20 Songs With Great Lyrics About Life (Deep & Thought Provoking) (2023)

Some of us love to look at life more deeply than the average person does. Others say we read into things too much; we say that they don’t read into things enough! For those of you deep thinkers, it’s likely that you adore listening to thought provoking music. If that’s you, these 20 songs will make you really think about life and what it all means.

1. Invisible by Hunter Hayes

First on the list is ‘Invisible’ by ‘Hunter Hayes’ that contains some powerful lyrics for anyone who feels different and does not want to follow the herd. This is for the conscious thinkers of the world who dare to think different and pave their own path to life.

Snippet of the lyrics:

Crowded hallways are the loneliest placesFor outcasts and rebelsOr anyone who just dares to be differentAnd you've been trying for so longTo find out where your place isBut in their narrow mindsThere's no room for anyone who dares to do something differentOh, but listen for a minuteTrust the oneWho's been where you are wishing all it wasWas sticks and stonesThose words cut deep but they don't mean you're all aloneAnd you're not invisibleHear me outThere's so much more to life than what you're feeling nowSomeday you'll look back on all these daysAnd all this pain is gonna be invisibleOh invisibleSo your confidence is quietTo them quiet looks like weaknessBut you don't have to fight it'Cause you're strong enough to win without a war, yeahEvery heart has a rhythmLet yours beat out so loudlyThat everyone can hear itYeah promise you don't need to hide it anymoreOh and never be afraid of doing something differentDare to be something more

2. Don’t Let It Get You Down by JOHNNYSWIM

So often, doubters and naysayers get inside our heads when we’re trying to dream big; if you’ve ever had an “unrealistic” dream, and you’ve heard your friends or family telling you that you need to “get off your high horse”, etc., this song’s for you– remember not to let it get you down!

Snippet of the lyrics:

The storm it came from cross the seven seas. Hold your course, here comes the cavalry. Don't let it get you, don't let it get you down.

3. Anklebiters by Paramore

Why do we let others’ opinions dictate how we feel about ourselves, anyway? Anklebiters by Paramore reminds us that sometimes, our own love is the only love we need, especially when it seems like everybody else is against us.

Snippet of the lyrics:

Why do you care what people think?Are you hooked up to their leash?You know anklebitersAte up your personalityTry to remember how it feltTo just make up your own stepsAnd let anklebitersChew up, spit out someone elseAnd fall in love with yourselfBecause someday you're gonna beThe only one you've got

4. Surprise Yourself by Jack Garratt

How can you know that you won’t succeed at something, if you’ve never tried? So many of us dream of writing a book, playing an instrument, applying for a job, starting a business, taking a trip, or otherwise putting ourselves out there in some way… But we may never do so, for fear of “failure” in some sense. Jack Garratt asks, what if you gave yourself the opportunity to surprise yourself?

Snippet of the lyrics:

Speak and open up your mindIt's something you should do all the timeKeep exploring, seek and findYou know you might surprise yourselfTalk without a taint or holdThe doubts that should embrace your heartThe calm and chaos of your soulYou know you might surprise yourself

5. True Colors by Zedd & Kesha

In order to live an incredibly fulfilling life, we must be willing to be ourselves, to follow our own passions, and to love ourselves unconditionally. Zedd and Kesha remind us, in this beautiful song, to show off our magnificent true colors.

Snippet of the lyrics:

All my life, one page at a timeI'll show you my, my true colorsAnd no-n-no, I won't apologize for the fire in my eyesLet me show you my, my true colors, it ain't your rainbow

6. Glory by Bastille

When you think about it, the common philosophy of rushing through life, from school, to work, to retirement, is essentially just living as if we’re waiting to die. Glory by Bastille reminds us not to live our entire lives preparing for the next thing, but rather, to live in the present moment.

