Salt of the Earth (song)

"Salt of the Earth" is a song from the 1968 Rolling Stones album Beggars Banquet.

Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song is most notable for its opening lead vocal by Richards. While not his first as lead vocalist (which is "Something Happened to Me Yesterday" from Between the Buttons), it was his most prominent to date. The lyrics (written primarily by Jagger) salute the common workers of the world:



Jagger said in a 1970 interview that the lyrics were written as "...total cynicism. I'm saying those people haven't any power and they never will have." Notable within the lyrics is the salute to the salt of the earth but no action to change or improve the circumstances of working people is implied or suggested. In a twice-repeated stanza, the singer professes a distance from his subject that seemingly belies the sentiment of the versesUnterberger, Richie. . allmusic. 2007 (accessed 10 June 2007).:



"Salt of the Earth" heavily features the acoustic work of Richards, typical of most songs from Beggars Banquet. Richards also performs the slide guitar throughout the song as Brian Jones, notable for his slide on other songs from Beggars Banquet, was absent from these sessions. While some songs from Beggars Banquet were famously recorded by Jagger and Richards with only a tape recorder in between them, "Salt of the Earth" was recorded at London's Olympic Sound Studios from May until July in...
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