In my opinion, most Mountain Goats songs. John Darnielle is an amazing songwriter, and he tackles very difficult subjects, especially in his earlier stuff. The Sunset Tree album is all about growing up with an abusive step-father, Tallahassee about a couple who fall apart, Full Force Galesburg about a small town you can disappear in, etc. Some of my favorites include “The Mess Inside” about two people that can’t find the love they lost, “No Children” about a couple that hate each other, and “Jeff Davis County Blues” about a sort of meditative experience after a breakup. I’d give it all a listen. To go even deeper, the albums All Hail West Texas and In League With Dragons have sort of companion podcast seasons (I Only Listen To The Mountain Goats) where Darnielle and Joseph Fink of Welcome to Nightvale go through each song, the inspiration, the meaning, stuff like that.

As I hurtle towards middle age, I find Time by Pink Floyd more and more relevant

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
And when I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away, across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spell 

Piano Man by Billy Joel

The whole scene it sets, the mood, it’s all just so human.

Yes, they’re sharing a drink they call loneliness

But it’s better than drinking alone

I’d say Satellite by Rise Against

You can’t fill your cup until you empty all it has You can’t understand what lays ahead If you don’t understand the past You’ll never learn to fly now 'Til you’re standing at the cliff And you can’t truly love until you’ve given up on it

It has an sort of “revolutionary politics” vibe as well in some other verses. That’s kind of Rise Against’s whole MO though, but I particularly like the lyrics from this one

Puscifer - Momma Sed

Wake up, son of mine Momma got something to tell you Changes come Life will have it’s way With your pride, son Take it like a man

Hang on, son of mine A storm is blowing up your horizon

Changes come Keep your dignity Take the high road Take it like a man

Listen up, son of mine Momma got something to tell you All about growing pains Life will pound away Where the light don’t shine, son Take it like a man

Suck it up, son of mine Thunder blowing up your horizon

Changes come (Changes come) Keep your dignity (Keep your dignity) Take the high road (Take the high road) Take it like a man (Take it like a man)

Momma said like the rain (This, too, shall pass) Like a kidney stone (This, too, shall pass) It’s just a broken heart, son This pain will pass away

CSNY - Teach Your Children

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Don’t go boating in a storm, folks.

Vienna by Billy Joel.

A nice reminder that life is for living.

Noah Kahan - Growing Sideways

And I divvied up my anger into thirty separate parts Keep the bad shit in my liver and the rest around my heart I’m still angry at my parents for what their parents did to them But it’s a start

Paramore - This is why

If you have an opinion
Maybe you should shove it
Or maybe you could scream it
Might be best to keep it

To yourself (to yourself)

Duality - Set It Off

I am good, I am evil, I am solace, I am chaos, I am human, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.

This is the motto for the whole duality album. This tells the listener to not hide who you are. Be comfortable in your own skin be you, let the song show you how to accept yourself.

The entire Nurture album by Porter Robinson. Deals with loss, existence, joy, AI, etc.

Wrong Ones by Julliette Reilly

We’re all from the same Lucy

Despite differences you see

Electricity 311

I like The Christians And The Pagans by Dar Williams. It’s a simple song about a multi faith extended family being able to just enjoy and celebrate Solstice/Christmas with understanding and openness and without drama. Like, we really all could get along if everyone chilled.