Songs About Support - With Meaningful And Poetically Rich Lyrics

We all need support sometimes, and when we don’t find it in the people around us, we can find it in music. In this post, I collected a number of poetic, sincere, and emotional, songs about support.

Guardians of Souls by Alex Genadinik

This is an autobiographical song about an earlier time in my life when I felt abandoned and without support. The song literally starts with “When all I had was a cigarette in gray morning dew.” There are no other people around in that scene.

The song is about how I found strength and support from poets, artists, and musicians whose music and art lifted me up, and gave me strength and the feeling of belonging. Hence, the poets, artists, and musicians are the guardians of souls.

Here is the page with full lyrics and analysis of this song about poets and musicians.

On The Smolensk Road by Bulat Okudzhava, translated by Alex Genadinik

A touching translation from a classic 20th century Russian song, the “Road Song” so touchingly conveys how it feels to have a lack of support that it makes the listener long to have the support, creating a pretty melancholy aura. The story is about how it feels to have a cold relationship in which there is no compassion, understanding, or care.

Here is the link to the full song analysis and lyrics of this song about leaving and sorrow after getting no support.

The main lyrics in this song are:

“Maybe if the ring of your arms was more secure, the road would have been easier for me.”

And that’s echoed in the song by:

“Above my road shine just like your eyes – two cold evening stars looking down on me.”

This is a translation from the Russian version. When I first listened to the original many years ago, there was something quite human and real in those lines. I’ve had moments in which I felt exactly the same way so these lines resonated with me to my very core. You really sense what how lonely it feels to have no support and wish for support.

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon And Garfunkel

The first thing you notice about this song is the comforting sensitivity with which it is performed. It is as though the singer is talking to a person facing challenges, and comforting them.

The metaphor of the bridge of the troubled water is a natural one to sense even without thinking about it. Troubled water or rough seas is a common metaphor used in literature to express challenges in life. And, of course, a great friend can be precisely the help and the bridge over that troubled water that we all need sometimes.

Of course, some of the lyrics literally express “I will comfort you” that directly express the desire to help.

I’ll Stand By You by Chrissie Hynde

This song is a true expression of friendship. The song says it all: I’ll stand by you. It’s sung as the lyrics are written – strong and determined. This is a beautiful and inspiring song with tremendous vocals.

Wish To Friends – Another Song About Support

This is a very simple song and another song translated from the original Russian poetry. It’s full of encouragement and wishes for how we could treat one another rather than how we do treat one another.

Some of the interesting lyrics about having support are:

“Can we cry openly and comfort one another? Let’s feel each other’s needs before we start to suffer.”

Also:

“Oh friends lets exclaim admirations to each other and not fear that our words are forward and a bother.”

With the song ending like this:

“Let’s understand each other mid-sentence and smile, connecting in gazes that speak volumes in silence. Let’s live indulging in each other’s charm my friends because life’s too short to miss its magic moments.”

It’s a simple song, but it is rich in hope and aspiration.

Lean On Me by Bill Withers

This uplifting song of solidarity literally expresses support for another person, inviting people to swallow their pride, and lean on the person next to them because at some point, all of us will need somebody to lean on.

The chorus is very memorable and iconic: “Lean on me when you’re not strong.”

Count On Me by Bruno Mars

The lyrics are a little too simple and literal for my taste, but I added this song to this list because the feel of the song, its catchiness, and pleasant musicality is great for someone who is down and needs to feel support. The sound and feel of this song can lift someone up. This song itself is a supportive song.

Magic Dandelion – A Song Against Gun Violence Recognizing That If People Had Support They Might Not Resort To Evil Acts

This may be my most controversial song. But I don’t think it’s very controversial. The song addresses mass shootings and gun violence, which just about everyone today wish would stop. The story of the song starts with a mass shooting and as the song goes on, we learn about the loneliness of the shooter and how society wasn’t there for him. Then we reimagine a world where people supported one another and lonely souls would find support, and wouldn’t need to resort to angry or violent acts. In the end of the song, the shooter reconsiders his action and does not go through with them, finding his love instead.

The central metaphor of this song is that instead of a gun spreading bullets, there would be a magic dandelion which would spread petals (or seeds) or love as a way to counter ugliness with something beautiful. Take a listen. This is one of my earlier songs and perhaps the melody isn’t as catchy as my newer songs, but the lyrics are quite meaningful.

Blue Trolley – A Song About Support In The Unlikeliest Of Places

Sometimes you find yourself stuck in a place with people who are in the same situation as you are. You may not discuss it or even talk to those people, but they are going through the same things as you. One of those places is a bus or a trolley where everyone is tired and just trying to get home.

You wouldn’t ordinarily think of that as a supportive environment. Perhaps, it’s more of a cold and distant environment. But this magical song reimagines this environment as one with potential for compassion and support: