Morgan Wheeler

Mr. A
Song Analysis
Due Date
Gimme Shelter was released by the Rolling Stones in 1969. The band includes two
electric guitars, one bass, and the drums. The Rolling Stones was a British band that, along with
the Beatles, helped to define rock and roll music. What made them different from the Beatles
was their new, different, and at the time risky behavior at concerts. This new form of delivery
gave way to bands such as Kiss. This song specifically came from their 1996 album called Let It
Bleed. This song was made in order to express the building tensions that led to the Vietnam War.
The first verse was warning. The intended audience for this portion of the song was
young adult males at the time because of the draft that would force them to fight. The draft
occurred due to the lack of capable soldiers willing to fight. The last line of this verse conveyed
complete desperation, and the music during this section was intense. The chorus of the song was
very similar to the first verse in that it was a warning to all the children as well as their families.
They were warned of the intensity of the war as well as the threat it poses to everyone.
The second verse begins immediately after the chorus. This verse expressed many
different things. The way I interpreted it was as a different point of view. It was almost as if the
band decided, in case the people do not believe them, to include words from each opposing side.
Whether someone is on the winning or the losing side changes their point of view on the war,
and in this verse, it was as if someone who was struggling was describing the battle field and
how it now feels like home to them. They lost their way. After this verse, there is a chorus and
then a guitar solo. The guitar solo was placed here in order to show the passing of time as the war
continues.
The bridge begins after the guitar solo. In the bridge, there is a change; he screams rape
and murder. I believe this part was different from the rest of the song because it showed America
losing its innocence. The vulgarity of this portion of the song conveyed a change in character
that was almost shocking. The soldiers, at this time, were witnessing a large amount of crime.
The amount of crime was so large that it became normal to them; it changed them. It changed
them because they were so exposed to it being done without any type of legitimate punishment.
The third verse was in the point of view of a boy. It was made to express how tough times
were getting. People that were pulled for the draft were completely random and any male at that
time was aware of that. This verse speaks on the fact that the war had caused conflicts back in
America. The boys of that time wanted shelter, and in this case shelter was a reason to fight or
a reason to want to stay.
Following the third verse is an outro. The outro was completely different from the rest of
the song in meaning, but it was similar to the bridge with respect to the music. It did not speak of
war instead it spoke of love. The purpose of the outro was to grab the attention of the listener and
give them hope. This portion of the song is, arguably, the reason this song is timeless.
 Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones is a powerful song featuring many heart-wrenching
topics such as war, rape, and murder. The song included these topics because of the tensions
caused by American influence during the Vietnam War. This song is still relevant today because
of its ability to be interpreted many different ways which allows for the songs meaning to
conform to many other topics.