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Andrew Weston
Professor Eric Kufs
English 114 A
22 October 2014
Gimme Shelter
In the song, Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger sings of a
world about to break into war and a society that is currently in the digression into a
non-civilized status. He is fearful of his own life and feels that his life is threatened in
day-to-day life. This song was written during a time of assassinations and a time
where the world was on the brink of warfare at all times, arguably not much has
changed from than until now. This song can still be connected to events today, many
events that involve terrorist or people who just want to begin anarchy. But he also
tells us of a way to find peace.
The song Gimme Shelter was written in the late 60s, 1969 to be specific;
there were many issues that had happened in the 60s that this song relates to. For
one, the US was heavily involved in the cold war with communist Russia at the time.
The Cold war was a huge event that caused a lot of tension between other nations
besides the US and Communist Russia, This event can be connected to the song in
this line, War children, Its just a shot away, its just a shot away. This closely relates
to the war because although the cold war was not physically a war, it was literally a
shot away from turning into an all out world war 3 which the world was not ready
for, due to such a short time after WWII ended. This time period was also home to
the Vietnam War, a war that was not only extremely fatal but also very controversial
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in the US on our presidents decision. In an interview with Mick Jagger he says, It
was really a piece about the world closing in on you, it was recorded in early 69 and
that was a year of war and tension.
This song was also written in a time of assassinations, where if you were
influential on a group of people and your ideas were controversial, you would make a lot
of enemies. Unfortunately, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy,
Malcolm X, and more had been huge role-players in the changing of the tides for the US.
In many peoples opinion they sought good and brought good change, but than there are
always the radicals who dont believe in change the way we do today. Jagger states in his
Interview, It was also a grim time around the world. The assassinations of Martin Luther
King and Robert F. Kennedy. These murders couldve very easily been the spark plug for
a war and changed the world, as we know it today. He sings, Yeah, a storm is
threatening my very life today if I don't get some shelter lord, I'm gonna fade away.
Jagger sings of his fear for his life in this stanza. He sings of a metaphorical storm this
storm isnt a literal storm with wind and rain, but a storm filled with hate and destruction
which will rain down on the nation unless change is made to better the nations of the
world. Unless a mutual understanding is found between the nations of the world, we will
be returned to an un-civilized status and destruction is imminent. In the cases of Malcolm
X, MLK, JFK, and RFK it was a time where the US was looking for someone to look to
for hope and direction. MLK provided the black community with the confidence they
needed to be able to stand up to the whites who were constantly causing the blacks to feel
as if they were animals and than treated them as if they were as-well. Robert Kennedy
also played a huge part in the civil rights movement of the blacks. His most famous
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speech was when he announced the death of Martin Luther King to a crowd of African
Americans in Indianapolis, Indiana. He took a huge role in the civil rights movement for
African Americans. John F. Kennedy was also a civil rights activist in the early 1960s,
he was protesting the way we treat African americans and how we treat them like animals
with no respect. Malcolm X was also a huge proponent in the civil rights movement and
like the others was unfortunately assassinated. These connect to Mick Jaggers song
because with their assassinations there was extreme tension in our nation and just like the
song said, War is just a shot away. And this rang true through the united states and
throughout the world, during this era we were always close to starting a conflict with
another country or even ourselves.
This song can very much be connected back into todays world. There are many
conflicts happening throughout the world. In the Middle East there is a conflict going on
where Isis, a terrorist organization, is targeting Christian women is Yazidi, Iraq. While
they have been committing crimes the US government has kept them under their watch
and with this, war is, Just a shot away. And now the US is starting to mobilize troops
because of the advances that ISIS has made on this part of the country.
I believe that Mick Jagger is saying that the world is very close to breaking into
utter chaos and doom. But a line in the song suggest he thinks there is hope for all of us,
I tell love, sister, yeah, it's just a kiss away It's just a kiss away, it's just a kiss away.
Mick Jagger is saying that there is hope for the world, but the only hope will come from
love. This line is saying that you can end all of the fighting and hate with love and a kiss,
as long as theres an understanding and friendship in the world we can still live in peace.
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Mick Jaggers song was very influential at the time and even today is an
influential song, which can be related to very closely. There are many event that this song
can be connected to which I didnt write about and this song isnt limited to the examples
I used.




























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Cornish, Audi. "Mick Jagger Tells the Story Behind Gimme Shelter and Merry Claytons
Haunting Background Vocals." Open Culture. Npr Radio News, 19 June 2013. Web. 23
Oct. 2014.

"Gimme Shelter Lyrics." Rolling Stones -. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.