Album: Exile on Main St. (1972)

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• Oh yeah
  
  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?
  
  I'm always hearing voices
  On the street
  I want to shout
  But I can't hardly speak
  
  I was making love last night
  To a dancer friend of mine
  I can't seem to stay in step
  Come every time that she pirouettes over me
  
  And I only get my rocks off
  While I'm dreaming
  I only get my rocks off
  While I'm sleeping
  
  I'm zipping through the days
  At lightning speed
  Plug in, flush out
  And fire the fuckin' feed
  
  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
  
  But I only get my rocks off
  While I'm dreaming
  I only get my rocks off
  While I'm sleeping
  
  Feel so hypnotized, can't describe the scene
  It's all mesmerized, all that inside me
  The sunshine bores the daylights out of me
  Chasing shadows, moonlight mystery
  
  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
  
  And I only get my rocks off
  While I'm dreaming
  I only get my rocks off
  While I'm sleeping
  
  And I only get my rocks off
  While I'm dreaming
  And I only get my rocks off
  While I'm sleeping
  
  Only get them off
  Only get them off
  Get them off
  Only get them off, get them off
  Only get them off Writer/s: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 17

• Old Led Foot from The United StatesI remember when Exile was released and many people made negative comments about the poor quality of the recording but now it's quite clear the poor quality is what gave the record so much personality. It fits the music. Someone should try recording like that now in 2024.
• Tony from Middle America No more boy around
  This song comes out right after one of the biggest seizures of heroine in
  NYC
• Steve from Toronto, CanadaAbsolutely the BEST lyric in any song - “the sunshine bores the daylights out of me”. If you think about what that means, how it meant something to most of us in our youth...it just captures that time & feeling SO WELL; very poignant line. They just do not write music like this anymore...the Stones could add all the swearing (“plug in, flush out and fire the f--kin feed”) and “dirty” lyrics they wanted and still produce an amazingly talented and meaningful song. Much different today when the desire for “shock lyrics” boils down to disgusting comments, generally about female genitalia, with zero correlation to the song/story, or even the hook of the music. Until some talented song writers meet up with equally talented musicians, songs of this caliber will remain a thing of the past, sadly! We have, as they say, effectively “killed music”.
  
  And BTW, agree with several others here who make sure to debunk the crazy comment below stating this song is about an affair Anita Pallenberg had with a 17 year old who committed suicide! That happened in 1979, this song, and the album Exile On Main Street were recorded LONG before that event, in 1972!! Get your facts before posting BS please, someone is going to end up believing and repeating that story.
  
  I long for writers like Richards/Jagger, Lennon/McCartney; somewhere is another duo just waiting to come to life!!
• Jim from Long Beach, Ca"The sunshire bore the daylights out of me"...A lot of sex and drugs by the kings, The Stones. Great Song...
• Matt from New York, Nythe best song to open an album. ever. period.
• Chelsea from Atlanta, GeorgiaI agree with Grayson. "The sunshine bores the daylights out of me" is one of the greatest lines in rock & roll. It resonates the way great lyrics do. Of course, this moment is only great because the rest of the song is so great too. A perfect slice of rock & roll, and the Stones are always as much about being rock & roll as anything else.
• Joe from Seattle, WaFilthy, dirty rock n' roll at its best.
• Jean from Wichita, KsThis can't be about Anita Pallenberg and Scott Cantrell, the 17-year-old who committed suicide. That happend in 1979, 7 years after this song was recorded.
• James from Portland, OrThis has always been one of my favorite Stones tunes, but the remastering of the original has allowed me to take the song apart and appreciate all that is going on below the surface. Just for kicks, listen in at the 3:30 mark, right after Keith blows his cue, he adds a line "socks don't come off, string em up, only take em off, take em off . . ."
• Tim from Long Island, NyThis song is in the key of E.
• Susan from Toronto, CanadaThe post below is incorrect. ROCKS OFF was recorded in 1972. Anita Pallengerg's 17-year-old friend (named Scott Cantrell) shot himself in 1979. Thus the song could in no way be about his suicide!
• Marc from Frederick, Md"Hearing voices on the street" is a reference to Anita Pallenbergs' affair with an under age young man. He was unfortunatly, appearently found dead from a self inflicted gun shot wound. "What's a matter with your boy. He ain't coming round no more, is he checking out for sure?" While many Stones lyrics are started by Keith and finished by Mick, this song seems to discribe Keith's relationship with Anita Pallenberg, which included satanic worship and drug addiction. She kicked him like she kicked before and he couldn't feel the pain anymore, and Keith only got hid rocks off in his dreams.
• Grayson from Cleveland, Ohone of the best lyrics in Rock history, "the sunshine bores the daylights out of me"
• Steve from Wayne, PaOne of the greatest and most underrated songs of all time.
• Ethan from Portland, Orrock n roll doesn't get any better
• Dave from Le Mars, IaThe Stones at their best. Adding horns to rock and roll is always a tricky thing I think, but the horns really bring out this song.
• Dave from London , CanadaThe lead track off "Exile On Main Street' which was recorded at Keith's villa in the south of France - in the basement - where it was so humid the guitars wouldnt stay in tune.

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