Beyond feeling sad, depression can leave a person feeling hopeless, apathetic and worthless. Some people deal with major clinical depression all of their lives, while others suffer from situational depression after a major loss, such as the death of a loved one or the end of an important relationship. Some cope by self-medicating with substances that lead to addiction. It’s one of the most common mental heath issues in the country, so it’s not surprising to find it reflected in the songs we listen to, no matter what type of music—pop, metal, rock, rap or country. If you’re dealing with depression, it’s always important to seek the health of a trained mental health professional sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, We’ve collected this list of 101 songs that delve into every aspect of living with depression—from feeling isolated to coping with addiction to asking for help and fighting one’s way out—based on explanations by the artists themselves, critics’ interpretations and, perhaps most importantly, discussions among those who live with depression and find solace in the lyrics.

 101 Songs About Depression

  1. “Breathe Me” — Sia Ouch I have lost myself again/Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found/Yeah I think that I might break/Lost myself again and I feel unsafe
  2. “Day ’N’ Nite” — Kid Cudi  Now look at this/ Madness to magnet keeps attracting me/I try to run but see I’m not that fast
  3. “Fade to Black” — Metallica  Life it seems to fade away/Drifting further every day/Getting lost within myself/Nothing matters no one else
  4. “Zero” — Imagine Dragons Let me tell you what it’s like to be a zero, zero/Let me show you what it’s like to always feel/Like I’m empty and there’s nothing really real
  5. “Be OK” — Ingrid Michaelson Open me up and you will see/I’m a gallery of broken hearts/I’m beyond repair, let me be?/And give me back my broken parts
  6. “Runaway Train” — Soul Asylum  It seems no one can help me now/I’m in too deep/There’s no way out/This time I have really led myself astray
  7. “Lithium” — Evanescence  I can’t hold on to me/Wonder what’s wrong with me
  8. “Fell on Black Days” — Soundgarden  Whatsoever I’ve feared has come to life/Whatsoever I’ve fought off became my life/Just when every day seemed to greet me with a smile/Sunspots have faded and now I’m doing time/Now I’m doing time?’Cause I fell on black days
  9. “Lovely” — Billie Eilish and Khalid  Isn’t it lovely, all alone?/Heart made of glass, my mind of stone/Tear me to pieces, skin to bone/Hello, welcome home 10. “Car Radio” — Twenty One Pilots My skin will scream reminding me of/Who I killed inside my dream
  10. “Mad World” — Tears for Fears   And I find kinda funny, I find it kinda sad/That the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had
  11. “I Should Have Known Better” — Sufjan Stevens  I should have known better/To see what I could see/My black shroud/Holding down my feelings/A pillar for my enemies
  12. “Danko/Manuel” — Jason Isbell  I ain’t living like I should/A little rest might do me good/Got to sinking in the place where I once stood
  13. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” — Hank Williams  Hear that lonesome whipporwhill/He sounds too blue to fly/The midnight train is whining low/I’m so lonesome I could cry
  14. “Telescope” — Cage the Elephant  I don’t think you understand/There’s nowhere left to turn
  15. “u” — Kendrick Lamar  And if those mirrors could talk it would say ‘you gotta go’
  16. “Paint It Black” — Rolling Stones  I see a red door and I want to paint it black/No colors anymore I want them to turn black
  17. “Dark Times” — The Wknd  In my dark times I’ve still got some problems I know/Driving too fast but just moving too slow/And I’ve got something I’ve been trying to let go/Pulling me back every time
  18. “No Rain” — Blind Melon  And I don’t understand why I sleep all day/And I start to complain that there’s no rain/And all I can do is read a book to stay awake/And it rips my life away but it’s a great escape
  19. “A Better Son/Better Daughter” — Rilo Kiley  But the lows are so extreme/That the good seems f—–g cheap/And it teases you for weeks in its absence
  20. “This Depression” — Bruce Springsteen  Baby I’ve been down/But never this down/I’ve been lost/But never this lost
  21. “Hurt” — Johnny Cash (originally by Nine Inch Nails) Everyone I know/Goes away in the end
  22. “Away From The Sun” — 3 Doors Down  I’m so tired of living in the dark/Can anyone see me down here
  23. “Rain” — Patty Griffin Strange how hard it rains now/Rows and rows of big dark clouds
  24. “Gravity” — John Mayer  I’ll never know what makes this man/With all twelve that his heart can stand/Dream of ways to throw all away
  25. “You Don’t Know” — from the Broadway show Next to Normal, performed by Alice Ripley  Do you wake up in the morning and need help to lift your head?/Do you read obituaries and feel jealous of the dead?
