Sympathy for the Devil — The Rolling Stones

Sympathy for the Devil opens the Rolling Stones’ 1968 album Beggars Banquet. Mick Jagger sings it as the devil himself, smooth and polite, taking credit for the darkest moments in history.

Seen through a Christian lens, this song is a warning wrapped in a samba groove. The devil shows up as a man of wealth and taste, charming and well mannered. That’s how evil usually comes, not with horns but with flattery. The song also points the finger back at us. The real question is who we let in, and Christ has already won that fight.

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14