Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man
No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you'll find
You get what you need
I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need
Ah, yeah
Oh
And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a fifty-amp fuse"
Sing it to me, honey
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find
You get what you need
Ah baby, yeah
Ah
I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And, man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
I said to him
You can't always get what you want, well no
You can't always get what you want. I tell you, baby
You can't always get what you want, no
But if you try sometimes you just might find, uh, mm
You get what you need, oh yeah, woo!
Ah, woo!
You get what you need, yeah, oh baby
Ah yeah
I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well, I could tell by her blood-stained hands, sing it
You can't always get what you want, yeah
You can't always get what you want, ooh yeah, child
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need, ah yeah
Ah baby, woo!
Ah, you can't always get what you want, no, no, baby
You can't always get what you want, you can't now, now
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find that you
You get what you need, oh yeah
Ah yeah, do that
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man
No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you'll find
You get what you need
I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she was gonna meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you might find
You get what you need
Ah, yeah
Oh
And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
If we don't we're gonna blow a fifty-amp fuse"
Sing it to me, honey
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find
You get what you need
Ah baby, yeah
Ah
I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And, man, did he look pretty ill
We decided that we would have a soda
My favorite flavor, cherry red
I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
I said to him
You can't always get what you want, well no
You can't always get what you want. I tell you, baby
You can't always get what you want, no
But if you try sometimes you just might find, uh, mm
You get what you need, oh yeah, woo!
Ah, woo!
You get what you need, yeah, oh baby
Ah yeah
I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
She was practiced at the art of deception
Well, I could tell by her blood-stained hands, sing it
You can't always get what you want, yeah
You can't always get what you want, ooh yeah, child
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find
You get what you need, ah yeah
Ah baby, woo!
Ah, you can't always get what you want, no, no, baby
You can't always get what you want, you can't now, now
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You just might find that you
You get what you need, oh yeah
Ah yeah, do that
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OK...well, everyones got these crazy whacked out stories, but what this song has always meant to me:
Basically, this song is about how not achieving your goal isn't necessarily a loss – for maybe you saved yourself from something bad and/or learned a lesson. That’s the message he’s giving over and over again in the song.
Case in point: The woman. Mick paints a picture of a woman, and himself as a footloose man…someone kind of anxious and or nervous to meet her. Towards the end of the song, we revisit the woman and we see her as deceitful and villainous – how she kind of has this blood and this other man in her hands. Mick didn’t get the girl, but he got what he needed – a lesson that appearances can be deceiving.
The protest verse illustrates that even though the protestors may not achieve their goals…they sing, vent their frustrations. They may not get what they want, but they got what they needed – a platform to express their opinions.
The drugstore verse illustrates how this Jimmy guy is waiting to for pills to keep him alive (could also be a narcotic reference as well lol). Mick meets up with him and the boys share a sweet drink to pass the time. Mick “sang his song” about enjoying the moment, to Jimmy…to where Jimmy basically responds that he needs to get these pills to stay alive…to where Mick replies:
You can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want But if you try sometimes you just might find You get what you need
Whew ;)
If this isnt right then it still good advice, well done mate.<br /> I think your right! its also partly about acceptance.
once you get what you want, you have to put up with the reality of it, the pills, the blood.<br /> if you dont get what you want, than your free. maybe thats what you really need ?
@Abeer Why would anybody be "anxious and nervous" to meet somebody else??? That's ridiculously immature just as if you're some kindergarten kid. Come on, we're all adults. If you can't even have this very basic level of composure and psychoness you just plainly suck.<br /> <br /> Though the rest pretty much makes sense, indeed.
@Abeer I think your interpretation is spot on, especially about the woman we visit at the beginning and the end of the song.
@Abeer <br /> <br /> First of all, I haven't read through the 70+ comments that follow, and I do realize that you posted this 17 years ago...<br /> <br /> ...But you're wrong. In each verse the guy is viewing things from the second person. Watching the wedding, he was present, but not participating.<br /> <br /> Watching the protests (we're gonna vent our frustrations). He was a participant, but not an instigator. <br /> <br /> He went down to the drug store (seems unlikely that it was a "commercial" drug store)... Ends in drug addiction for him and his girl (possibly the one from first act?)<br /> <br /> Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"<br />
Hi Folks, I always thought the first verse is about Janis Joplin, who drank herself to death. She meets her (Drug)-connection. her ''footloose'' man is Bobby Mc Gee, from her most famous Song...(and lost Love) Jimmy obviously is Jimmy Hendrix, who also died because of excessive Drug use. Of course you can't always get what you want, and surely those two guys didn't. -Like many of this Generation...whose Spirit died also..