  26. “Mercy Street” — Peter Gabriel  She pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam/She pictures a soul/With no leak at the seam
  27. “Fire and Rain” — James Taylor  I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain/I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end/I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
  28. “Is That All There Is?” — Peggy Lee  Is that all there is, is that all there is?/ If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing
  29. “Both Sides Now” — Joni Mitchell  I’ve looked at life from both sides now/From win and lose and still somehow/ It’s life’s illusions I recall/ I really don’t know life at all
  30. “A Day Without Me” — U2  Started a landslide in my ego/Looked from the outside to the world I left behind
  31. “Down in a Hole” — Alice in Chains  Down in a hole feelin’ so small/Down in a hole, losin’ my soul/ I’d like to fly, but my wings have been so denied
  32. “Anxiety” — Julia Michaels and Selena Gomez All my friends, they don’t know what it’s like/They don’t understand why I can’t sleep through the night/I’ve been told that I could take something to fix it/Damn, I wish it was that simple
  33. “Diary of a Madman” — Ozzy Osbourne  Screaming at the window/Watch me die another day/Hopeless situation/Endless price I have to pay
  34. “The Dark Side” — Muse  You’d be scared living with my despair/ And if you could feel the things I am able to feel
  35. “Adam’s Song” — Blink 182  I never thought I’d die alone/Another six months I’ll be unknown
  36. “Runaway” — Kanye West  And I always find, yeah I always find something wrong/You been putting up with my *** just way too long/I’m so gifted at finding what I don’t like most
  37. “Million Years Ago” — Adele  Sometimes I just feel it’s only me/Who can’t stand the reflection that they see
  38. “She’s Falling Apart” — Lisa Loeb  She gets home from school too early/And closes the door to her room/There’s nothing inside her/She weak and she’s tired of feeling like this
  39. “Rainy Days and Mondays” — The Carpenters  Hangin’ around/Nothing to do but frown/Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
  40. “Swim Good” — Frank Ocean  I’m about to drive in the ocean/I’ma try to swim from something bigger than me
  41. “Under the Bridge” — Red Hot Chili Peppers  It’s hard to believe/That there’s nobody out there/It’s hard to believe/That I’m all alone
  42. “Cough Syrup” — Young the Giant  Life’s too short to even care at all/I’m losing my mind losing control
  43. “Lithium” — Nirvana I’m so lonely but that’s OK I shaved my head/And I’m not sad
  44. “Heavy” — Linkin Park  I keep dragging around what’s bringing me down
  45. “Anything Worth Holding Onto” — Chrissy Metz and Matt Bloyd  It takes effort to fight/I don’t have the strength/I’m holding on to what’s still left of me
  46. “Breaking Down” — Florence and the Machine  All alone on the edge of sleep/My old familiar friend/Comes and lies down next to me/And I can see it coming from the edge of the room/Smiling in the streetlight even with my eyes shut tight/I still see it coming now/ Ah I think I’m breaking down again
  47. “Please Be Patient With Me” — Wilco  It doesn’t mean that I don’t care/It means I’m partially there
  48. “New Dawn Fades” — Joy Division  Directionless so plain to see/A loaded gun won’t set you free/So you say
  49. “Rainbow in the Dark” — Dio  When I see lightning/You know it always brings me down/‘Cause it’s free and I see that it’s me? Who’s lost and never found
  50. “I’m Only Happy When It Rains” — Garbage  Pour your misery down on me
  51. “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” — Beach Boys  Sometimes I feel very sad (Can’t find nothin’ I can put my heart and soul into)
  52. “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing For a Woman Like Me To Have” — Lana Del Rey  Don’t ask if I’m happy, you know that I’m not/ But at best I can say I’m not sad/‘Cause hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have
  53. “Here Comes The Rain Again” — Eurythmics  Here comes the rain again/Raining in my head like a tragedy/Tearing me apart like a new emotion
  54. “I Go To Extremes” — Billy Joel  Sometimes I’m tired, sometimes I’m shot/Sometimes I don’t know how much more I’ve got
  55. “Gasoline” — Halsey I think there’s a flaw in my code/These voices won’t leave me alone
  56. “You Don’t Know” — Katelyn Tarver  Let me just stop trying/Let me just stop fighting/I don’t want your good advice/Or reasons why I’m alright
  57. “Something Vague” — Bright Eyes  Now and again it seems worse than it is/But mostly the view is accurate
  58. “Irvine” — Kelly Clarkson  I don’t have much to go/Before I fade completely
  59. “Behind Blue Eyes” — The Who  No one bites back as hard/On their anger/None of my pain and woe/Can show through
  60. “Pretty Hurts” — Beyoncé But you can’t fix what you don’t see/It’s the should that needs the surgery
  61. “How Soon Is Now” — The Smiths I am the son and heir/Of nothing in particular  63. “Nobody Knows” — Pink  It’s win or lose not how you play the game/And the road to darkness has a way/Of always knowing my name/But I think nobody knows
  62. “Lucky” — Britney Spears She’s so lucky, she’s a star/But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking/If there’s nothing missing in my life/Then why do these tears come at night?
