Rock music lyrics over the past 60 years have run the gamut from deep thinking to total nonsense, from lovers’ heartbreak to sunny whimsy.  Sure, there are thousands of examples of just-for-fun words like “Be-bop-a-lula, she’s my baby” and “Wooly Bully,” but thanks to substantive songwriters, we have a treasure trove of lyrics that can inspire, motivate, and teach.

Some songs have words that are truly profound, presenting solid pointers on how to live your life happily, safely and productively.  I’ve been researching and have come up with a list of some of my favorite lyrics that offer excellent advice.

There’s a Spotify playlist at the end to hear the songs from whence these lyrics are found.

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“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.” — Mick Jagger, 1969

“Dream on. Dream until your dreams come true.” — Steven Tyler, 1973

“And it’s only the giving that makes you what you are.” — Ian Anderson, 1971

“All we are is dust in the wind.” — Kerry Livgren, 1978

“You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart.” — Carole King, 1971

“With a friend at hand, you will see the light. If your friends are there, then everything’s all right.” — Bernie Taupin, 1971

“Don’t criticize what you can’t understand.” — Bob Dylan, 1963

“Come down from your fences and open the gate. You better let somebody love you before it’s too late.” — Don Henley, 1973

“If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon.” — Gordon Lightfoot, 1976

“When you see your ship go sailing, when you feel your heart is breaking, hold on tight to your dream…” — Jeff Lynne, 1981

“You know, the times you impress me most are the times when you don’t even try.” — Joni Mitchell, 1972

“You shouldn’t have took more than you gave. We wouldn’t be in this mess today.” — Dave Mason, 1970

“Turn and face the strange changes. Pretty soon now, you’re gonna get older.” — David Bowie, 1971

“Push a little harder. Think a little deeper. You can make it if you try.” — Sly Stone, 1969

“So if you’re walking down the street sometime and spot some hollow ancient eyes, please don’t just pass ’em by and stare as if you didn’t care. Say, ‘Hello in there. Hello.'” — John Prine, 1971

“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.” — Don Schlitz, 1976

“If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”— Michael Jackson and Glen Ballard, 1987

“Come on, people now, smile on your brother. Everybody get together, and try to love one another right now.” — Chet Powers, 1964

“Don’t let it bring you down. It’s only castles burning. Find someone who’s turning, and you will come around.” — Neil Young, 1970

“There never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them.” — Jim Croce, 1973

“Love when you can, cry when you have to. Be who you must, that’s a part of the plan.” — Dan Fogelberg, 1974

“If it hurts, don’t let them see you cry. You can make it. Hold your head up.” — Rod Argent, 1972

“Remember:  One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.”— Paul Simon, 1973

“Just take it light and breezy. Make it tender.” — Jesse Colin Young, 1978

“If you know what life is worth, you stand up for your rights. Get up! Stand up!” — Bob Marley, 1973

“Try not to get worried. Try not to hold on to problems that upset you.” — Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, 1970

“The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.” — James Taylor, 1977

“Don’t stop believing. Hold on to that feeling.” — Steve Perry, 1981

“Life is very short, and there’s no time for fussing and fighting, my friend.” — John Lennon & Paul McCartney, 1965

“Each time I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race. That’s life.” — Dean Kay, 1963

“Take your time. Think a lot. Think of everything you’ve got. You may still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.” — Cat Stevens, 1970

“Don’t give yourself to common clowns. Don’t let the bastards get you down.” — Margo Price, 2025

“Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.” — Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, 1971

“You’re gonna be all right, just as long as you keep on growing.” — Eric Clapton, 1970

“Let the disappointments pass. Let the laughter fill your glass.” — Jackson Browne, 1976

“If, as we’re walking, a hand should slip free, I’ll wait for you. And should I fall behind, wait for me.” — Bruce Springsteen, 1992

“Teach your children well.”— Graham Nash, 1970

“Don’t you worry ’bout a thing, ’cause I’ll be standing on your side when you check it out.” — Stevie Wonder, 1973

“Try to realize it’s all within yourself. No one else can make you change. You’re really only very small, and life flows on within you and without you.” — George Harrison, 1967

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Throughout recent history, popular music lyrics have asked a lot of questions. Songwriters love to present topics in question form, only sometimes providing answers. They offer possibilities, theories, even concrete statements, but they mostly pose “what ifs” and open-ended queries.

