"Salt of the Earth" is the final song from English rock band the Rolling Stones album Beggars Banquet (1968).
[4] The lyrics were written primarily by Jagger and salute the working class: Say a prayer for the common foot soldier Spare a thought for his back breaking work Say a prayer for his wife and his children Who burn the fires and who still till the earth In a twice-repeated stanza, the singer professes a distance from his subject that seemingly belies the sentiment of the verses:[1] And when I search a faceless crowd A swirling mass of grey and black and white They don't look real to me In fact, they look so strange The song uses a quote that refers to a passage in the Bible where Jesus is trying to encourage people to give the best of themselves You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned ?
It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men – Matthew 5:13"Salt of the Earth" features the acoustic work of Richards, typical of most songs from Beggars Banquet.
[6] Rolling Stone ranked it 45th in its countdown of the band's top 100 songs, praising Richards' vocals and "gospel reverie.
"[4] Classic Rock History critic Matthew Pollard rated it as the Rolling Stones' 6th best deep cut, noting that "It starts as a tinkling acoustic composition before shifting into an almost gospel-like intensity.