As Tears Go By

A favorite Rolling Stones song from 1965:

I wasn’t yet born when this song became a hit.  In fact, I was already in high school when I first heard it.  This was back in the pre-CD days.  I had bought an LP (long playing record) which was a compilation of the Rolling Stones’ greatest hits.  I bought it from a classmate whose father owned and ran a record store in Cubao, Quezon City.  There was only one reason why I bought that LP and that was because I enjoyed listening to “Satisfaction”,  one of the Stones’ earliest rock hits and the only Stones song I was familiar with.

The LP proved to be my introduction to other Rolling Stones tunes such as Paint It Black, Get Off My Cloud, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, and Gimme Shelter, to name a few.  Listening to the other tracks on the album, As Tears Go By was kind of a surprise because the musical style was a departure from the rock and blues format the Stones used in all of their other songs.

The song was a ballad and was written by band members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards along with their then manager, Andrew Loog Oldham.  It was written in 1964 but did not become a hit for the Rolling Stones until its release late the following year as part of their album “December’s Children (And Everybody’s)”.

Though simple, the words are thoughtful and reflective and speak of lost innocence.  I enjoyed its music when I was in my teens.  I appreciate its meaning now that I’m in my forties.

Let me just share a video of a live performance of this song from back in 1966.  It’s hard to give it a good listen because of the screaming fans but it’s nice to see a young Mick Jagger and Keith Richards back in the day when both were still in their early 20s.

It is the evening of the day,
I sit and watch the children play;
Smiling faces I can see
But not for me;
I sit and watch
As tears go by.

My riches can’t buy everything,
I want to hear the children sing;
All I hear is the sound
Of rain falling on the ground;
I sit and watch
As tears go by.

It is the evening of the day,
I sit and watch the children play;
Doin’ things I used to do
They think are new;
I sit and watch
As tears go by.

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