Introduction

How does one communicate the depth of anguish one is experiencing? Sometimes we can’t find the right words or the words we would use would implicate others or others find it easier to hear such rough words quoted from a musician than shared unsourced from our own mouths. I’ve collected together the songs that I have used to share my angst and also those which I listen to in the midst of my angst. Please let me know if you have additional recommendations.

Note: These songs do not contain profanity, sexual explicit material, or etc. It is my intention to keep the list that way. This makes creating such a list much more difficult.

General Suffering

Hardish

• House of Heroes. “Choose Your Blade.” The Knock-Down Drag-Outs.
• Superchick. “Crawl (Carry Me Through).” Rock What You Got.
• Superchick. “Courage.” Beauty From Pain 1.1.
• Superchick. “One More.” Rock What You Got.
• Superchick. “Stand in the Rain.” Beauty From Pain 1.1.
• Superchick. “Breathe.” Rock What You Got.
• Red. “Confession (What’s Inside My Head).” Innocence & Instinct.
• Red. “Death of Me.” Innocence & Instinct.
• Red. “Let Go.” End of Silence.
• Decyfer Down. “Crash.” Crash.
• Jars of Clay. “Dead Man (Carry Me).” Greatest Hits.
• Jars of Clay. “Two Hands.” The Long Fall Back to Earth.
• Disciple. “Dear X, You Don’t Own Me.” Horseshoes & Handgrenades.
• Thousand Foot Krutch. “Favorite Disease.” The Flame in All of Us.
• Thousand Foot Krutch. “Puppet.” Set It Off.
• Thousand Foot Krutch. “The Art of Breaking.” The Art of Breaking.
• Thousand Foot Krutch. “The Part That Hurts the Most (Is Me).” Welcome to the Masquerade.
• Thousand Foot Krutch. “War of Change.” The End Is Where We Begin.
• Thousand Foot Krutch. “We Are.” The End Is Where We Begin.
• Thousand Foot Krutch. “Welcome to the Masquerade.” Welcome to the Masquerade.
• Icon for Hire. “Fight.” Scripted.
• Icon for Hire. “Get Well.” Scripted.
• Flyleaf. “Fire Fire.” New Horizons.
• The Letter Black. “Fire With Fire.” Hanging On By A Thread.
• The Letter Black. “My Disease.” Hanging On By A Thread.
• The Letter Black. “Sick Charade.” Rebuild.
• The Letter Black. “Pain Killer.” Rebuild.
• The Letter Black. “Found.” Rebuild.
• Skillet. “Hero.” Awake.
• Skillet. “Monster.” Awake.
• Skillet. “One Day Too Late.” Awake.
• Skillet. “Sick of It.” Rise.
• Audio Adrenaline. “Lonely Man.” Lift.
• Switchfoot. “Mess of Me.” Hello Hurricane.
• Switchfoot. “Thrive.” Vice Verses.
• Arcade Fire. “My Body Is a Cage.” Neon Bible.
• BarlowGirl. “Never Alone.” BarlowGirl.
• BarlowGirl. “Song for the Broken.” How Can We Be Silent.
• Remedy Drive. “Resuscitate Me.” Resuscitate.
• ZOEgirl. “Scream.” The Ultimate Collection.
• House of Heroes. “So Far Away.” Suburba.
• Art of Dying. “Sorry.” Vices and Virtues.
• Art of Dying. “Get Thru This.” Vices and Virtues.
• Warr Acres. “Sound the Alarm.” Warr Acres.
• Day of Fire. “The Dark Hills.” Losing All.
• Brian “Head” Welch. “Washed By Blood.” Save Me From Myself.
• 12 Stones. “This Dark Day.” Anthem For The Underdog.
• 12 Stones. “Infected.” Beneath the Scars.
• Plumb. “Need You Now (How Many Times).” Need You Now (How Many Times).
• Relient K. “I So Hate Consequences.” MMHMM.
• Sanctus Real. “These Things Take Time.” Pieces of a Real Heart.
• Sanctus Real. “Pray.” Pray.
• Sanctus Real. “Lay Down My Guns.” Run.

