100 Best Songs About Water
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Water has been used as a metaphor for thousands of years. These songs use this metaphoric image perfectly.
Songs About Lakes, Oceans, Rivers, and More
A number of songs mention the word water in their lyrics or title. While many songs convey the literal meaning of the word, certain songs use it metaphorically to convey a deeper meaning.
Lyrics about water can be interpreted in many different ways. Modern music continuously brings new life to this age-old metaphoric image.
The list below showcases a diverse number of songs about water and its many associations. If you have strong opinions about these songs or would like to suggest some other songs related to the topic, feel free to speak up in the comments section.
Top 10 Best Songs About Water
- “Cry Me a River”—Justin Timberlake
- “Bridge Over Troubled Water”—Simon and Garfunkel
- “Smoke on the Water”—Deep Purple
- “The River”—Bruce Springsteen
- “Water”—The Who
- “Down to the Waterline”—Dire Straits
- “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”—Otis Redding
- “Rock Me on the Water”—Jackson Browne
- “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”—Creedence Clearwater Revival
- “When the Levee Breaks”—Led Zeppelin
Pexels
Use of Water as an Image in Music
The word water has been used by singers and songwriters to explain an event, a setting, or a state of mind. While the image has been used in many ways, it's often used to make comparisons that explain relationships or the lyricist's feelings about a person.
Water, and various terms associated with it, is a common image across many different music genres. Bodies of water, such as seas, lakes, oceans, canals, and rivers, are often used as metaphors to draw attention to the lyricist's emotional state.
#11–20
11. “Water Under the Bridge”—Adele
12. “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”—B.J. Thomas
13. “Rain”—The Beatles
14. “Black Water”—Doobie Brothers
15. “Down By the River”—Neil Young
16. “The River of Dreams”—Billy Joel
17. “Madman Across the Water”—Elton John
18. “Beyond the Sea”—Bobby Darin
19. “Purple Rain”—Prince
20. “Hold Back the River”—James Bay
Read More From Spinditty
Pexels
Concepts and Ideas About Water in Songs
Of course, different listeners will interpret the metaphoric meaning of water differently, but that's exactly what makes it such a great metaphor. Profound lyrics often convey deep meaning by allowing listeners to think about the metaphors and images from multiple viewpoints.
#21–40
21. “Yellow Submarine”—The Beatles
22. “Moon River”—Audrey Hepburn
23. “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall”—Bob Dylan
24. “Waterfalls”—TLC
25. “Dirty Water”—The Standells
26. “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall”—Coldplay
27. “Octopus’s Garden”—The Beatles
28. “Green River”—Creedence Clearwater Revival
29. “New World Water”—Mos Def
30. “Blue Bayou”—Linda Ronstadt
31. “Rivers of Babylon”—Boney M
32. “Let the River Run”—Carly Simon
33. “Only the Ocean”—Jack Johnson
34. “The Water Song”—The Incredible String Band
35. “May This Be Love”—The Jimi Hendrix Experience
36. “Come Sail Away”—Styx
37. “Lies of Serpents, a River of Tears”—Zao
38. “Down to the River to Pray”—Alison Krauss
39. “Water No Get Enemy”—Fela Kuti
40. “A Knife in the Ocean”—Foals
Pexels
Hidden Meanings in Songs About Water
Certain songs use the image of water to convey or reflect a hidden meaning. The image is frequently used to denote alternative concepts that can best be symbolically represented by water's mysterious and ever-shifting qualities. In fact, the word is so dynamic that it can even be used diabolically to explore dark sarcasm in relation to past events or unsettling memories.
