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Songs about Looking Back on Life

Well, time for some navel-gazing at its finest. Here are songs about life itself, in a contemplative, reflective mood. There's all kinds of points of view, be it bittersweet, cheery, regretful, boastful, or even devil-may-care.

Of course, pondering a meaning of life is the chief business of philosophy. So expect to hear a lot of armchair speculation on what life is about, or not about.

Now, without further ado, songs about looking back on life and reflecting on the past:

• 
  (Old Dogs, Children And) Watermelon Wine Tom T. Hall
• 
  100 Years Five For Fighting
• 
  1973 James Blunt
• 
  1985 Bowling for Soup
• 
  A Child of the Fifties Statler Brothers, The
• 
  Against the Wind Bob Seger

  "And I remember what she said to me
  How she swore that it never would end
  I remember how she held me oh so tight
  Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then"

• 
  American Honey Lady A

  "Oh, I miss those days
  As the years go by
  Oh, nothin' sweeter than summertime
  And American honey"

• 
  Black Dahlia Hollywood Undead
• 
  Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison

  "So hard to find my way,
  Now that I'm all on my own.
  I saw you just the other day,
  My how you have grown,
  Cast my memory back there, Lord"

• 
  Castle On The Hill Ed Sheeran
• 
  Cat's in the Cradle Harry Chapin

  "And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,
  He'd grown up just like me.
  My boy was just like me"

• 
  Closer Chainsmokers, The
• 
  Coming Back to Life Pink Floyd
• 
  Disenchanted My Chemical Romance

  "I spent my high school career
  Spit on and shoved to agree
  So I could watch all my heroes
  Sell a car on TV"

• 
  Don't Blink Kenny Chesney

  "Don't blink, you just might miss
  Your babies growing like mine did
  Turning into moms and dads"

• 
  Dreams of the Everyday Housewife Glen Campbell

  "The photograph album she takes from the closet and slowly turns the page
  And carefully picks up the crumbling flower
  The first one he gave her now withered with age"

• 
  Everlong Foo Fighters
• 
  Field Of Innocence Evanescence
• 
  Fields of Gold Sting

  "Many years have passed since those summer days
  Among the fields of barley
  See the children run as the sun goes down
  Among the fields of gold
  You'll remember me when the west wind moves"

• 
  Fireflies Owl City
• 
  First Kiss Kid Rock
• 
  For the Love of a Daughter Demi Lovato
• 
  Glory Days Bruce Springsteen
• 
  Goin' Back Dusty Springfield
• 
  Good Riddance (Time of your Life) Green Day
• 
  Grandaddy's Gun Blake Shelton
• 
  Heat Waves Glass Animals
• 
  Heaven Jake Worthington
• 
  Honey Bobby Goldsboro
• 
  How Far We've Come Matchbox 20
• 
  I Miss My Friend Darryl Worley
• 
  In My Life Beatles

  "There are places I remember
  All my life though some have changed
  Some forever not for better
  Some have gone and some remain
  All these places have their moments
  With lovers and friends I still can recall
  Some are dead and some are living
  In my life I’ve loved them all"

• 
  Iridescent Linkin Park
• 
  It Was A Very Good Year Frank Sinatra
• 
  It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday Boyz II Men

  "I don't know where this road
  Is going to lead
  All I know is where we've been
  And what we've been through.
  If we get to see tomorrow
  I hope it's worth all the wait
  It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday."
  

• 
  Landslide Fleetwood Mac
• 
  Letter to Me Brad Paisley
• 
  Lion Hollywood Undead
• 
  Lost in the Echo Linkin Park
• 
  Mary's Song (Oh My My My) Taylor Swift
• 
  Memories Within Temptation
• 
  Memories Maroon 5
• 
  Memory Lane Baker Gurvitz Army
• 
  My Hometown Bruce Springsteen

  "I was eight years old and running with a dime in my hand
  Into the bus stop to pick up a paper for my old man
  I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick and steer as we drove through town"

• 
  My Way Frank Sinatra
• 
  Never Forget You Zara Larsson
• 
  Never Stop Jackson Browne
• 
  New Divide Linkin Park
• 
  Old Apartment Barenaked Ladies
• 
  Photograph Def Leppard
• 
  Photograph Nickelback
• 
  Real Life Jeff Carson
• 
  Red Ragtop Tim McGraw

  "We took one more trip around the sun
  But it was all make believe in the end
  And no I can't say where she is today
  I can't remember who I was back then"

• 
  Reflections of My Life Marmalade
• 
  Remember Everything Five Finger Death Punch
• 
  Remember When Alan Jackson

  "Remember when thirty seemed so old
  Now lookn' back it's just a steppin' stone
  To where we are,
  Where we've been
  Said we'd do it all again
  Remember when"

• 
  Small Town Southern Man Alan Jackson
• 
  Stealing Cinderella Chuck Wicks
• 
  Strawberry Fields Forever Beatles
• 
  Strawberry Wine Deana Carter
• 
  Swing Life Away Rise Against
• 
  Telegraph Road Dire Straits
• 
  The Art Teacher Rufus Wainwright

  "There I was in uniform
  Looking at the art teacher
  I was just a girl then;
  Never have I loved since then"

• 
  The Class of '57 Had Its Dreams Statler Brothers, The

  "And the class of '57 had its dreams,
  But living life from day to day is never like it seems.
  Things get complicated when you get past eighteen"

• 
  The House That Built Me Miranda Lambert
• 
  The Way We Were Barbara Streisand

  "Can it be that it was all so simple then
  or has time rewritten every line?"

• 
  This Used to Be My Playground Madonna
• 
  Those Were The Days Mary Hopkin

  "Just tonight I stood before the tavern
  Nothing seemed the way it used to be
  In the glass I saw a strange reflection
  Was that lonely woman really me"

• 
  Through the Years Kenny Rogers
• 
  Tired Stone Sour
• 
  Trouble Coldplay
• 
  Valentine's Day Linkin Park
• 
  Wake me Up When September Ends Green Day
• 
  Welcome to the Black Parade My Chemical Romance
• 
  Yesterday Once More Carpenters, The
• 
  Yesterday When I Was Young Dusty Springfield

  "I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out,
  I never stopped to think what life was all about
  And every conversation I can now recall
  concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all"

• 
  You're Gonna Miss This Trace Adkins
• 
  Young Chainsmokers, The

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