23 Song Lyrics That Actually Changed People's Lives

"It taught me that I’m allowed to expect people to treat me with kindness and respect. That may not seem like a lot, but to 16-year-old me, it was a revelation."

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community which song lyrics changed their lives, and they did not disappoint! Here are some of the most moving responses:

Nickelodeon

Note: This post includes personal stories with mentions of suicide and depression.

1. "Tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet? And did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day and head back to the Milky Way?" – "Drops of Jupiter," Train

Columbia

"When my grandma died, the lyrics of the song finally made sense to me. It’s where I hope her spirit is. I went through a deep depression after she died a few years ago, and this song was responsible for beginning to pull me out of it. It saved my life."

—mj2005

2. "Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new." – "Girls Like Girls," Hayley Kiyoko

Steel Wool

"When I first listened to this song, I realized that it's OK to love girls. It's not wrong or shameful. It's normal, and it's real."

—icecreamlover23

3. "So come on, motherfucker, you survive. You gotta give yourself a break. But there's nothing I wouldn't do to settle up with Heaven." – "Everybody Lost Somebody," Bleachers

RCA

"I recently had a miscarriage, and I listened nonstop to the song for this line. It's the absolute perfect description of how I felt at the time: Proud of myself for getting through that loss and grief, but still wishing that I never had to learn how to get through it. It's very bittersweet, and the lyric reminds me that it's OK to have love for myself while I'm going through something horrible or difficult."

—briannamckayc

4. "Now you're liftin' me up, 'stead of holdin' me down. Stealin' my heart 'stead of stealin' my crown." – "Butterflies," Kacey Musgraves

MCA Nashville

"It taught me that I’m allowed to expect people to treat me with kindness and respect. That may not seem like a lot, but to 16-year-old me, it was a revelation."

—elizabethn4b2cd0507

5. "You have suffered enough. And warred with yourself. It’s time that you won." – "Falling Slowly," Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová

Overcoat Recordings

"I have struggled with bipolar disorder and anxiety for years. Hearing those lyrics pulled me out of my head for a minute to acknowledge the struggles that I have overcome and to motivate me to keep building a wonderful life for myself."

—emisvictoria

6. "There's no walls and no ceilings as far as I know, just the echoes of scars and the unbeaten road. Trip the gun on cautions that I've been sold. 'Cause it's hard to believe that it's wrong to want more than the truest of blue and a love like a roar. I will run to wherever I want to go." – "New Constellations," Ryn Weaver

Mad Love / Interscope

"It always reminds me that it's courageous to go for your dreams and not settle for what you're told you're supposed to want or what you're told you can achieve. You don't have to dim your shine or give up on your dreams because of what other people have done or said to you. The future is yours; you just have to have the courage and fortitude to keep going."

—jebjan

7. "You belong among the wildflowers. You belong somewhere close to me. Far away from your trouble and worries, you belong somewhere you feel free." – "Wildflowers," Tom Petty

Warner Bros.

"This song was the little ray of light that broke through the deepest, darkest depression I’ve ever felt. I never thought I’d feel anything but endless nothingness again, and this song came on the radio and made me happy for 3 minutes and 11 seconds. I knew I could be happy again. Forever grateful to Tom Petty."

—netty1

8. "Fake it until I make it ring true. One day, I'mma be better at feelin' cool." – "OKAY OKAY," Alessia Cara

Def Jam / Universal Music Canada

"The whole song, she's talking about how she's an 11 out of 10. But those lyrics taught me that I don't have to feel confident immediately, and that one day with practice I'll feel confident like the others around me. Even if I have to 'fake it until I make it' to do so. Sometimes pretending I'm confident makes me feel confident, and without this song I wouldn't have learned that."

—detective_dawn

9. "Can you understand that I want a daughter while I'm still young? I want to hold her hand and show her some beauty before this damage is done." – "The Suburbs," Arcade Fire

Merge / City Slang / Mercury

"This exact lyric made me realize I don’t want children. I’m a millennial, and my Gen X parents never got treated for their mental health issues, and they passed them down to me. I don’t want children because it should never be the responsibility of a child to carry their parents’ 'damage.'"

—emilypsully

10. "Me, myself, and I, that's all I got in the end, that's what I found out. And it ain't no need to cry. I took a vow that from now on, I'm gon' be my own best friend." – "Me, Myself, and I," Beyoncé

Columbia / Music World

"When I was younger, I completely lost myself in a relationship. I made him the center of my world and thought I could never be happy without him. When it didn’t work out, I was absolutely crushed. This lyric made me realize that I don’t need to rely on others to be my source of strength. I can be strong all by myself."

–sweetpeaprincess

11. "How the hell can a person go to work in the morning and come home in the evening and have nothing to say?" — "Angel From Montgomery," John Prine

Atlantic

"The line refers to a loveless marriage, but it strikes me as a reflection of our work-obsessed culture. It reminds me not to waste all of my time and energy at work, and to save my energy for the people and things that matter. There have been times I’ve come home from work and just wanted to shut myself off from the world because I’m so exhausted. Then I remember this lyric and force myself to spend time with loved ones instead. After a few minutes talking with them, I get re-energized and don't have to force it anymore."

—sattheer

12. "Your love, it isn’t free, it has to be earned. Back then, I didn’t have anything you needed so I was worthless. But piece by piece, he collected me from off the ground, where you abandon things." – "Piece by Piece," Kelly Clarkson

RCA

"The lyrics of this song make me feel seen. The song helps me feel validated by my feelings and become content with not having a relationship with my parents just because they’re parents. They’re also human, and humans can be shitty, whether they created you or not."