#41–60
41. “I Sat By the Ocean”—Queens of the Stone Age
42. “Ocean”—Martin Garrix featuring Khalid
43. “Don't Fight the Sea”—The Beach Boys
44. “Across the Sea”—Weezer
45. “Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)”—Enya
46. “Back to the River”—The Pretty Reckless
47. “Ocean of Noise”—Arcade Fire
48. “The Ocean—Mike Perry featuring Shy Martin
49. “Take Me to the River”—Al Green
50. “Grown Ocean”—Fleet Foxes
51. “Walk on the Ocean”—Toad the Wet Sprocket
52. “Down By the Seaside”—Led Zeppelin
53. “Children of the Sea”—Black Sabbath
54. “Yellow River”—Christie
55. “Head Above Water”—Avril Lavigine
56. “I Am a River”—Foo Fighter
57. “The River”—Garth Brooks
58. “Fire Lake”—Bob Seger
59. “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”—Ella Fitzgerald
60. “Told My Troubles to the River”—Tom McRae
Pexels
#61–80
61. “Into the Ocean”—Blue October
62. “At the River”—Groove Armada
63. “Cold Water”—Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MO
64. “Ocean”—Lou Reed
65. “Where the River Goes”—Stone Temple Pilots
66. “The Wreck of the Edumnd Fitzgerald”—Gordon Lightfoot
67. “Ocean Rain”—Echo & the Bunnymen
68. “Down By the Water”—PJ Harvey
69. “Mighty River”—Mary J. Blige
70. “Ocean Breathes Salty”—Modest Mouse
71. “Ripple”—Grateful Dead
72. “Come On Down to My Boat”—Every Mother’s Son
73. “River of Love”—George Strait
74. “Oceania”—Bjork
75. “Following the River”—The Rolling Stones
76. “Cake By the Ocean”—DNCE
77. “Girl and the Sea”—The Presets
78. “Across the River”—Bruce Hornsby & the Range
79. “Big River”—Johnny Cash
80. “Ocean Avenue”—Yellowcard
Pexels
#81–100
81. “Lake by the Ocean”—Maxwell
82. “Walk on Water”—Thirty Seconds To Mars
83. “Sea of Love”—Phil Phillips with the Twilights
84. “River”—Eminem
85. “Sea Within a Sea”—The Horrors
86. “Ocean”—Goldfrapp
87. “Kern River”—Emmylou Harris
88. “Oceans”—Pearl Jam
89. “Don’t Drink the Water”—Dave Matthews Band
90. “Cool Water”—Jack Scott
91. “Ocean Eyes”—Billie Eilish
92. “The River”—Good Charlotte featuring M Shadows and Synyster Gates
93. “Once in a Lifetime”—Talking Heads
94. “Meeting Across the River”—Bruce Springsteen
95. “Edge of the Ocean”—Ivy
96. “The Ocean”—U2
97. “River of Deceit”—Mad Season
98. “Lake of Fire”—Meat Puppets
99. “Don’t Go Near the Water”—The Beach Boys
100. “Aqueous Transmission”—Incubus
Other Notable Songs About Water
- “Up on Cripple Creek”—The Band
- “Wade in the Water”—Tedeschi Trucks Band
- “Like a River”—Carly Simon
- “Wet Hair”—Japandroids
- “Draggin' the River”—Blake Shelton
- “God of Ocean Tide”—Counting Crows
- “Raindrop in my Skull”—of Montreal
- “Something in the Water”—Carrie Underwood
- “Dead Sea”—The Lumineers
- “Pool Party”—Julia Jacklin
- “You Don’t Miss Your Water”—William Bell
- “I Go Swimming”—Peter Gabriel
- “Moody River”—Pat Boone
- “Baby, You Wouldn’t Last A Minute on the Creek”–Chiodos
- “Splish Splash”—Bobby Darin
- “Beach Monster”—Strfkr
- “Wide Sargasso Sea”—Stevie Nicks
- “Blue Ocean Floor”—Justin Timberlake
- “Across Five Oceans”—Madina Lake
- “The Cruel Sea”—The Dakotas
- “Ocean Street”—Aloha
- “Oily Water”—Blur
- “Tenerife Sea”—Ed Sheeran
- “Indian Lake”—The Cowsills
- “Lake Pontchartrain”—Ludo
- “River of No Return”—The Jeff Healey Band
- “Sea of Darkness”—Sonny & the Sunsets
- “Under a Silent Sea”—Loney Dear
- “Ocean Skies”—Ludacris
- “Sea of Love”—The National
- “Bow River”—Cold Chisel
- “Ocean Blue”—Willow Robinson
- “God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise”—Ray LaMontagne
- “Tree By the River”—Iron & Wine
- “See the Sea”—Example
- “Lost River”—Murder by Death
- “Oceans”—Jay-Z
