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

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Female Singers Of The 90s

Female Singers Of The 90sMusic Quiz

The ladies who ruled the '90s in this quiz.

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.