Snippet of the lyrics:

Not everything had gone to planBut we made the best of what we had, you know?Passing the drink from hand to handWe admit we really know nothing at all

7. Live In The Moment by Portugal. The Man

How many minutes out of your day do you spend thinking about what you have to do later, or something you did earlier? Moreover, how much time do you spend truly living in the moment, in your body and your five senses, experiencing what’s right in front of you? If you struggle with presence, this Portugal. The Man song will remind you to live in the moment!

Snippet of the lyrics:

When I was youngAlways go below the midnight sunThose days are doneBut I'm still glowingOoh la la la la laLet's live in the momentCome back Sunday morningA lie, oh wellWhen you're goneGoodbye, so long, farewell

8. No Plan by Hozier

This is a beautiful song by Hozier where he tries to convey the fact that life has no meaning as such except the meaning you give it. And the reason why you need to become more conscious of the simple joys of life.

Snippet of the lyrics:

There's no plan, there's no race to be runThe harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sunThere's no plan, there's no kingdom to comeI'll be your man if you got love to get doneSit in and watch the sunlight fadeHoney, enjoy, it's gettin' lateThere's no plan, there's no hand on the rein

9. Flames by David Guetta & Sia

‘Flames’ contains some powerful lyrics that encourages you to get in touch with your inner strength and to keep persisting in life.

Snippet of the lyrics:

One foot in front of the other babeOne breath leads to another yeahJust keep moving, ohLook within for the strength todayListen out for the voice to sayJust keep moving, ohGo, go, goFigure it out, figure it out, but don't stop movingGo, go, goFigure it out, figure it out, you can do thisSo my love, keep on runningYou gotta get through today, yeahThere my love, keep on runningGotta keep those tears at bay, ohOh, my love, don't stop burningGonna send them up in flamesIn flamesDon't stop, tomorrow's another dayDon't stop, tomorrow you'll feel no painJust keep moving, ohDon't stop the past'll trip you upYou know, right now's gotta be enoughJust keep moving

10. Way Back When by Kodaline

This is a beautiful song by Kodaline about rest and relaxation. It helps you connect with your inner child so you can begin again to enjoy the simple joys of life.

Snippet of the lyrics:

We never had that much to doSo we just lay around in someone’s houseSomeday I’ll have it all againJust like way back whenBack then we’d sleep until the afternoonAnd we’d just get up and go outsideOpen a window, let the breeze blow inForget everythingYea, those will be the days that I will be missingWhen I’m old and when I’m gray and when I stop workingI hope that I can sayWhen all my days are doneWe were just having fun

11. Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

This song by Metallica has powerful lyrics that encourage you to embrace your true authentic self and stop worrying about other people.

Snippet of the lyrics:

So close no matter how farCouldn't be much more from the heartForever trusting who we areAnd nothing else mattersNever opened myself this wayLife is ours, we live it our wayAll these words I don't just sayAnd nothing else mattersTrust I seek and I find in youEvery day for us something newOpen mind for a different viewAnd nothing else mattersNever cared for what they doNever cared for what they knowBut I knowSo close no matter how farCouldn't be much more from the heartForever trusting who we areAnd nothing else matters

12. It’s My Life by Bon Jovi

Lovely track by Bon Jovi that encourages you to live in the moment and to live your life to the fullest.

Snippet of the lyrics:

This ain't a song for the broken-heartedNo silent prayer for the faith-departedI ain't gonna be just a face in the crowdYou're gonna hear my voiceWhen I shout it out loudIt's my lifeIt's now or neverI ain't gonna live foreverI just want to live while I'm alive(It's my life)My heart is like an open highwayLike Frankie saidI did it my wayI just wanna live while I'm aliveIt's my life

13. Read All About It by Emeli Sande

If you are looking for some inspiration to put yourself out there in life, then this is the song for you.

