De openingstrack van Exile On Main Street, het laatste album in het kwartet Stonesklassiekers uit de late jaren ’60/vroege jaren ’70 (Beggar’s Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers en Exile On Main Street). Over de wijze waarop Exile tot stand is gekomen zijn bibliotheken vol geschreven. ‘Totale chaos’ is waarschijnlijk nog eufemistisch. Daarover een volgende keer meer.
Na Exile werd het wel minder met de Stones. Mick Taylor verliet de band (wat waarschijnlijk zijn leven gered heeft), Mick Jagger besloot deel uit te gaan maken van de internationale jet set en Keith zakte langzaam weg in een heroïneverslaving waaraan hij zich pas tien jaar later wist te ontworstelen.
Rocks Off, met zijn verwijzingen naar door drugsgebruik veroorzaakte impotentie (And I only get my rocks off while I’m dreaming) en (fysieke én geestelijke) gevoelloosheid (I can’t even feel the pain no more), is de Stones op hun best: smerig en decadent.
[Intro] Oh yeah
[Verse 1]
I hear you talking when I’m on the street
Your mouth don’t move, but I can hear you speak
What’s the matter with the boy?
He don’t come around no more
Is he checking out for sure?
Is he gonna close the door on me?
And I’m always hearing voices on the street
I want to shout, but I can hardly speak
I was making love last night to a dancer friend of mine
I can’t seem to stay in step
Because she come every time that she pirouettes over me
[Chorus]
And I only get my rocks off while I’m dreaming
(Only get them off, only get them off, only get them off)
I only get my rocks off while I’m sleeping
(Only get them off, only get them off)
[Verse 2]
I’m zipping through the days at lightning speed
Plug in, flush out and fire the fucking feed
[Pre-Chorus]
Heading for the overload
Splattered on the nasty road
Kick me like you’ve kicked before
I can’t even feel the pain no more
[Chorus]
And I only get my rocks off while I’m dreaming
(Only get them off, only get them off, only get them off)
I only get my rocks off while I’m sleeping
(Only get them off, only get them off)
[Bridge]
Feel so hypnotized, can’t describe the scene, oh
It’s all mesmerized, all that inside me, oh
[Verse 3]
The sunshine bores the daylights out of me
Chasing shadows, moonlight mystery
[Pre-Chorus]
Heading for the overload
Splattered on the dirty road
Kick me like you’ve kicked before
I can’t even feel the pain no more
[Chorus]
And I only get my rocks off while I’m dreaming
(Only get them off, only get them off, only get them off)
I only get my rocks off while I’m sleeping
(Only get them off, only get them off)
And I only get my rocks off while I’m dreaming
(Only get them off, only get them off, only get them off)
And I only get my rocks off while I’m sleeping
(Only get them off, only get them off)
And I only get my rocks off while I’m sleeping
(Only get them off, only get them off, only get them off)
(Only get them off, get them off, only get them off)
Uitgelichte afbeelding: By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2622307
