Midnight Rambler Lyrics

[​Intro]

[Verse 1]
Did you hear about the midnight rambler?
Everybody got to go

Did you hear about the midnight rambler
The one that shut the kitchen door?
He don't give a hoot of warning
Wrapped up in a black cat cloak
He don't go in the light of the morning
He split the time the cock will crow


[Verse 2]
Talkin' about the midnight gambler
The one you never seen before

Yeah, talkin' about the midnight gambler
Did you see him jump the garden wall?
Sighin' down the wind so sadly
Listen and you'll hear him moan

Yeah, well I'm talkin' about the midnight gambler
Everybody got to go

Yes
[Bridge]​

[Verse 3]
Did you hear about the midnight rambler?
Well, honey, it's no rock 'n' roll show

Well, I'm talkin' about the midnight gambler
Yeah, the one you never seen before
[Bridge]​

Don't do that, don't do that, don't do that
Don't do that, don't do that
Don't do that, don't do that
Don't do that, don't do that
Don't do that, don't do that
Don't do that, don't do that
Don't do that, don't you do that
Don't you, don't you do that
Don't do that
Don't do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you do that
Don't you, don't you do that
Don't you, don't you do that
Don't you, don't you do that
Don't you, don't you do that
Don't you, don't you do that
Don't you, don't you do that
Don't you, don't you do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
Oh don't do that
[Bridge]

[Verse 4]
Well, you heard about the Boston…
It’s not one of those…
Well, talkin' 'bout the midnight...sh...
The one that closed the bedroom door
I'm called the hit-and-run raper in anger
The knife-sharpened tippie-toe...
Or just the shoot 'em dead, brain bell jangler

You know, the one you never seen before

[Verse 5]
So, if you ever meet the midnight rambler
Coming down your marble hall

Well, he's pouncing like a proud black panther
Well, you can say I, I told you so
Well, don't you listen for the midnight rambler, yeah yeah
Play it easy, as you go
I'm gonna smash down all your plate glass windows
Put a fist, put a fist through your steel-plated door

[Bridge]

[Verse 6]
Did you hear about the midnight rambler?
He'll leave his footprints up and down your hall
And did you hear about the midnight gambler?
And did you see me make my midnight call?
And if you ever catch the midnight rambler
I'll steal your mistress from under your nose
I'll go easy with your cold fanged anger
I'll stick my knife right down your throat, baby
And it hurts!

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About

Genius Annotation

Loosely based on the story of The Boston Strangler, Albert De Salvo, the gruesome story is told in a very bluesy way, a dark story composed, paradoxically, under sunny Italian skies.

Per Mick Jagger:

“That’s a song Keith and I really wrote together. We were on a holiday in Italy. In this very beautiful hill town, Positano, for a few nights. Why we should write such a dark song in this beautiful, sunny place, I really don’t know.

Many define it as a blues opera. Others called hit (partially because of its length) The Rolling Stones' “Hey Jude”.

In Keith Richards' words:

When we did Midnight Rambler, nobody went in there with the idea of doing a blues opera, basically. Or a blues in four parts. That’s just the way it turned out. I think that’s the strength of the Stones or any good band. You can give them a song half raw and they’ll cook it

{Both sourced here}

The 6th track on the Stones' 1969 album aptly named “Let It Bleed”. It was one of the last tracks recorded with Brian Jones, shortly before his death.

The song comes in two very distinct versions: The “Let It Bleed” studio recording, and the much rawer live version from “Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out”. Full version in the first bridge.

The lyrics in the live version do not follow the pattern of the studio version, though the message comes just as clear…

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did The Rolling Stones say about "Midnight Rambler"?
Genius Answer

From Keith’s autobiography, Life:

‘Midnight Rambler’ is a Chicago blues. The chord sequence isn’t, but the sound is pure Chicago, I knew how the rhythm should go. It was in the tightness of the chord sequence, the D’s and the A’s and the E’s. It wasn’t a blues sequence, but it came out like heavy-duty blues. That’s one of the most original blues you’ll hear from the Stones."

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