Snippet of the lyrics:

You've got the words to change a nationBut you're biting your tongueYou've spent a life time stuck in silenceAfraid you'll say something wrongIf no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song?So come on, come onCome on, come onYou've got a heart as loud as lightningSo why let your voice be tamed?Maybe we're a little differentThere's no need to be ashamedYou've got the light to fight the shadowsSo stop hiding it awayCome on, come onI wanna sing, I wanna shoutI wanna scream 'til the words dry outSo put it in all of the papers,I'm not afraidThey can read all about itRead all about it, oh

14. Dust in the Wind by Kansas

‘Dust in the Wind’ is not the most uplifting song, but it has lyrics that will liberate you. The song helps you understand the eventual reality of life and the meaninglessness of it all, realizing which will help you let go and relax. It also brings you the realization that life may be meaningless but that only means that you have the freedom to give it any meaning you want.

Snippet of the lyrics:

I close my eyesOnly for a moment, and the moment's goneAll my dreamsPass before my eyes, a curiosityDust in the windAll they are is dust in the windSame old songJust a drop of water in an endless seaAll we doCrumbles to the ground, though we refuse to seeDust in the windAll we are is dust in the windOhNow, don't hang onNothin' lasts forever but the earth and skyIt slips awayAnd all your money won't another minute buyDust in the windAll we are is dust in the wind

15. Foreverglow by Lindsey Stirling

“Your shine won’t last forever, but you’ll forever glow,” sings Lindsey Stirling in this gorgeous piece. This song reminds us that even when we’re gone, we’re sure to leave something beautiful behind.

Snippet of the lyrics:

Starry nightSpeck of whiteWould you know you're made of lightIf you were born into the dark?Did you know?Down belowWorld beyond would see you glowLong, long after you're goneYour shine won't last foreverBut you'll forever glow

16. Funny The Way It Is by Dave Matthews Band

Do you ever think about the fact that somebody, somewhere in the world, died at the exact moment that you were being born? Dave Matthews explores mind-bending facts of life such as this one in ‘Funny The Way It Is’, which emits a sense of both heart-opening and heartbreaking love for humanity as a whole.

Snippet of the lyrics:

Funny the way it is, if you think about itSomebody's going hungry and someone else is eating outFunny the way it is, not right or wrongSomebody's heart is broken and it becomes your favorite song

17. One More Light by Linkin Park

Your life is not insignificant, Linkin Park tells us in this tear-jerking song. Even though you are only one person among billions, your light is meaningful, and people care about you. You are important and you belong here.

If they sayWho cares if one more light goes out?In a sky of a million starsIt flickers, flickersWho cares when someone's time runs out?If a moment is all we areWe're quicker, quickerWho cares if one more light goes out?Well I do

Snippet of the lyrics:

18. Don’t Panic by Coldplay

If the Earth was destroyed tomorrow, we’d learn that we should’ve appreciated all of her beauty today. Don’t Panic by Coldplay, a reference to the movie Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (in which our planet is destroyed), reminds us that our Earth is magnificent, and that we should love her with every chance we get.

Snippet of the lyrics:

Bones sinkin' like stonesAll that we've fought forAll these places we've grownAll of us are done forAnd we live in a beautiful worldYeah we do, yeah we doWe live in a beautiful world

19. Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

“Love is not a victory march / It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah”. This song has over two hundred covers, and has resonated with millions of hearts, likely because it so precisely encapsulates the human experience: life is messy, life is painful, and life is beautiful, even within all of the mess.

20. Dare You to Move by Switchfoot

It’s entirely human to live our lives in fear of what could happen, or in regret of what we think we did wrong. This song by Switchfoot dares us to live life on the edge anyway. What could happen if we were to truly go for our greatest dreams? And if we don’t, how will we ever know who we could become?

Whether you hope to shift to a more inspired mindset, or gain some perspective on your life, any of these songs can help you to see a bird’s eye view of things. Make a playlist to listen to while creating or walking in nature, or simply meditate on the meaning of any of these songs to see where your consciousness takes you!