ANGRY
The Rolling Stones
A raw, electric plea wrapped in classic Stones swagger — the lead single from their first album of original material in 18 years.
LYRICS
Words & Music by Jagger / RichardsDon't get angry with me
I never caused you no pain
I won't be angry with you
But I can't see straight
Yeah!
It's been a year or more
The river ran dry
We haven't had any love
Not a drop, not a why
Why are you angry with me?
Why angry?
Please just forget about me
Cancel out my name
Please never write to me
I love you just the same
I hear a melody
Ringin' in my brain
You can keep the memories
Don't have to be ashamed
Don't get angry with me
I'm in a desperate state
I'm not angry with you
Don't just spit in my face
No, no, no, no, no, no
No, no, no
The waters gettin' deeper
The tides come in the clock
My mouth's getting colder
I can't take any more
No
Why are you angry with me?
Why angry?
Voices keep echo-in'
Callin' out my name
Hear the rain keep beatin'
On my window pane
I hear a melody
Ringin' in my brain
You can keep the memories
Don't have to be ashamed
Don't get angry with me
Yeah!
Don't be angry with me
Yeah!
Don't get angry with me
I'm still takin' the pills
And I'm off to Brazil
Please
Don't get angry with me
BEHIND THE
LYRICS
Released in September 2023 as the lead single from Hackney Diamonds — the Rolling Stones' first album of original material since 2005's A Bigger Bang — “Angry” channels the raw energy of a band that still has something urgent to say after six decades.
Hackney Diamonds arrived as a statement of resilience. Recorded partly with the late Charlie Watts before his passing in 2021, and featuring contributions from legends like Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and Lady Gaga, the album proved the Stones could still deliver raw, unfiltered rock and roll.
The Plea at the Core
At its heart, "Angry" is a desperate plea from someone caught in the crossfire of a dissolving relationship. The repeated refrain — "Don't get angry with me" — isn't just a request; it's a survival mantra. Jagger's narrator isn't fighting back. He's begging for peace, for emotional ceasefire, even as the other person is clearly done.
A Love Run Dry
"It's been a year or more / The river ran dry / We haven't had any love / Not a drop, not a why." These lines paint the picture of a relationship that didn't explode — it simply evaporated. The metaphor of a river running dry suggests that this wasn't a sudden betrayal but a slow, agonizing drought of connection. The word "why" doubles as both an absence of reason and a cry for understanding.
Surrender, Not Weakness
"Please just forget about me / Cancel out my name." In the chorus, the narrator offers complete self-erasure as an act of love. He's willing to disappear from someone's life entirely — not out of indifference, but because he understands that his presence causes pain. "I love you just the same" reveals that the love hasn't died; it's simply become unsustainable.
Haunted by Memory
"Voices keep echo-in' / Callin' out my name / Hear the rain keep beatin' / On my window pane." The second chorus shifts from the relationship to its aftermath. The narrator is now alone, haunted by phantom voices and trapped by weather that mirrors his emotional state. The melody "ringin' in my brain" suggests he can't escape the soundtrack of what they had.
Rising Waters
"The waters gettin' deeper / The tides come in the clock." Where the river ran dry in verse two, now the waters are rising — suggesting the emotional toll is becoming overwhelming, almost drowning. Time itself has become tidal, cyclical, inescapable. The cold mouth and inability to take more paint a picture of someone at their absolute limit.
The Defiant Outro
In true Stones fashion, the song ends with a burst of dark humor: "I'm still takin' the pills / And I'm off to Brazil." After all the anguish, the narrator copes the only way rock and roll knows how — medicate and escape. It's simultaneously tragic and funny, a wink that says: yes, this hurts, but I'll survive. Classic Jagger.
“Angry” isn't really about anger at all — it's about the exhaustion that comes after. It's a love song in reverse, where letting go becomes the final act of devotion.
WATCH
Official VideoOfficial music video directed by the band, featuring actress Sydney Sweeney cruising through Los Angeles.