Note: This list speaks for itself, it is simply my 50 favorite songs of all time that include lyrics. This list does not include ambient music or jazz, two genres I also love. This list is a product of nearly 40 years of intensive music listening, so it is, at a minimum, highly curated. You may know some of these songs, perhaps not others, and if any of them peak your interest, that would be a fantastic outcome.

50 Songs

1. Tulsa Queen — Emmylou Harris
2. Bathtub in the Kitchen — Craig Finn
3. Faded — The Afghan Whigs
4. Every Grain of Sand — Bob Dylan
5. The Traitor — Leonard Cohen
6. Thrasher — Neil Young
7. Cape Canaveral — Conor Oberst
8. It’s Never Been a Fair Fight — Craig Finn
9. Red River Shore — Bob Dylan
10. April the 14th Part II— Gillian Welch
11. Easy / Lucky / Free — Bright Eyes
12. Look at Miss Ohio — Gillian Welch
13. Never Aim to Please — Tommy Stinson
14. Double — Michael Knott
15. Rocket and a Bomb — Michael Knott
16. There Must Be More Than Blood — Car Seat Headrest
17. Oh My Sweet Carolina — Ryan Adams
18. Malibu Love Nest — Luna
19. Crushed Out — Bad Moves
20. The Trouble With Classicists — Lou Reed & John Cale
21. Julia With Blue Jeans On — Moonface
22. Green Eyes — Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
23. Standing on the Moon — Phosphorescent (Grateful Dead Cover)
24. Catfish John — Jerry Garcia
25. Who Knows Where the Time Goes — Nina Simone (Sandy Denny Cover)
26. Guitar Town — Steve Earle
27. A Little Uncanny — Conor Oberst
28. Evelyn Is Not Real — My Morning Jacket
29. Lonesome L.A. Cowboy — Peter Rowan
30. Soft in the Center — The Hold Steady
31. Another Day — This Mortal Coil (Roy Harper Cover)
32. Jokerman — Bob Dylan
33. Lovesick — The Violet Burning
34. After Your Party — Tanya Donelly
35. Leaving L.A. — Father John Misty
36. Claim to Fame — Alex Chilton
37. You and Your Sister — Chris Bell
38. Fall of Saigon — Elliott Murphy
39. Phone Went West — My Morning Jacket
40. Jonah — Wussy
41. Teenage Wristband — The Twilight Singers
42. Trains Across the Sea — Silver Jews
43. Driving the Dynamite Truck — Seam (Breaking Circus Cover)
44. The Man I’ve Always Been — Craig Finn
45. Cherry Chapstick — Yo La Tengo
46. Cruiser — Red House Painters
47. I Love My Dad — Sun Kil Moon
48. The Weaker Soldier — Will Oldham
49. Ali / Spinks II — Sun Kil Moon
50. Super 8 — Jason Isbell

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Honorable Mentions

• It’s a Long Line (But It Moves Quickly) — The Mendoza Line
• Shut In — Strand of Oaks
• Leave the City — Jason Molina
• Language City — Wolf Parade