@Bennn Gypsy drugstore is a drug dealer. Jimmy is probably Hendrix. Mick would run in those circles (of society) and relates how Jimmy -- an addict in motion -- was lookin pretty bad already before he died. So yeah, right on man.<br /> <br /> he sings "Gypsy". But the lyrics on the Album were whitewashed. It makes more sense, no?, b/c Jimmy's medicine queue would not be on main st in Chelsea. <br /> Without much evidence, I always supposed that to get YOUR prescription filled was referring to the same lady as in verses 1, 2, 4. K<br /> Like she and Mick were together for a while. But not at the beginning or the end. => She was an addict too. <br /> Never thought of Janice Joplan being mentioned before, but addict she was. Maybe they were friends? W/O benefits.
one of my all time favorite songs, this song speaks volumes about life
Dudes, this song is about Mick's girlfriend at the time (maggie or margo or something like that..) who happened to be suffering from intense drug addiction (she's spoken to this, saying the song is about her). "I knew she was gonna meet her connection"
@Rgilly we both think the song is about drug addiction and maybe Nick's girlfriend or the lady who Mick famously "waited on,"; Only a "friend" to him. Like that.
mic jaggers wife wanted a yaht for her bday and she was bitching at him for not buying it for her and he responded
I too think it is about the our wants and needs, and how our wants probably will cause harm to us. Possibly the want being a relationship with someone who is not right for you, or is just going to cause you trouble and hurt you.
This song hit home to me the other day. I went to lunch and it came on my ipod in my car when I left. It was right after realizing things wouldn't work with this girl. I've dated her in the past, and always wanted ever since. I realized she would always take me for granted, and treat me badly and only think of herself, and her own agenda. I realized at that point, I didn't need her, and life would go on despite losing her. I tried with her time and time again. This was the point when I quit trying, and realized everything for what it really was.
She hurt me, and I was the "bleeding man in the glass"
I realized I didn't need her, she was always just a want, and will always be a want. I got what I needed from her. I'll get nothing more. As much as I wanted her, I'll have to move on. That's what it means to me.
I feel the same way.<br /> As I was reflecting upon my relationship.... I thought the same as you.<br /> Then it made me think of this song. <br />
@crxbart Nonsense. "Get what you need" is to say get it from something else, not this thing which was not appropriate for you. This interpretation is way off!
also, he says he was in line at the chelsea drugstore when he met mr. jimmy. chelsea is in england, nowhere near minnesota.
@SimonAK I suggest you give yourself a geography lesson, Chelsea Minnesota is about 60 miles west of Detroit. Engage your brain before commenting.
This is a comment from Dolly Dagger by Jimi Hendrix, I think it makes sense:
by jersey73 on 10-01-2004 @ 07:12:33 PM
This song is about Mick Jagger and Jimi's girlfriend Devon Wilson. Devon threw a birthday party for Jimi...but Devon always had a thing for Mick Jagger too. The story goes that a glass Mick was holding broke and cut his finger. Devon went over and started sucking on Mick bloody finger.
Devon and Jimi had a love/hate relationship.
Incidently, when that party ended, Devon ended up going home with Mick Jagger. Mick in turn wrote the song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" for Jimi Hendrix. Think of those lyrics: "I saw her today at a reception A glass of wine in her hand I knew she would meet her connection At her feet was her footloose man
I went down to the Chelsea drugstore To get your prescription filled I was standin' in line with Mr. Jimmy A-man, did he look pretty ill"
Ah...semi-rock and roll fueds!!!
Its worth it to note that Devon Wilson died by falling from the Chelsea Hotel in 1971. Of course thats a bit after the song was written. She was most def. linked to Jimi and Mick...pretty much a supergroupie.
i think this has a relation between an incident with jimi hendrix. see my comment on Fire by Hendrix