  63. “I Am a Rock” — Simon & Garfunkel  I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain/It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain
  64. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” — Green Day  I walk a lonely road/The only one that I have ever known/Don’t know where it goes/But it’s only me and I walk alone
  65. “Man of Constant Sorrow” — Dan Tyminski with Alison Krauss and Union Station  For six long years I’ve been in trouble/No pleasures here on earth I found/For in this world I’m bout to ramble/I have no friends to help me now
  66. “Cry Pretty” — Carrie Underwood You can pretty lie and say it’s OK/ You can pretty smile and just walk away/Pretty much fake your way through anything/But you can’t cry pretty
  67. “Everybody Hates Me” — The Chainsmokers  I’m so defeated, I can’t get outside my head
  68. “I Am I Said” — Neil Diamond  I am, I said/To no one there/And no one heard at all/Not even the chair  71. “People Are Strange” — The Doors  People are strange when you’re a stranger/Faces look ugly when you’re alone
  69. “Woke Up Hurting” — Frightened Rabbit   I woke up hurting/Though I can’t quite say why
  70. “Sober” — Demi Lovato Sometimes I just wanna cave/And I don’t wanna fight
  71. “Purpose for Pain” — Scott Stapp  I shut every door but the right one/I fought the devil and he won
  72. “Whiskey Lullaby” — Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger/And finally drank away her memory/Life is short, but this it was bigger/Than the strength he had to get up off his knees
  73. “The A Team” — Ed Sheeran She’s stuck in her daydream/Been this way since eighteen/But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries 77. “Sound and Vision” — David Bowie Pale blinds drawn all day/Nothing to do, nothing to say/Blue blue
  74. “Waiting ‘Round to Die” — Townes Van Zandt  I got me a friend at last/He don’t drink or steal or cheat or lie/His name’s codeine/He’s the nice thing I’ve seen/Together we’re gonna wait around and die
  75. “It’s Been Awhile” — Staind  Why must I feel this way?/Just make this go away/Just one more peaceful day
  76. “Torn” — Natalie Imbruglia I’m all out of faith/This is how I feel/I’m cold and I am shamed/Lying naked on the floor
  77. “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” — BeeGees How can you mend a broken heart?/ How can you stop the rain from falling down? How can you stop the sun from shining?
  78. “When It Rains” — Eli Young Band When it rains, some people get down/They’re sporting a frown so I fit right in 83. “The Lonely” — Christina Perri I’m a ghost of a girl/That I want to be most/I’m the shell of a girl/That I used to know well
  79. “Sorrow” — The National  I live in a city sorrow built/It’s in my honey, it’s in my milk
  80. “It Makes No Difference” — The Band  And it makes no difference how far I go/Like a scar the pain will always show
  81. “Everybody Hurts” — REM  If you’re on your own/In this life/The days and nights are long/When you think you’ve had too much/Of this life/To hang on
  82. “Move Along” — All America Rejects  So a day when you’ve lost yourself completely/Could be a night when your life ends/ Such a heart that will lead you to deceiving/All the pain held in your/Hands are shaking cold/Your hands are mine to hold  88. “Rise Up” — Andra Day When the silence isn’t quiet/And it feels like it’s getting hard to breathe/And I know you feel like dying/But I promise we’ll take the world to its feet
  83. “1-800-273-8255” — Logic ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid  It’s holding on, though the road’s long/And seeing light in the darkest things/And when you stare at your reflection/Finally knowing who it is/I know that you’ll thank God you did  90. “How To Save a Life” — The Fray  Where did I go wrong?/I lost a fried/Somewhere along in the bitterness/And I would have stayed up with you all nit/Had I known how to save a life
  84. “Lullaby” — Nickelback Please let me take you/Out of the darkness and into the light
  85. “Last Hope” — Paramore Every night I try my best to dream tomorrow makes it better/And wake up to the cold reality and not a thing is changed
  86. “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)” — Gary Allan  Every storm runs out of rain/Just like every dark night turns into day
  87. “Creep” — Radiohead I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo/What the hell am I doing here?/I don’t belong here
  88. “Get Up” — Shinedown  If you were ever in doubt/Don’t sell yourself short, you might be bulletproof/Hard to move mountains when you’re paralyzed/But you gotta try
  89. “Help” — The Beatles Help me if you can I’m feeling down/And I do appreciate you being ‘round/Help me get my feet back on the ground
  90. “Reason to Fight” — Disturbed  When the demon that’s inside you is ready to begin/And it feels like it’s a battle that you will never win/When you’re aching for the fire and begging for your sin/When there’s nothing left inside, there’s still a reason to fight
  91. “Waving Through a Window” — from the musical Dear Evan Hansen, performed by Ben Platt We start with stars in our eyes/We start believing that we belong/But every sun doesn’t rise/And no one tells you where you went wrong 
  92. “Manhattan” — Sara Bareilles  And so it goes/One foot after the other/Till black and white begin to color in
  93. “By The Grace of God” — Katy Perry Thought I wasn’t enough and I wasn’t so tough/Laying on the bathroom floor
  94. “I’m Movin’ On” — Rascal Flatts I’ve dealt with my ghosts and faced all my demons/Finally content with a past I regret/I’ve found you find you find strength in your moments of weakness/For once I’m at peace with myself Ready to lift your spirits? Check out these 75 happy songs.