Having something to relate to can be comforting and cathartic, whether you're going through depression or something else. If you are experiencing depressive symptoms, you might be looking for a song that depicts how you feel. Here are some songs and lyrics that either relates to depression directly or that could relate to depressive symptoms.
Depression Songs And Lyrics
Mad World - Tears For Fears
This is a popular song that people think of when they think of depression songs or depressing songs. Although it was released first by the 1980s band Tears for Fears, it was popularized by Gary Jules, which is the version you might know the following lyrics from.
"All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow"
Hurt - Nine Inch Nails/Johnny Cash
There are two popular versions of the song "Hurt." The song "Hurt" is originally by Nine Inch Nails, but the Johnny Cash cover is so popular that many people hear it first.
"What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end"
Unwell - Matchbox Twenty
"Unwell" is another well-known song that relates to mental health and depression. Likely, you'll recognize the following lyrics.
"All day staring at the ceiling
Making friends with shadows on my wall
All night hearing voices telling me
That I should get some sleep
Because tomorrow might be good for something
Hold on
Feeling like I'm headed for a breakdown
And I don't know why
But I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay awhile and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
I'm not crazy, I'm just a little impaired
I know right now you don't care
But soon enough you're gonna think of me
And how I used to be, me"
Fix You - Coldplay
You might recognize this song from some of your favorite movies and TV shows. Nonetheless, it does a great job of depicting a mental health struggle.
"When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
When the tears come streaming down your face
'Cause you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
What could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Welcome To My Life - Simple Plan
This is a song that shows what it's like to feel misunderstood.
"Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place?
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you
Do you ever want to run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room?
With the radio on turned up so loud
That no one hears you screaming
No you don't know what it's like
When nothing feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me
To be hurt, to feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked when you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one there to save you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life"
REM - Losing My Religion
This song can be interpreted in various ways, but one of the common ways that people read the lyrics relates to depression in the sense that many people feel like they are trying to keep up with the rest of the world when they have depression. Depression can feel like you don't want to be seen, but sometimes, you also wish that someone would just listen and try to understand how you feel.
"That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough"
Lithium - Evanescence
Lithium by Evanescence, not to be confused with Lithium by Nirvana, which is also an outstanding piece, is a song with a chorus that portrays the way that, sometimes, depression can almost start to feel comforting. It's so painful, yet familiar. Here is the bridge and chorus of Lithium:
"I can't hold on to me
Wonder what's wrong with me
Lithium, don't want to lock me up inside
Lithium, don't want to forget how it feels without
Lithium, I want to stay in love with my sorrow"
7 Years - Lukas Graham
Although this song was not meant to be a song about depression, it is certainly about nostalgia, and it is something that a lot of people with or without depression can relate to. When you're depressed, you might think back on your life, or you might think about your future. You may have a lot of questions or worries that it feels like you can't shake. In the song, Lukas writes about the ages 7 through 60, pondering his past, present, and future.
"Soon, I'll be sixty years old, my daddy got sixty-one
Remember life and then your life becomes a better one
I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once
I hope my children come and visit, once or twice a month
Soon, I'll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold?
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?"
Through Glass - Stone Sour
This is a song that a lot of people can relate to because. When you're depressed, you may feel alone, and this song does a great job of verbalizing that sensation.
"How do you feel? That is the question
But I forget, you don't expect an easy answer
When something like a soul becomes initialized
And folded up like paper dolls and little notes
You can't expect a bit of hope
And while you're outside looking in
Describing what you see
Remember what you're staring at is me
'Cause I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
All I know is that it feels like forever
When no one ever tells you that forever feels like home
Sitting all alone inside your head"
Breathe Me - Sia
This song depicts the feeling of wanting to be held and cared for that many people experience when they feel down or depressed and don't know where to turn. When it all feels like too much, what many want is a friend who will hold them and listen
"Be my friend, hold me
Wrap me up, enfold me
I am small and needy
Warm me up and breathe me"
Crawling - Linkin Park
Often, depression can come with a sense of insecurity. "Crawling" depicts this feeling effectively, saying:
"There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface
Consuming, confusing
This lack of self-control I fear is never-ending
Controlling
I can't seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
(Without a sense of confidence I'm convinced
That there's just too much pressure to take)
I've felt this way before
So insecure
Crawling in my skin
These wounds, they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real"
Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne
Sometimes, hopeful songs are the best songs to help you get through. Aptly named, this is a song that you can listen to that will help you hold on through the hard times.
"Keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through
We'll make it through
Just stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you
I'm here for you
There's nothing you could say
Nothing you could do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through
We'll make it through"
Skyscraper - Demi Lovato
Skyscraper is another popular ballad that can help you hold on to hope. Read the first verse and chorus below, and listen to it when you need a boost. Remember that you can persevere and get through the hard times, no matter how painful it feels now.
"Skies are crying, I am watching
Catching teardrops in my hands
Only silence, as it's ending
Like we never had a chance
Do you have to make me feel like
There's nothing left of me?
You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I'm made of glass
Like I'm made of paper
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper, like a skyscraper"
Help For Depression
If you have depression, help is out there. Please contact a licensed medical or mental health professional if you're struggling, and know that there is hope and treatment for those living with depression. You can start by making an appointment with your doctor to talk about your symptoms, or you can reach out to a licensed mental health provider such as a counselor or therapist. If you're struggling to find a professional to see, don't hesitate to use the provider search tool located on the upper right-hand corner of the Mind Diagnostics website.
Take The Mind Diagnostics Depression Test
Do you think that you could have depression? If so, consider taking the Mind Diagnostics depression test. Although it is not a replacement for a diagnosis or evaluation from a medical or mental health professional, taking it might just be the first step to getting the help that you need.
Click here to take the Mind Diagnostics depression test.
