Street Fighting Man Lyrics

There's just no place for a street fighting man

Was Jagger really a "street fighting man," or was this just another musical part that he played?

In 1968 alone, Jagger introduced himself as "a man of wealth and taste," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and "a street fighting man." So, should we take him at his word for any of those?

On the one hand, Jagger was indeed present at the March 1968 antiwar protest that partially inspired the song. He reportedly responded to the arrival of horse-mounted police by declaring that the antiwar movement needed to train its own cavalry. He also told Rolling Stone later on that "at the time" he believed all of the "disruptions" around the world were "a very good thing." (Source)

But Jagger also distanced himself from political violence in a 2001 interview, saying that he "never believed in violence" as a means of achieving political ends, and he denounced those who embrace it. "The people that believe in it—I have no time for them whatsoever, no time for the romantic notions that surround them". (Source) 

Moreover, even if Jagger was more willing to accept violence as a political tool in 1968, he didn't use violence himself. After the March protest at the U.S. embassy, he didn't participate in any significant way in the movement. (And no, he never did form that cavalry.)