- “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea”—The Cure
- “Wading in the Velvet Sea”—Phish
- “Rivers in Your Mouth”—Ben Howard
- “Live By the Ocean”—The Hoosiers
- “Cried Me a River”—Kristinia DeBarge
- “Raindrops”—Dee Clark
- “Binary Sea”—Death Cab for Cutie
- “Many Rivers to Cross”—Jimmy Cliff
- “Inland Sea”—...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
- “To the Sea”—Jack Johnson
- “Water Woman”—Spirit
- “Swimming”—Kero Kero Bonito
- “Whiskey River”—Willie Nelson
- “Lemonade Lake”—Jungle
- “Turn Soonest to the Sea”—Protest the Hero
- “Black River”—Paul Weller
- “Oceans”—The Format
- “Made Up English Oceans”—Drive-By Truckers
- “Water Water”—Empress Of
- “Life's a Bath”—John Frusciante
- “A Teardrop to the Sea”—Bon Jovi
- “Night at Lake Unknown”—Conor Oberst
- “Running to the Sea”—Royksopp featuring Susanne Sundfor
- “The Ocean”—Led Zeppelin
- “Deep River”—John Oates
- “Love, Reign o’er Me”—The Who
- “Deeper Water”—Paul Kelly
- “Water Is Blood”—Catman Cohen
- “On Golden Sea”—Thor
- “Lost at Sea”—Zedd
- “Black Lake”—Bjork
- “Dam That River”—Alice in Chains
- “Big Tree, Blue Sea”—Golden Earring
- “Ocean Spray”—Manic Street Preachers
- “Capsizing the Sea”—Trivium
- “The Heart of the Sea”—Flogging Molly
- “She Took Him to the Lake”—Mallory Knox
- “Gloomsday”—Pillar Point
- “The River”—PJ Harvey
- “Walk Into the Sea”—Johnny Marr
- “L.A. River”—Rancid
- “River God”—Nichole Nordeman
- “Wide River”—Steve Miller Band
- “Rocks in the Ocean”—Al Stewart
- “Cool Water”—Sons of the Pioneers
- “River Song”—The Maccabees
- “The Sea”—Corinne Bailey Rae
- “Cry a River”—Alter Bridge
- “Sea Cruise”—Frankie Ford
- “Oasis”—A Great Big World
- “Meet Me By the Water”—Rachel Yamagata
- “Red River Blue”—Blake Shelton
- “Sinner in the Sea”—Calexico
- “On the Ocean”—K'Jon
- “Mouth of the River”—Imagine Dragons
- “Girl in the Sea”—No More Kings
- “The River”—Hillary Scott & The Scott Family
- “Red River”—Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
- “Water”—Brad Paisley
- “Drink the Water”—Jack Johnson
- “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)”—Hillsong United
- “Delta”—Mumford & Sons
- “River Anacostia”—PJ Harvey
- “Candle on the Water”—Helen Reddy
- “River”—Patty Griffin
- “O.K., Meet Me Underwater”—Jay Som
- “Under the Sea”—Howard Ashman and Alan Menken
- “Oceans”—Coldplay
- “Water Your Hands”—Aloha
- “Ocean”—TK Kravitz featuring Jacquees
- “Yes, the River Knows”—The Doors
- “Somewhere Down the Crazy River”—Robbie Robertson
- “Drown”—Jay Som
- “Phone in a Pool”—Ben Folds
- “River”—Josh Groban
- “Tennessee River”—Alabama
- “Fog on the Tyne”—Lindisfarne
- “Ol' Man River”—Paul Robeson
- “Big River”—Van Halen
- “La Mer”—Nine Inch Nails
- “Rio Grande”—Brian Wilson
- “This Is the Sea”—The Waterboys
- “Behind the Sea”—Panic! at the Disco
- “Deep Forbidden Lake”—Neil Young
- “River Deep — Mountain High”—Ike & Tina Turner
- “My House by the Water”—Mac DeMarco
- “Go Into the Water”—Dethlok
- “River”—Leon Bridges
- “Nightwater Girlfriend”—Someone Still Loves You Boris Yelstin
- “Cry Me a River”—Joe Cocker
- “One Ocean”—Chevelle
- “Deeper Water”—Public Image Ltd.
- “The River Is Wild”—The Killers
- “Niagara”—Braid
- “Boat on the River”—Styx
- “River”—Emeli Sande
- “Gather at the River”—Point of Grace
- “Atlantic”—Rainer Maria
- “River to Consider”—White Denim
- “River Man”—Nick Drake
- “The Light and the Sea”—Dar Williams
- “Oceans Burning”—The Horrors
- “River—Bishop Briggs
© 2019 Ansel Pereira
Comments
frank frank on May 18, 2020:
Where is "Ugly God - Water" or "Ski Mask the Slump God - H2O ft. XXXTentacion" on this list?
