The Rolling Stones – Gimmie Shelter

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  General Comment:One of the best songs ever! I think the need for shelter represents a vulnerability. Sort of like teetering between two opposite and paradoxical states. But in the stark contrast between war being "just a shot away" and love being "just a kiss away," there's a powerful realization that makes deciding on where you'd like to stand so much easier.
  
  That was my personal take on it. But I think most would agree that the need for shelter probably refers to just wanting protection from some of the spiralling atrocious acts that take place in the world..

  Flagged nehaCon May 06, 2012   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:I think everybody here is right to some extent.
  
  This song clearly has multiple meanings. The initial two verses seem to indicate the Vietnam war and how people could be eradicated from the planet and from life with just a "shot." The third verse seems to indicate violent protesting and likely altamont. The fourth verse with the high pitched "rape, murder its just a shot away" likely indicates heroin use (and maybe the excessive drug abuse at altamont). The distorted guitar after the verse sounds like a druggy shot into the veins, and the piercing screams of Ms. Clayton seem to infer drug use (regardless of what the band says, a mainstream band like the Rolling Stones would never admit to blatant heroin references, so they instead imply it). The ending it's just a kiss away likely refers to Richards and Mick Jagger's wife's affair.
  
  This song is essentially about living on the edge how life can change so fast at anytime. You could be happy one moment, and be blown up, have a horrible drug addiction or be cheating on your wife. The song has multiple meanings and is very 60s. Top ten rock songs of all time for sure.
  

  Flagged jsperon February 25, 2011   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:Put simply this is a brilliant timely song (at just about any time you pick) about the type of person who feels scared of life as it exists and is begging for some kind of shelter. It is simple but means quite a bit. One of the greatest rock songs every written, too.

  Flag caucasianon August 29, 2010   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:In my personla popwde this song is about mankind and hippies, and destruction, and warm, krispey kreme donuts when i'm high.

  Flagged bkabbotton June 04, 2010   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:I'm not a huge Stones fan but - this may be the best Rock n' Roll song ever. The haunting intro and desperate lyrics reflect the turmoil of the 60s (Vietnam, the anti-war movement, civil rights, the counter culture) I think this song reflects the 60s more than all that love and peace fluff. The song seems timeless and people will still enjoy years from now.

  Flag surrendered98on June 03, 2010   Link

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• 0
  Memory:I've been a RS fan since I heard Time Is On My Side on my parent's car radio - I was 12 years old. I'm almost sixty now, and every time I hear the guitar intro to Gimme Shelter it sends a shiver up my spine and makes my brain snap back to life. It's either genius, inspiration or the biggest case of dumb luck rock and roll ever heard. Nothing else in my opinion comes close, and I've never even cared what the song was about or who actually wrote what. I could listen to the first sixty seconds over and over without ever tiring of it. That's on me, mate.

  Flagged guitarboy6on March 20, 2010   Link

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• 0
  My Opinion:Simply amazing!

  Flagged Metalratexon January 23, 2010   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:This song is basically about War, Rape, and Murder! Eeeeek.

  Flagged melray562on January 13, 2010   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:Sorry to crush some bubbles here, but Keith Richards has stated that he never wrote lyrics about recreational drug use. People seem to want to interpret all their songs as something about heroin. In fact the only times they did sing about drugs were about abuse (ref: Sister Morphine, Mother's Little Helper).
  
  It was largely Vietnam that inspired this song according to interviews with Richards and Jagger, but also took into account some natural disasters happening worldwide at the time.

  Flag Trailmasteron September 28, 2009   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:Sorry to crush some bubbles here, but Keith Richards has stated that he never wrote lyrics about recreational drug use. People seem to want to interpret all their songs as something about heroin. In fact the only times they did sing about drugs were about abuse (ref: Sister Morphine, Mother's Little Helper).
  
  It was largely Vietnam that inspired this song according to interviews with Richards and Jagger, but also took into account some natural disasters happening worldwide at the time.

  Flagged Trailmasteron September 28, 2009   Link

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