Angry Young Man

Album: Turnstiles (1976)
Play Video
  • There's a place in the world for the angry young man
    With his working class ties and his radical plans
    He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
    And he's always at home with his back to the wall.
    He's proud of the scars and the battles he's lost
    He struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross
    And he likes to be known as the angry young man.

    Give a moment or two to the angry young man
    With his foot in his mouth and his heart in his hand
    He's been stabbed in the back, he's been misunderstood
    It's a comfort to know his intentions are good
    He sits in a room with a lock on the door
    With his maps and his medals laid out of the floor
    And he likes to be known as the angry young man.

    I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage,
    I've found that just surviving was a noble fight
    I once believed in causes too, had my pointless point of view
    Life went on no matter who was right or wrong.

    And there's always a place for the angry young man
    With his fist in the air and his head in the sand
    He's never been able to learn from mistakes
    He can't understand why his heart always breaks
    His honor is pure, and his courage as well
    He's fair and he's true, and he's boring as hell
    And he'll go to his grave as an angry old man.

    There's a place in the world for the angry young man
    With his working class ties and his radical plans
    He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl
    And he's always at home with his back to the wall.
    He's proud of the scars and the battles he's lost
    He struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross
    And he likes to be known as the angry young man. Writer/s: BILLY JOEL
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • Marty from FloridaThis song seems more relevant to today than when it was written. Pre-cognitive. or is it a timeless theme?
  • Leigh Ann Mc Nulty Luck from North Carolina He is the Piano Man. You can always tell great music ageless, timeless, always relevant.
  • Martin G from OrlandoI liked the message behind this song when it first came out and it's even more relevant to today. Somebody once criticized the bridge and he gave a flip answer, like BFD it's just a song.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.