We recently asked members of our BuzzFeed Community to name a song lyric that was so powerful, it literally changed their lives in some way. They really came through with some incredibly moving stories, so here are just a few of the best song lyrics shared:
1. "Hooray, hooray, I was your silver lining. Hooray, hooray, but now I’m gold." — "Silver Lining," Rilo Kiley
"This is a beautiful song about realizing how — while you might be something great for somebody else — you'll never realize how great you can truly be until you’re on your own. I heard it after recently becoming single in San Francisco, and I was suddenly filled with the confidence of knowing that everything would be okay...and it was."
2. "Touch me! It's so easy to leave me all alone with the memory of my days in the sun." — "Memory," Cats
"This was my grandfather's favorite song, so I learned it when I was young. Every time I get to the end, my dad and I tear up because we remember him."
3. "I’m not their hero, but that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t brave.” — "I’m Not Your Hero," Tegan and Sara
"This helped me accept that — just because I haven’t achieved the stars — it doesn’t mean I haven’t achieved anything at all. I literally had this lyric tattooed on me, it means so much."
4. "Everything passes. Everything changes. Just do what you think you should do." — "To Ramona," Bob Dylan
"It helped me keep in mind that life is perpetually in motion. Right now is not forever and the future is unknown. The only constant, all you've got, is you. So do what you think you should do in the moment."
5. "The sun will rise, and we will try again." — "Truce," Twenty One Pilots
"I was going through some pretty tough shit with some friends about a year ago, and I had really gotten into Twenty One Pilots. One night, I was having a particularly hard time and this song came on. I really felt the words and I just knew that things would get better."
6. "To love another person is to see the face of God." — "Epilogue," Les Misérables
"While I don’t believe in a 'God' myself, I do believe that love is my religion, and this lyric perfectly encompasses that."
7. "Life’s a journey, not a destination, and I just can’t tell what tomorrow brings." — "Amazing," Aerosmith
"I was listening to this song while going through a panic attack, and just hearing those words helped me calm down. The lesson I got was that we really can’t tell what tomorrow brings, so we should do our best to live for today."
8. "The ghost of us is fading, and that's what I was chasing. I got faith saying it'll be okay. Step by step, I know I'll make it through." — "Feet Don’t Fail Me Now," Foxes
"One lyric that changed things for me was this one. It helped me pick myself up and feel like a person again after a brutal relationship and breakup. It had me praying that I’d be strong enough to run and stay away. And, sure enough, I was strong enough. I never realized it before that experience — and playing this song over and over — how strong I really was. I still belt the words anytime the song comes on my shuffle."
9. "Oh no, love, you're not alone. You're watching yourself, but you're too unfair. You got your head all tangled up, but if I could only make you care." — "Rock N’ Roll Suicide," David Bowie
"There was a time in my life when I was — to say the least — in a very bad place and my dad, who has never has been an emotional person, sent me this song. This one and a few others by David Bowie saved my life."
10. "Don’t let the world bring you down. Not everyone here is that fucked up and cold. Remember why you came and, while you’re alive, experience the warmth before you grow old." — “The Warmth,” Incubus
"Throwing it back to 1999 with this one. While it's a fairly common sentiment, it's a nice reminder to not get lost in all the sad bullshit in the world and instead to immerse yourself in all the lovely things that matter."
11. "I'm not sorry I met you. I'm not sorry it's over. I'm not sorry there's nothing to save." — "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead," Stars
"This song and, more specifically, this lyric made me realize that, just because a relationship is over, doesn't mean you have to regret it ever happened. It happened, and there were good parts and bad parts. It's over and that's okay, and it's even MORE okay to move on."
12. 'I know I’m a queen, but I don’t need no crown...I look up in the mirror like, 'Damn, she's the one.'" — "Soulmate," Lizzo
"This entire song changed my life! I have always struggled with self-worth issues, and trying to be who other people want me to be. This song finally made me realize that I need to love me before anyone else, and treat myself with the love and respect that I give others. I’ve never been happier!"
13. "You think the only people who are people are the people who look and think like you. But, if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew." — "Colors of the Wind," Pocahontas
"This song is a beautiful reminder that you don't know what you don't know, and you won't learn anything if you're too stubborn to see past your own experiences and biases."
14. "You think I'll apologize for the things I left behind, but you got it wrong. I'm as sane as I ever was. You talk far too much for someone so unkind. I will wipe the salt off of my skin and I'll admit that I got it wrong." — "Leave A Trace," Chvrches
"Blasting this at 3 AM while going through my divorce really made me feel powerful, even for those few moments."
15. “I'm tired of being what you want me to be. Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface.” — "Numb," Linkin Park
"I had a very strained relationship with my mother growing up, and I felt like my entire life was just me trying to please her. Through it all, I had felt like I lost myself. Linkin Park really helped put things into perspective for me."
