Shattered
The Rolling Stones Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Uh huh shattered, uh huh shattered
Love and hope and sex and dreams
Are still surviving on the street
Look at me, I'm in tatters!
I'm a shattered
Shattered

Friends are so alarming
My lover's never charming
Life's just a cocktail party on the street
Big Apple
People dressed in plastic bags
Directing traffic
Some kind of fashion
Shattered

Laughter, joy, and loneliness and sex and sex and sex and sex
Look at me, I'm in tatters
I'm a shattered
Shattered

All this chitter-chatter, chitter-chatter, chitter-chatter 'bout
Shmatta, shmatta, shmatta, I can't give it away on 7th Avenue
This town's been wearing tatters (shattered, sha ooobie shattered)

Work and work for love and sex
Ain't you hungry for success, success, success, success
Does it matter? (shattered)
Does it matter?

Ah look at me
I'm shattered
I'm shattered
Look at me, I'm a shattered, yeah (shattered)

Pride and joy and greed and sex
That's what makes our town the best
Pride and joy and dirty dreams and still surviving on the street
And look at me, I'm in tatters, yeah
I've been battered, what does it matter
Does it matter, uh-huh
Does it matter, uh-huh, I'm a shattered

Mmm, I'm shattered, unh
Sha oobie, shattered, unh
Sha oobie, shattered
Sha oobie, shattered, shattered

Don't you know the crime rate is going up, up, up, up, up
To live in this town you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, tough!
You got rats on the West Side
Bed bugs uptown
What a mess this town's in tatters, I've been shattered
My brain's been battered, splattered all over Manhattan

Sha oobie, shattered, shattered, what say
Sha oobie, shattered
Sha oobie, shattered
Sha oobie, shattered

Uh-huh, this town's full of money grabbers
Go ahead, bite the Big Apple, don't mind the maggots, huh
Sha oobie, my brain's been battered
My friends they come around they




Flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter
Pile it up, pile it up, pile high on the platter

Overall Meaning

The Rolling Stones' "Shattered" explores the complex and chaotic landscape of New York City in the 1970s. The song is a commentary on the rapid decay of the city and the effects it had on those who live there. The lyrics are filled with imagery of broken dreams, shattered hopes, and the seedy underbelly of the city. The repeated phrase "I'm shattered" is a cry of despair, a reflection of the pain and frustration that Mick Jagger and his bandmates felt as they witnessed the fall of their beloved hometown.


The first verse sets the tone for the song, with Jagger singing about the survival of love, hope, sex, and dreams on the street. He then turns the focus on himself, declaring that he is in tatters and shattered. The second verse speaks to the alarming nature of the city's inhabitants, with his lover never charming and life being a cocktail party on the street. The third verse describes the laughter, joy, and loneliness experienced on the streets of New York. The repeated phrase "chitter-chatter" is a nod to the endless banter found in the city, and the reference to "shmatta" (Yiddish for rags or scraps) is a representation of the fashion industry-led economy of the Garment District.


The chorus of the song repeats the line "look at me, I'm shattered" over and over again, a metaphor for the decay of the city and the impact it had on its inhabitants. Jagger goes on to discuss the hunger for success and the consequential disregard for love and sex in the city. The bridge of the song speaks to the pride, joy, greed, and sex that make New York City the best, and how despite the chaos and decay, it is still surviving on the street. The final lines of the song highlight the crime and toughness required to live in the city, with references to rats and bedbugs. The song is a lament for a city that is falling apart at the seams but still manages to retain its unique charm.


Line by Line Meaning

Uh huh shattered, uh huh shattered
The singer is expressing that they are in a state of complete and utter disarray, as the world around them continues to crumble and fall apart.


Love and hope and sex and dreams
Despite the chaos of the world around them, the basics of human experience such as love, hope, sex, and dreams are still able to survive.


Are still surviving on the street
This line is simply reiterating that the basic necessities of life are still found amidst the chaos of the city streets.


Look at me, I'm in tatters!
The singer is emphasizing their own broken and battered state, in contrast to the basic human experiences that are still able to survive.


I'm a shattered
The singer's state of being is so broken that they are now embodying the adjective itself - they are no longer just 'shattered', but 'a shattered' individual.


Friends are so alarming
The singer is expressing their dismay at the behavior of their friends, who may also be struggling amidst the chaos.


My lover's never charming
The singer's romantic relationships are also not immune to the chaos around them, as their lover is no longer charming as they once were.


