Social media has fallen in love with Doechii’s “Anxiety.”
Doechii, whose real name is Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon, first recorded the song in her bedroom. Until recently, the song was only available on YouTube as part of her “Coven Music Sessions,” first posted in 2020.
“Anxiety” samples Gotye and Kimbra’s song “Somebody That I Used to Know.” While Gotye sings about the pain of losing a romantic partner in his smash hit, Doechii instead raps about the struggles she faces from constant worrying.
A few years after Doechii dropped the song, rapper Sleepy Hollow used the hook from the chorus to make his own track of the same name. Sleepy Hollow’s version arrived in 2023 and it reached No. 44 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Recently, the spotlight has been on Doechii. She swept the Grammys earlier this year, winning best new artist, best rap album and best rap performance for her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal.”
While “Anxiety” is not on her award-winning album, the song picked up steam on TikTok, where it inspired a dance trend. Using the song, people have been re-creating a scene from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” where Will Smith sneaks up on Ashley Banks (Tatyana Ali) and copies her dance moves.
The trend brings the song’s chorus to life: “Somebody’s watchin’ me / It’s my anxiety, yeah.”
Doechii released the full version of her song on March 4, years after she first recorded it. She also explained the timeline of the “Anxiety” saga in a March 4 TikTok announcing the song’s release.
“OK, so just a quick rundown on ‘Anxiety,'” she said while talking fast. “‘Anxiety’ is a song that Sleepy Hollow dropped, but, he sampled my song, and then I, years ago, did a remix of ‘Somebody That I Used To Know.’ I titled it, ‘Anxiety,’ and I wrote a completely different song, and now it’s blowing up on TikTok, and everybody’s requesting it and it’s out now!”
What is ‘Anxiety’ about?
“Anxiety” is about what appears to be Doechii’s experiences with worrying and mental health.
She describes the physical sensation of anxiety in the lyrics, saying it’s like a “tightness” in her chest — or “lke an elephant is standin’ on me.”
The song is a battle between anxiety and Doechii’s higher mind. At points in the song, Doechii lets anxiety “take over,” and at other points, she fights back.
She likens anxiety to something that is trying to “silence” her. She is aware and tries to counteract its effects: “Gotta shake it off of me” and “can’t let it caution me,” she sings at points.
But it’s a battle. The song ends with the back-and-forth experience of anxiety, like a spiral — wanting to shake it off, being unable to, then trying again.
“Can’t shake it off of me, shake, shake it off of me / It’s my anxiety, gotta shake it off of me,” she sings, creating a sense of lingering unease.
Read the lyrics to Doechii’s ‘Anxiety’
Anxiety, keep on tryin’ me
I feel it quietly
Tryin’ to silence me, yeah
My anxiety, can’t shake it off of me
Somebody’s watchin’ me
And my anxiety, yeah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Solo, no mojo
I bounce back, no pogo
Unhappy, no homo
New brands, no logos
Money on my jugular, natural hustler
Think I need a smuggler up in Russia
You could be my butler, shine my cutla’
Shout out to Oyenda, that’s the guzzler
Okay, next thing, my life is a wet dream
I call it a sex scene, the back is a nice tease
I tried to escape, my life is a X-rate
I’m sorry, a sex tape, you only get one take
Quiet on the set, please
Rolling “Anxiety”
In three, two, one
Anxiety, keep on tryin’ me
I feel it quietly
Tryin’ to silence me, yeah
Anxiety, shake it off of me
Somebody’s watchin’ me
It’s my anxiety, yeah (Brrah)
Anxiety, anxiet—, oh, I feel it tryin’ (Oh)
Keep it tryin’, keep it tryin’
Oh, I feel the silence (Oh)
Keep it quiet, keep it tired, oh, somebody’s touchin’ me (Ooh, la-da, woah)
Anxiety, anxiet—, oh, I feel anxiet— (Oh, oh, oh, oh)
My anxiety, anxiet—, oh, I feel it tryin’ (It’s my anxiety, can’t let it conquer me)
Keep it tryin’, keep it tryin’, oh, I feel the silence (It’s my anxiety, gotta shake it off of me)
Keep it quiet, keep it quiet, oh, somebody’s watchin’ me (It’s my anxiety, can’t let it caution me)
Anxiety, anxiet—, oh, I feel anxiety (It’s my anxiety, gotta keep it off of me)
Anxiety, anxiet—, oh, I feel it tryin’
Keep it tryin’, keep it tryin’
Oh, I feel the silence
Keep it quiet, keep it quiet
Oh, somebody’s watching me
Anxiety, anxiet—, oh, I feel anxiety
Court order from Florid-er
What’s in that clear blue water?
No limits, no borders
What’s in that new world order?
Marco (Marco), Polo (Polo)
Negro run from popo (Popo)
That blue light and that rojo (Rojo)
And it’s like
I get this tightness in my chest
Like an elephant is standing on me
And I just let it take over
Anxiety keeps on trying me
Anxiety keeps on trying me, yeah
Anxiety, anxiet—, oh, I feel it tryin’ (Ooh)
Keep it tryin’, keep it tryin’ (Oh)
Oh, I feel the silence
Keep it quiet, keep it quiet
Oh, somebody’s watchin’ me (Oh, it keeps on trying me)
Anxiety, anxiet—, oh, I feel anxiet— (It keeps on trying, t-trying, trying, oh)
My anxiety, it’s my anxiety, can’t shake it off of me (It’s my anxiety)
It’s my anxiety, gotta keep it off of me (Can’t shake it off of me)
It’s my anxiety, can’t shake it off of me (Oh, somebody’s watchin’ me)
It’s my anxiety, gotta keep it off of me (Brrah)
Can’t shake it off of me, shake, shake it off of me
It’s my anxiety, gotta keep it off of me
Can’t shake it off of me, shake, shake it off of me
It’s my anxiety, gotta shake it off of me
Me
