You Can't Always Get What You Want
Doris Troy/The Rolling Stones/London Bach Choir/Madeline Bell/Nanette Newman Lyrics

I saw her today at the reception
I spotted the woman today at a gathering

A glass of wine in her hand
She was holding a glass of wine

I knew she would meet her connection
I was aware that she would meet her accomplice

At her feet was her footloose man
Besides her was her carefree partner

No, you can't always get what you want
It’s not always possible to get what you desire

You can't always get what you want
You cannot always obtain everything you wish for

You can't always get what you want
There's no assurance that you will get what you want

But if you try sometime you find
But attempting at times presents opportunities

You get what you need
To let you discover what you require

But I went down to the demonstration
Yet, I went to a public protest

To get your fair share of abuse
To receive a fair portion of insults

Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
Expressing ourselves with the chorus 'We're going to vent our annoyance'

If we don't we're gonna blow a fifty-amp fuse"
If we fail, we will be overwhelmed with intense emotions

But if you try sometimes well you might find
However, if you attempt, you could be surprised

You get what you need
And finally attain what is essential

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
I went to the Chelsea drugstore

To get your prescription filled
To fill your prescription

I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
I waited in line with Mr. Jimmy

And man, did he look pretty ill
He looked really sick

We decided that we would have a soda
We agreed that we'd drink a soda

My favorite flavor, cherry red
My preferred flavor, red cherry

I sung my song to Mr. Jimmy
I sang my song to Mr. Jimmy

Yeah, and he said one word to me, and that was "dead"
All he said to me was, "dead."

I saw her today at the reception
Today I saw her again at the gathering

In her glass was a bleeding man
A wounded man was in her glass

She was practiced at the art of deception
She was skilled in the craft of deceit

Well I could tell by her blood-stained hands
I knew from her bloodied hands

You can't always get what you want
There is no guarantee you’d attain what you want

You can't always get what you want
It's not certain you'll get everything you desire

You can't always get what you want
It's not always feasible to acquire what you wish for

But if you try sometimes you just might find
But if you try, you might see

You just might find
You can attain

You get what you need
The essential things you needed all along

You can't always get what you want
You can't always attain all that you want

You can't always get what you want
It's hard to obtain everything you want

You can't always get what you want
There's no assurance for everything desired

But if you try sometimes you just might find
However, you might be surprised by what you get

You just might find
You may discover

You get what you need, oh yeah
You finally get the things you actually require