Lyrics define us as a people, as a generation, and give definition to specific events in periods of time. Growing up, I knew all the lyrics to all the songs I liked. Whether or not I understood the subtext of what was going on in a song like Don McLean’s “American Pie” or Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” I still knew the words. I had no idea who the Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, or Buddy Holly was; I didn’t understand all the hoop la about Marilyn Monroe as a person or an actress (she wasn’t in The Goonies) I most certainly didn’t know how any of these people had died or the visceral reaction from people and artists which spawned these songs.

Using history as a compass; being a student of what had happened and giving both songs a fresh listen is an experience. Song lyrics are so beautiful and help us understand a time of crisis or a time of joy; they lift us up they help us grieve. If you’re not sympathetic or have difficulty appreciating someone else’s situation, then maybe lyrics don’t mean all that much to you. Pop music has a way of deadening the senses; making us immune to the context of lyrics by keeping lyrics surface level and eliminating the meaning in keeping to a rhyme scheme.

However there are still song lyrics that help to define a movement and keep people plugged in to what’s going on in the world; corporate corruption, government intrusion, police profiling, federal ineptitude, tra la la la la, and they all came tumbling down.

Some of the most poignant lyricists of our time are actually rap artists. For all their bitches and bling, many artists really have a desperate, hopeful message strewn beneath pairing positive messages with hope and opportunity. That may sound contrary but for many artists, it’s their life; whether self imposed or otherwise, many artists live in desperate situations; near the verge of breaking down, giving up. It’s this desperation coupled with hope that’s an inspiration to their listeners. Many of the most effective lyricists have more than just party, party, party all the time as their lyrics.

If you’re looking for free song lyrics online, pretty much all you need to do is type in the song title into a search engine and you’ll get what you’re looking for. Many artists also have websites that have all their lyrics available. If you only know a line or two and they appear distinct enough, you can try to search that way and if you’re accurate you can usually come up with the song. Try enclosing your lyric in quotation marks if you have no luck and you’re absolutely sure that the way the lyric reads is correct and you may have some luck.

Many lyricists offer up disturbed portraits of the landscape as they see it. While they may appear to be “shocking” this sort of approach doesn’t typically appeal to a majority of listeners.