Life's just a cocktail party on the street
The city life is portrayed as a never-ending, never-satisfying party that takes place in the street rather than in private residences.


Big Apple
A reference to New York City.


People dressed in plastic bags
A metaphor for the superficiality and inauthenticity of the people in the city, as they dress themselves up in shiny or flashy outfits like plastic bags.


Directing traffic
An allusion to the cutthroat competition of city life, where people will do whatever it takes to get ahead - even directing traffic as a way of making money.


Some kind of fashion
The superficiality of city life is again reinforced, as even something as basic as clothing becomes a status symbol or a way of standing out in the crowd.


Laughter, joy, and loneliness and sex and sex and sex and sex
These are more examples of basic human experiences that persist amidst the chaos surrounding them.


All this chitter-chatter, chitter-chatter, chitter-chatter 'bout
The constant noise and chatter of the city is grating on the singer, and they express their annoyance at it.


Shmatta, shmatta, shmatta, I can't give it away on 7th Avenue
The singer is referencing the fabric that people wear and sell on 7th Avenue, but is also suggesting that they have nothing to give away themselves - emotionally or otherwise.


This town's been wearing tatters (shattered, sha ooobie shattered)
Repeating the refrain and emphasizing the brokenness of the city and its inhabitants.


Work and work for love and sex
People in the city are working hard in order to achieve love and sex, but it may not be working as they had hoped.


Ain't you hungry for success, success, success, success
The city is obsessed with success, and people will go to any lengths to achieve it - even if it means sacrificing their own well-being or relationships.


Does it matter? (shattered)
The singer is questioning whether all of this work and sacrifice is actually worth it, given the state of the city and its inhabitants.


Ah look at me
The singer is again emphasizing their own brokenness and despair.


I'm shattered
Repeating the refrain again, as the singer continues to embody the brokenness of the city.


Pride and joy and greed and sex
These qualities that are commonly found in city life are alluring to people, but also have negative consequences when taken to extremes.


That's what makes our town the best
The city is seen as being the best because it has these alluring qualities, but their negative consequences are ignored.


Pride and joy and dirty dreams and still surviving on the street
These alluring qualities persist in the city and in its people, even as they struggle to survive amidst the chaos.


And look at me, I'm in tatters, yeah
Repeating the refrain again, as the singer continues to emphasize their own brokenness.


I've been battered, what does it matter
The singer questions whether their own struggles matter in the context of the larger chaos in the city around them.


Does it matter, uh-huh
Repeating the same question again, as the singer continues to struggle with the meaninglessness of their own experience.


Mmm, I'm shattered, unh
Repeating the refrain again, emphasizing the singer's own brokenness.


Sha oobie, shattered, unh
Repeating the refrain again and emphasizing its nonsense syllables.


Don't you know the crime rate is going up, up, up, up, up
The city is getting more and more dangerous as crime rates rise, but despite this, people are still drawn to city life.


To live in this town you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, tough!
City life requires a person to be hardened and tough in order to survive amidst the violence and disorder.


You got rats on the West Side
Even the natural world in the city is becoming more and more corrupted, as rats infest the West Side of the city.


Bed bugs uptown
Another natural infestation in the city, emphasizing the uncleanliness and disorder of city life.


What a mess this town's in tatters, I've been shattered
Repeating the central refrain again and reiterating the brokenness and chaos of city life.


My brain's been battered, splattered all over Manhattan
The singer's own mind has been corrupted by the chaos around them, and they can't escape its influence even in their own thoughts.


Uh-huh, this town's full of money grabbers
The singer laments the greed and materialism that they see as pervasive in the city and its inhabitants.


Go ahead, bite the Big Apple, don't mind the maggots, huh
Despite the corruption and decay in the city, the singer is aware that people will still be drawn to it and attempt to take a bite out of its allure - even if it means dealing with things that are unpleasant or even dangerous.


Sha oobie, my brain's been battered
Repeating the refrain again, emphasizing the singer's own broken state of mind.


My friends they come around they
The singer's friends are also caught up in the chaos and corruption of the city, but still come around to interact with the singer.


Flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter
Even the interactions between people in the city are superficial, based on flattery and insincerity rather than genuine connection.


Pile it up, pile it up, pile high on the platter
People continue to pile things up in their own lives - whether it be material possessions or empty compliments - in the hopes of achieving something meaningful, but it never seems to be enough.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Keith Richards, Mick Jagger

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Greg Halder


on 2000 Light Years From Home

Totally underrated track and album..

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