Let It Bleed

Let It Bleed

Well we all need someone we can lean on

And if you want it, well you can lean on me

Yeah we all need someone we can lean on

And if you want it, well you can lean on me

She said my breasts they will always be open

Baby, you can rest your weary head right on me

And there will always be a space in my parking lot

When you need a little coke and sympathy

Yeah, we all need someone we can dream on

And if you want it, well you can dream on me

Yeah, we all need someone we can cream on

And if you want to, well you can cream on me

I was dreaming of a steel guitar engagement

When you drunk my health in scented jasmine tea

But you knifed me in my dirty filthy basement

With that jaded faded junky nurse

Oh, what pleasant company

We all need someone we can feed on

And if you want it, well you can feed on me

Take my arm, take my leg

Oh, baby, don't you take my head

We all need someone we can bleed on

And if you want it, baby, well you can bleed on me

We all need someone we can bleed on

And if you want it, baby, why don't you bleed on me

All over

Ahh, bleed it alright, bleed it alright, bleed it alright

You can bleed all over me

Bleed it alright, bleed it alright, you can be my rider

You can cum all over me

Bleed it alright, baby, bleed it alright, bleed it alright

You can cum all over me

Bleed it alright, baby cum all over me

“Let It Bleed,” more than the title of the album, is also the fifth song. The music opens with an acoustic guitar solo, which is eventually joined by bass, drums, and piano. The hit was written collaboratively by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Ian Stewart, who is often referred to as the “Sixth Stone” plays piano for the track. Because “Let It Bleed” was recorded after Brian Jones died and before Mick Taylor joined the Stones, Keith Richards played both the acoustic and slide guitar. Bill Wyman played bass and autoharp, which is a string instrument with a series of chord bars attached to dampers. 

There are a few theories surrounding the origins of the song. Some believe it was a tweaking on The Beatle’s “Let It Be.” Although the similarity of the titles is undeniable, “Let It Bleed” was released months before “Let It Be.” However, “Let It Be” had been recorded months earlier, so the theory maintains a level of credibility.

Some believe that the title of the song was inspired by the experience of writing it. Apparently, Keith Richard’s fingers began to bleed while playing the acoustic guitar for hours working on the track. The title was inspired by Richard’s desire to finish the work.

The most believable theory is drug-related. “Let it bleed” is a term describing successfully finding a vein. If the syringe plunger is pulled back and blood appears, a vein has been struck and it is called “letting it bleed.”

The lyrics of the song support this final theory of the songs origins, as they all deal with sex and drugs (which is why many people believe it was not released as a single). The bizarreness of the lyrics, like...

I was dreaming of a steel guitar engagement

When you drunk my health in scented jasmine tea

But you knifed me in my dirty filthy basement

With that jaded faded junky nurse

...highlight the role using drugs played in both inspiring and writing the song.

Some lyrics that overtly discuss sex and drugs are:

Baby, you can rest your weary head right on me

And there will always be a space in my parking lot

When you need a little coke and sympathy

... and...

Bleed it alright, bleed it alright, you can be my rider

You can cum all over me

Because the sixties were an era centered on free loving and the use of drugs, the song is a somewhat perfect depiction of the time period. An example of this is the line “you can lean on me,” which so easily depicts the sense of community and support that was central to the movement. “Let It Bleed” can be considered a sixties anthem because of its acceptance, love, and sexuality, all tied together by drugs. 

Sources: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=523

http://www.elyrics.net/read/r/rolling-stones-lyrics/let-it-bleed-lyrics.html