"Get Off of My Cloud" was written as a follow-up single to the successful "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". The song topped the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom in the weeks following its release in November 1965. The song was also a major worldwide hit, notably topping the charts in Germany, and reaching No 2 in Australia and Ireland.
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song was recorded in early September 1965. The song is noted for its drum intro by Charlie Watts and twin guitars by Brian Jones and Keith Richards.The lyrics are defiant and rebellious, which was common practice for the Rolling Stones around that time; they were beginning to cultivate their infamous "bad boy" image. The Stones have said that the song is written as a reaction to their sudden popularity after the success of "Satisfaction". The song deals with their aversion to people's expectations of them.
“ I was sick and tired, fed up with this and decided to take a drive downtown;
It was so very quiet and peaceful, there was nobody, not a soul around;
I laid myself out, I was so tired and I started to dream;
In the morning the parking tickets were just like flags stuck on my windscreen.
In the gospels we find Jesus from time to time taking himself off from the crowds to be on his own. Jesus does not say ‘Hey! You! Get off of my cloud. Don’t hang around because two’s a crowd.’ but we can be under no illusions that this is what we meant. For his own sanity, for his own survival he needed time alone.
"And early in the morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there" ( Mark 1:35)
"And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away. And after bidding them farewell, he departed to the mountain to pray." (Mark 6:45-46)
"And they came to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here until I have prayed." And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground, and began praying." ( Mark 14:32-34)
"And when day came, He departed to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them." ( Luke 4:42)
"But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray" ( Luke 5:16)
"And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God" ( Luke 6:12)
Jesus simply needed space. We all need a bit of space. The main character in the Stone's song wants serenity and to hit pause on the chaotic outside world. Disconcertingly, people continue to present new tasks and hassles to interfere with his life. After two such episodes, the main character travels farther into a desolate part of town, hoping to find peace, yet he wakes up to find that someone gave him a parking ticket. He accepts that there is no longer such a thing as privacy. Jesus wants the same in the gospel passages, space will replenish Jesus and equip him for further ministry. Unlike the song Jesus admits that everyone needs privacy and that you need to take the opportunity to make sure you get it.
‘Hey! You! Get off of my cloud. Don’t hang around because two’s a crowd.’
Although good relationships with friends and family are critical, the ability to get alone time is fundamental. Choosing to have alone time frees us from other people’s opinions and our need to entertain. Aloneness allows us to meditate and separate from our needs and issues that relate to others. This could be what Jesus is doing in the Gospel passages. It's this principle that Jesus offer to us too.
People have their own clouds, which is conducive to a mindset of tranquility. On each person’s cloud, the individual can perch up and appreciate the surrounding divine aspects of life. If only we could schedule time like Jesus to break away from our phones and TVs and take nights off to stay at home by ourselves and read. Like Jesus in the passage we need to take time by ourselves to find our inner peace, because sometimes we shouldn’t have people on our cloud we should be there on our own. Sometimes for our own sanity we just need to get away.
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