I always thought it just meant that *he* gave the wanderlust to poor western european musicians to hit the "silk road," thinking that they could sing for their supper along the way, only to meet a lonely and untimely end, probably from thieves killing them and stealing their instruments. In an opium den in Kabul, or maybe a brothel full of underage girls in Karachi.

Not that I have given these lines much thought.

*smile*

Actually, it's a reference to Brian Jones, and his massive drug intake.

In my head, I always pictured the train from Some Like It Hot derailing in the Indian countryside, but your explanation is much more plausible, danf.

On preview: Seriously, LT?

I still remember the day that Beggars Banquet came out. Same day as the White Album. I liked Beggars Banquet a lot better, at least the first several years.

I had no idea they came out the same day. What a great day for music.

Well, more specifically, he was talking about all the people he'd known who'd died from drug o.d.'s, but most closely, Brian Jones, yeah.

Brian Jones spent a lot of time in Morrocco and India after splitting with the Stones, so I assume is an allusion to him. Jones originally considered himself the leader of the Stones (and was responsible for many of their most innovative moments: the marimabas on 'Under My Thumb' and the sitar on 'Paint It Black' ) and being ousted from the band hit him hard and probably contributed to the addictions that killed him, so maybe Mick is copping to feeling some culpability for Brian's fall from grace. Many books about the Stones acknowledge that Jones' ghost hangs over the band to this day.

I always thought it was just historical, "troubadors" referring to military companies of crusaders who were led into ambush on the subcontinent. But of course it could be a combination. Like Combos.

Hmmm. I can see where the Brian Jones thing would fit. The thing is, though, that every other reference in the song is both literal and historical. Switching to something so personal and figurative right in the middle seems kind of odd.

The Stones were never sticklers for rules or consistency, rossi. As the man himself says, It's Only Rock and Roll....

but I like it

Tru dat.

It is one of my all-time favorite set of lyrics, though.

All this is true, except for the fact that Jones was still in the band, and did some fairly significant (albeit less than his 4 band mates) stuff on this.