in my eyes. what about mr d, heartbreaker, angie etc etc

I don't think it'd be stretch to say this song is about Marianne... :P I wonder if there's a relation between the "bad red wine" line and the "bleeding man" from YCAGWYW...

That sounds about right.

Ugh, my post made no sense. Please disregard the part about the "bad red wine". But I do think this song is about Marianne, I think it was written in 1969 or so but was never used until "Goat's Head Soup".

IMOP it's about weed.

O the day's of smoking weed and not having a care in the world

"The buds were bursting and the air smelled sweet and strange And it seemed about a hundred years ago

Mary and I, we would sit upon a gate Just gazin' at some dragon in the sky"

When do you see Dragons in the sky? Mary we all know is short for Marijana.....and the buds ,,,,,sweat smell etc.

this is one of the few set of lyrics the stones wrote after 72 worth reading.

I do disagree Goat's Head Soup is a fine album. And when you consider the fact if the guitar was more out in front in Star star we might have ourselves another strong rocker.

veiled psychodelia, I agree.

I always thought he was saying "Mary now your a sheep and I'm a gate". Totally changes what I was thinking.

Easily the best song on an otherwise miserable album.