—mj2005

13. "Everybody's got somebody telling them what to be... Be as shy as you want to. Be as loud as you want to. Be as small as you want to. Don't let anybody stop you." – "Be As," Prozzäk

Sony

"The song was my anthem for so much of my life, and I still resonate with it. I was always painfully shy (technically social anxiety before it was known) and struggled to make friends. I was always told by my parents to be different (more talkative, more adventurous, more athletic, etc.). So as a kid, I had to conform to a lot of adult ideas. But inside, I took the song as a guide for myself. I would be forced into things all my life, but it wouldn't stop me from being me inside it all."

—zemt

14. “I made you my temple, my mural, my sky. Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life.” – "Tolerate It," Taylor Swift

Republic

"It showed me that no matter how much you love each other, if the same effort is not reciprocated, you should let go."

–imafangirl54

15. "It’s alright to die, 'cause death’s the only thing you haven’t tried. But just for tonight, hold on." – "Even My Dad Does Sometimes," Ed Sheeran

Asylum / Atlantic

"When I heard these lyrics, I was in a very dark place. For some reason, hearing someone say that it’s OK to feel this way, and it’s OK if you can’t make it, but just for a second, step back and hold on with me...it took away the fear and rage, and held my hand. It changed me."

—bacondonut

16. "I’ve learned that doves and ravens fly the same." – "Glory," Dermot Kennedy

Riggins / Interscope / Island

"I got out of what I realized was an abusive situation with a campus ministry group. I was mad for AGES that I couldn’t spot that I was being lied to and manipulated. Then I realized, it wasn’t my fault. THEY were the ones lying to me; I was desperate to fit in, desperate to do anything they said. It wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t spot the red flags sooner; I got out when I finally realized what was happening, and that’s all I can hold myself to. Hearing that lyric pushed me ages ahead in my healing. I’m still not at 100, and I may never be, but I’m recovering."

—thatsquidsquad

17. "If you've still got some light in you, then go before it’s gone. Burn your fire for no witness, it’s the only way it’s done. Fierce and light and young, hit the ground and run." – "White Fire," Angel Olsen

Jagjaguwar

"I love Angel Olsen but only just recently discovered this song after a four-year toxic relationship (in which I completely lost my sense of self and confidence) ended. It was exactly what I needed to hear to help me realize that I hadn’t really been living for myself, and that anything that requires me to abandon any part of myself, sacrifice any inner peace, and/or put anyone or anything else before my well-being has no place in my life."

—homesickmartian

18. "You know that I forgive you. I know you don't forgive me. We're only humans, so we hold on to two completely different stories." – "Stories," Refs

REFS

"Hearing this song made me reevaluate every breakup I’ve ever had. It’s so easy to look at experiences through your own lens. But that reminder that we each have our own stories, and they will unlikely be exactly the same as the other person in that story, really impacted me."

–Kimboslice287

19. "I know their beauty’s not my lack." – "Jealousy, Jealousy," Olivia Rodrigo

Geffen

"I feel like this is so important to remember. Just because you’re seeing tons of beautiful people on the internet all the time, that doesn’t mean that you’re any less beautiful than them!"

—janetsnakehole2

20. "And I know that I deserve your love. There’s nothing I’m not worthy of." – "This Is Me," Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble

20th Century Fox

"When I heard those words, it was like an epiphany. I had isolated and hidden myself away because I felt like I didn’t deserve to be loved by anyone and that I wasn’t worthy of being close to anyone. This lyric has become a chant for me when I start feeling that way again because I DO deserve love, and no one can tell me I’m not worth something, especially not myself in my darker days!"

—katieg4a39e845a

21. "You just workin' with the scraps you was given. And Mama made miracles every Thanksgiving. But now the road got rough, you're alone. You're tryin' to raise two bad kids on your own. And there's no way I can pay you back. But my plan is to show you that I understand. You are appreciated." – "Dear Mama," 2Pac

InterscopeJive

"My younger brother and I were raised by a single mother. She and I had a very difficult relationship, and I ended up resenting her throughout my teenage years. When I heard this song, it was like a slap in the face. It forced me to look at things from my mom's perspective. Even if I would have done things differently, she just did the best she could. Our relationship improved greatly once I understood that."

–grundlefresch

22. "People like us, we've got to stick together. Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever. Here's to the damned, to the lost and forgotten. It's hard to get high when you're living on the bottom. We are all misfits living in a world on fire." – "People Like Us," originally by Kelly Clarkson as performed by Matt Bomer and Alan Mingo Jr.

DC / Warner Bros.

"While I'd heard the Kelly Clarkson original version first, the lyrics really didn't hit home for me until I heard the Doom Patrol cover of 'People Like Us.' They really added a queer nuance to it that makes it an LGBTQ anthem and makes you feel reassured that you are not alone."

—monikap6

23. And finally, "'Cause I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine. But maybe not tonight." – "Delilah," Florence and the Machine

Island

"Sometimes you want everything to disappear. You don't feel OK. You feel like the world is ending. But one day, you will be able to leave and get rid of what is dragging you down. And one day, you will be fine. I'm going through a tough time with my mental health, and it is a good reminder that one day, I will be free from my problems, and I will be fine."

—deke_shaw

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Now it's your turn! Which lyric changed your life forever? Let me know in the comments below!