Consider some of these classic queries — about life, about love, about all kinds of things — posed in the lyrics of hit songs :

“I’ll bet you think this song is about you, don’t you?”

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”

“Get out of my life, why don’t you, babe?”

“Are we really happy with this lonely game we play?”

“Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone?”

“Can I just make some more romance with you, my love?”

“Can music save your mortal soul?”

“Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?”

“How many times can a man turn his head, pretending that he just doesn’t see?”

There are many dozens, hundreds, of tunes that pose a question in the song’s title. I’ve selected 20 for your consideration, and another 20 honorable mentions. You’ll find them all in a playlist at the bottom if you’d like to listen as you read. Wouldn’t it be nice?

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“What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Tina Turner, 1984

Graham Lyle and Terry Britten wrote this sardonic tune for a man to record, but Turner made it her own. Critics called it “a soft synth-driven track countered by Turner’s battle weary voice, barely hiding the cynic in her: “What’s love but a second-hand emotion? /What’s love got to do, got to do with it? /Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken?”

“Do You Believe in Magic?” The Lovin’ Spoonful, 1965

John Sebastian was so taken with the magical appeal of rock ‘n’ roll music that he wrote this effervescent tune about it, and it reached the Top Ten in 1965 as the Spoonful’s debut single: “Believe in the magic of a young girl’s soul, /Believe in the magic of rock and roll, /Believe in the magic that can set you free, /Do you believe like I believe in magic?”

“Isn’t She Lovely?” Stevie Wonder, 1976

This is the kind of leading question all new parents ask, and Stevie Wonder was no exception when he wrote this tribute to his newborn daughter Aisha for his “Songs in the Key of Life” LP. The proud papa wrote, “Isn’t she wonderful? Isn’t she precious? Less than one minute old…”

“Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” Dionne Warwick, 1968

Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote this classic about a would-be artist from San Jose who went to L.A. to chase a dream of fame and fortune but found only disappointment and longed to return home but wasn’t sure about the correct route. Warwick turned into a big hit.

“How Long (Has This Been Going On)?” Ace, 1975

Widely interpreted as a song about romantic infidelity, this beauty by singer-songwriter Paul Carrack was actually about Ace’s bass player, who had been secretly recording with two other bands. The group felt he was being disloyal and ended up scoring a big #3 hit about his betrayal.

“Would I Lie to You?” Eurythmics, 1985

Annie Lennox came up with sarcastic lyrics about an unfaithful partner to complement Dave Stewart’s aggressive rocker, which became a #5 hit for the Eurythmics. In response to the man’s cheating, the narrator says, “I’m asking you, sugar, would I lie to you? Tell you straight to your face, had all I can take, now I’m leaving you…”

“Are You Experienced?” Jimi Hendrix Experience, 1967

When Hendrix issued what many believe was the most explosive, groundbreaking debut LP ever, its title track challenged his listeners to join him on his spiritual quest: “If you can just get your mind together, then come on across to me, /We’ll hold hands, and then we’ll watch the sunrise from the bottom of the sea, /But first, are you experienced? Or have you ever been experienced? Well, I have…”

“Isn’t It a Pity?” George Harrison, 1970

In the aftermath of The Beatles’ breakup, fans around the world may have been mourning, but Harrison took a more philosophical view about it. He wasn’t angry, nor particularly saddened; instead, he reflected on the broader human weakness: “Isn’t it a pity? Now, isn’t it a shame? How we break each other’s hearts, and cause each other pain…?”

“Can We Still Be Friends?” Todd Rundgren, 1978

n 1977, Rundgren and his longtime companion Bebe Buell parted ways, and he wrote about it in this 1978 hit from his “Hermit of Mink Hollow” album. He desperately wanted things to remain amicable between them: “Let’s admit we made a mistake, but can we still be friends? /Heartbreak’s never easy to take, but can we still be friends?”

“Where Do the Children Play?” Cat Stevens, 1970

On his breakthrough LP “Tea For the Tillerman,” Stevens expressed anxiety about the ecological damage and societal impact of human progress, and wondered if we still have enough safe spaces for children and nature: “I know we’ve come a long way, /We’re changing day to day, /But tell me, where do the children play?”

“How Can I Be Sure?” The Young Rascals, 1967

“…in a world that’s constantly changing?  How can I be sure I’ll be sure with you?…”  These are the kinds of questions Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati were contemplating when their band attended several weeks of transcendental meditation sessions during “The Summer of Love.”  Cosmic questions, indeed.

“Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, 1956

Herman Santiago, tenor in The Teenagers, wrote the song in 1955 based on some lines from love letters shared by a neighbor, including “Why do lovers await the break of day?” and “Why does the rain fall from above?”  It made the Top Ten in 1956, and again for Diana Ross in 1981. More unanswerable questions, these.

“Who’ll Stop the Rain?” Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1970

Most people think this 1970 John Fogerty song has nothing to do with an endless downpour, but is instead a plea to halt the endless rain of bombs that were falling on Southeast Asia at the time he wrote it for his band Creedence to turn into a #2 hit.

“Is She Really Going Out With Him?” Joe Jackson, 1979  

“Is she really going to take him home tonight?”  In 1979, British New Wave rocker Joe Jackson was eager to know whether a woman he knew well was seriously contemplating dating a guy he thought was a total loser. It became his first charting in the US, reaching #21.

“Do You Feel Like We Do?” Peter Frampton, 1973

“Whose wine?  What wine?  Where the hell did I dine?”  Mercurial pop star Peter Frampton woke up from a nasty drunk one morning in 1973 and asked these questions of himself and his audience, and then answered, “Come on, let’s do it again!” The studio album track on “Frampton’s Camel” became a Top Ten hit in its live version on “Frampton Comes Alive” in 1976.

“Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” Paula Cole, 1997  

This tune struck a chord with put-upon women who agonized about the negligent, selfish men with whom they found themselves involved. Cole reached #8 on pop charts in 1997, demanding to know, “Where is my John Wayne?  Where is my prairie song? Where is my happy ending? Where have all the cowboys gone?”

“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” Chicago, 1969

And does anybody really care?  Robert Lamm, keyboardist/vocalist/songwriter for Chicago, recalls, “I was walking by a movie theater one afternoon, and there was an usher taking a cigarette break.  I asked him, ‘Hey, man, what time is it?’ and he looked at me with a thoughtful look on his face and said, ‘Does anybody really know what time it is, man?’  I decided that would be a great line for a song I was working on.”  It went to #7 in 1970.

“When Will I Be Loved?” Linda Ronstadt, 1975

We all want and need to be loved, but the eternal question is “When?  When will love come?”  Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers wanted to know when he wrote this hit that reached #8 for the duo in 1960. It made an even bigger impact 15 years later when Ronstadt took her convincing cover all the way to #2 in 1975 as the follow-up to her breakthrough hit “You’re No Good.”

“Where is the Love?” Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, 1972; “Where is the Love?” Black-Eyed Peas, 2003

This is merely another way of asking the same question Everly asked:  “Where does love come from?  Where do I look for it?”  Two completely different tunes with the same title, 40 years apart, wanted to know.  The duo of Flack & Hathaway took a gentle song by Ralph McDonald and William Salter, which examined a troubled relationship, and registered a #5 hit in 1972.  Then in 2003, a committee of nine people including will.i.am (William Adams) and others in the hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas asked the same question in a broader context.  Both Fergie and Justin Timberlake were featured vocalists in this song, which bemoans the hate, anger, racism and terrorism in the world.

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Honorable mentions:

“Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?” Van Morrison, 1889; “How Deep Is Your Love?” The Bee Gees, 1977; “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” The Shirrelles, 1961; “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road?” The Beatles, 1968; “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” R.E.M., 1994;  “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” Culture Club, 1982; “Have You Seen Her?” The Chi-Lites, 1971; “Tommy, Can You Hear Me?” The Who, 1969; “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)?” Jr. Walker & All-Stars, 1969; “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?” The Bee Gees, 1971; “Why?” Annie Lennox, 1995; “How Do You Sleep?” John Lennon, 1971; “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” Elvis Presley, 1960; “Have You Seen the Stars Tonite?” Paul Kantner, 1970; “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” The Clash, 1982; “Do You Want to Know a Secret?” The Beatles, 1963; “Doesn’t Anybody Stay Together Anymore?” Phil Collins, 1985; “Can I Get a Witness?” Marvin Gaye, 1963; “Who Can It Be Now?” Men at Work, 1981; “What’s Your Name?” Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1977; “Why Can’t I Be You?” The Cure, 1987; “Who Are You?” The Who, 1978.

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