[4] Jagger later said that the song "was heavily influenced by William Burroughs’ Cities of the Red Night, a free-wheeling novel about political and sexual repression.

The final polished, glossed-up version may have been Mick's vision of the song..." The lyrics see Jagger explore the then-ongoing political corruption in Central and South America: All the young men, they've been rounded up; And sent to camps back in the jungle; And people whisper, people double-talk; Once proud fathers act so humble.

[citation needed] Hubert Kretzschmar, photographer and illustrator, said, "As far as I remember Jagger came to the meeting with the title, I knew that there was political unrest in South America around that time, El Salvador, Argentina and Chile.

The song features Sly Dunbar, Martin Ditcham, Moustapha Cisse and Brahms Coundoul, on various instruments ranging from bongos to timpani.

The song has been performed sporadically since its release, most recently on the A Bigger Bang Tour in 2006, and appeared on compilation albums including 2002's Forty Licks and 2012's GRRR!.