16. “I fought my hardest to try while you tried your hardest to fight." — "Do You Remember Yesterday," Michael Malarkey
"This lyric always reminds me that — before you do things for people — you should stop and think if other people would do the same for you."
17. “You are what you love, not who loves you.” — "Save Rock And Roll," Fall Out Boy
"I feel like this is a very powerful lyric and, whenever I listen to this song, I feel its weight. To me, it symbolizes that you are the only person that can define yourself, not other people."
18. "Slow down, you crazy child. You're so ambitious for a juvenile. But then, if you're so smart, then tell me: Why are you still so afraid? Where's the fire, what's the hurry about? You'd better cool it off before you burn it out. You've got so much to do and only so many hours in a day." — "Vienna," Billy Joel
"I put myself through school and overcame addiction while also healing from my mother's suicide. I currently work full-time as an accountant, have a side photography business, and also have started a environmental non-profit. I'm a cat mom to two wonderful rescues. A loving girlfriend. I'm learning Spanish, scuba diving, and hopefully will start studying for the CPA exam next year. I want to pay off my student loan debt and buy a house in the next couple years. I want to do and experience everything possible, as much as possible. I overwhelm myself a lot. I also travel a lot.
This song not only instantly soothes me, but reminds me that it's ok to slow the hell down and just live a little. It's my way to escape from the my daily grind for just a few minutes."
19. "Someone is on your side. No one is alone." — "Children Will Listen," Into The Woods
"I heard this song for the first time during a very dark period in my life. I was so sad and so lonely. I felt hopeless. That lyric — and the whole song, for that matter — really hit me. There is ALWAYS someone who is on your side, even when your world is at its darkest. This song was the trigger that helped pull me out of my depression. I have other friends who have said the same thing about this song. Thank you for reminding us that we are not alone, Mr. Sondheim!"
20. "But your death? It won’t happen to you. It happens to your family and your friends." — "I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)," The 1975
"It's a song that discusses the fact that suicide is not an uncommon thought in our society. I can’t articulate why this one lyric is so powerful to me, but as someone with depression and anxiety, I think of it often."
21. "You call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest." — "All Too Well," Taylor Swift
"It reminds that there is always someone on the other side of my words. But, also, it helps me put into perspective that, sometimes, people need to speak their truth, even when it hurts you."
22. "I can't drown my demons, they know how to swim." — "Can You Feel My Heart," Bring me the Horizon
"This band in general always has such deep lyrics. They've helped me during a lot of bad situations, but this exact lyric helped me face my demons, accept them, and hold my head high."
23. “You know a dream is like a river, ever changin' as it flows. And a dreamer's just a vessel that must follow where it goes.” — "The River," Garth Brooks
"This one makes me tear up every time I hear it. The entire song is so unbelievably powerful, and those opening lines just hit something deep. There is a dream job I’ve been aiming for since I was a young girl, but getting there is proving to be more difficult than I expected. I still know that my dream is possible, but my dream is also changing as I move through my field and through my life."
24. “You were red, and you liked me because I was blue. But, when you touched me, suddenly I was a lilac sky. Then you decided purple just wasn't for you.” — "Colors," Halsey
“The whole song is just beautiful and hearing this in college was important to me. It helped me learn you should never try to change who you are for someone else."
25. “You are calm and reposed, let your beauty unfold, pale white, like the skin stretched over your bones. Spring keeps you ever close. You are second-hand smoke. You are so fragile and thin, standing trial for your sins. Holding onto yourself the best you can. You are the smell before rain. You are the blood in my veins." — "The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot," Brand New
“This song helped me on the worst days getting through my Mom-mom's passing. All of the guilt, anger, and sorrow felt pale in comparison when I heard these lyrics and they allowed me to think of her as something much more powerful, up in heaven, and always around me. The second hand smoke part really got me because my Pop-pop smoked like a chimney for 60 years and it was always with me."
26. "My body is a cage that keeps me from dancing with the one I love, but my mind holds the key." — "My Body is a Cage," Arcade Fire
"I have battled with anxiety for most of my life, and this lyric really impacts me because these anxious thoughts can make me feel like a prisoner in my own body. Still, I know that I also have the power to set myself free and live the life I want."
27. “This is my body. It's the only thing that I own entirely, and it will carry me to greatness somehow.” — "Ginger," The Front Bottoms
"I listened to this song while I was recovering from an eating disorder and — whenever I felt like relapsing — this song helped put the power that I have over my own body back into perspective."
28. "Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection; the lovers, the dreamers, and me." — "The Rainbow Connection," Kermit the Frog
"Every night, my daughter and I sing this song together as a lullaby. In particular, the chorus always gets me. The whole song is about optimism and hope in the face of cynicism and doubt, and the fact that the song has no definitive resolution is what makes it so quietly powerful. The world may tell us we’re silly or naive to have things like hope or determination or dreams, and maybe we are — but that won’t stop us from searching and striving for something better, and something that connects us. It’s a simple song, but there’s a reason people still love it so much after all this time."