Softish

• Downhere.
  • “The Problem.” Ending Is Beginning.
  • “One Small Step.” Two At A Time.
• JJ Heller.
  • “When You Come Back.” The Pretty & the Plain.
  • “What Love Really Means.” When I’m With You.
  • “Control.” When I’m With You.
• NEEDTOBREATHE.
  • “These Hard Times.” The Outsiders.
• Rich Mullins.
  • “Hard to Get.” The Jesus Record.
  • “Hold Me Jesus.” A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band.
• The Rolling Stones.
  • “Paint It, Black.” Singles 1965-1967.
• Tenth Avenue North.
  • “Losing.” Losing.

Relational Suffering

Hardish

• Skillet.
  • “Don’t Wake Me.” Awake.
  • “Everything Goes Black.” Rise.
  • “It’s Not Me It’s You.” Awake.
  • “Should’ve When You Could’ve.” Awake.
• Hawk Nelson.
  • “I Still Miss You.” Hawk Nelson Is My Friend.
  • “Through the Fire.” Made.
  • “Someone Else Before.” Letters To The President.
  • “Eggshells.” Live Life Loud.
• Anberlin.
  • “The Feel Good Drag.” Never Take Friendship Personal.
  • “Desires.” Devotion.
• Thousand Foot Krutch.
  • “Absolute.” The Art of Breaking.
• Superchick.
  • “bowling ball.” Beauty From Pain 1.1.
  • “Wishes.” Beauty From Pain 1.1.
• House of Heroes.
  • “Dead.” The Knock-Down Drag-Outs.
• Fireflight.
  • “The Love We Had Before.” Unbreakable.
• Day of Fire.
  • “Hello Heartache.” Losing All.
• Red.
  • “Death of Me.” Innocence & Instinct.
  • “Let Go.” End Of Silence.
• The Classic Crime.
  • “The Coldest Heart.” Albatross.
• Art of Dying.
  • “Sorry.” Vices and Virtues.
  • “Completely.” Vices and Virtues.
• Evanescence.
  • “My Heart Is Broken.” Evanescence.
• 12 Stones.
  • “That Changes Everything.” Beneath The Scars.
• Abandon.
  • “Hold On.” Searchlights.
• Kids In The Way.
  • “Even Snakes Have Hearts.” Apparitions of Melody.
• The Letter Black.
  • “Shattered.” Rebuild.

Softish

• BarlowGirl.
  • “I Need You To Love Me.” Another Journal Entry.
• Casting Crowns.
  • “My Own Worst Enemy.” Come To The Well.
• Damien Rice.
  • “Delicate.” O.
• Train, Ashley Monroe. “Bruises.” California 37.
• Rich Mullins.
  • “We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are.” Songs.
• DC Talk.
  • “It’s Killing Me.” Supernatural.
• TobyMac.
  • “Start Somewhere.” Tonight.
• Jimmy Ruffin.
  • “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted.” Playlist Plus – Motown 50th Anniversary.
• JJ Heller.
  • “Why Is It Colder.” The Pretty & The Plain.
• Mandolyn Mae.
  • “Here We Are.” Once.
  • “Tonight.” Once.
• Brooke Fraser.
  • “Who Are We Fooling.” Flags.
• The Civil Wars.
  • “The One That Got Away.” The Civil Wars.
• Joy Williams.
  • “Speaking a Dead Language.” Songs From That.

Distance From God

• Keith Green.
  • “My Eyes Are Dry.” The Greatest Hits.
• Downhere.
  • “My Last Amen.” Ending Is Beginning.
• Hawk Nelson.
  • “My Next Breath.” Crazy Love.
• Gungor / The Michael Gungor Band.
  • “Please Be My Strength.” Beautiful Things.
  • “Prodigal.” Ancient Skies.
• Jars of Clay.
  • “Two Hands.” The Long Fall Back to Earth.
• JJ Heller.
  • “When You Come Back.” The Pretty & The Plain.
  • “Have Mercy On Me.” The Pretty & The Plain.
• Aaron Sprinkle.
  • “No Reason to Pretend.” Bareface.