Check Out Motörhead’s Faithful Take On The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil”

A Fitting End To Motörhead’s Final Album Bad Magic

One of the things Motörhead fans have always loved about the band is that they never attempted to hide or downplay their musical influences. Whether it was Lemmy talking about the blues or how being Jimi Hendrix’s roadie taught him more about being a musician than any time spent onstage, Motörhead made it clear during their 40 year run that they’d be nothing without the bands and artists that inspired them. Just months before the death of Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead paid tribute to The Rolling Stones with a gritty – and surprisingly faithful – rendition of “Sympathy For The Devil”.

The closing track to the band’s final album Bad Magic, “Sympathy For The Devil” is as close to a proper goodbye from Lemmy as we’ll ever get; for a man who lived a thousand lifetimes in 70 years, this cover is as much a tribute to the Rolling Stones as it is a laundry list of the things a weary-sounding Lemmy wished he’d had the time to do in between thousands of lovers and countless hours spent onstage with Motörhead.

Fun Fact: The working title of the song was “The Devil Is My Name”, and it is sung by Jagger as a first-person narrative from the point of view of the Devil.

While it’s got the same grit and undercurrent of something animalistic, “Sympathy For The Devil” stays remarkably true to the original with drummer Mikkey Dee’s tribal beats and swings enough to satisfy even the most die-hard of Rolling Stones fans. If this was to be one of the last songs ever recorded by Motörhead as we knew them, we’re glad this was it!

+ Sympathy For The Devil lyrics +

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 to waste

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
(Woo woo, woo woo)

I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
(Woo woo, woo woo)

I shouted out,
Who killed the Kennedys?
When after all
It was you and me
(Who who, who who)

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
(Woo woo, who who)

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
(Who who)
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
(Who who, who who)

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s confusing you
Is just the nature of my game
(Woo woo, who who)

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
(Who who, who who)

So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
(Woo woo)
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mm yeah
(Woo woo, woo woo)

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, mm yeah
(Who who)
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, mm mean it, get down
(Woo woo, woo woo)

Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!
(Woo woo)

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

Oh, who
Woo, woo
Woo, who
Woo, woo
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Oh, yeah

What’s my name
Tell me, baby, what’s my name
Tell me, sweetie, what’s my name

Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Woo, who, who
Oh, yeah
Woo woo
Woo woo