Sympathy for the Devil Lyrics

Lyric discussion by PickleJello 

Cover art for Sympathy for the Devil lyrics by Rolling Stones, The

It's not Lucifer speaking in this song, it's God.

Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails

This song is saying that God is the real devil. It's a maltheistic song.

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

It's telling you to worship this evil totalitarian or you will suffer. The title "Sympathy for the Devil" is because people generally worship God and sympathize with him despite monstrous deeds. "Devil" is not a literal term.

I don't actually believe God is this, just what I think the song is saying. I don't agree with it, but this is what I think it's saying

What does 'maltheistic' mean?

Basically, it means "God is evil."

lol, you gave such a great explination, but fell short on the last reply. "God is evil" is a bit ridiculous. This might as well be an athiest or agnostic standpoint. Mack Jagger has stated that he was ambivalent to religion.

All polytheistic religions prior to Judeism and Christianity never believed in a god of "Evil" or devil. They worshiped gods for war and hunger and everything else "bad," but they weren't looked at negatively. They were still gods and in their eyes, better than humans. The Monotheistic religions created an evil force that apposed their only, all-mighty...