300 Greatest Rock Lyrical Performances

Criteria: These are the greatest songs lyrically in rock 'n' roll. With lyrics of originality, artistic expression, emotion, wit, social consciousness and great storytelling.
Greatest Rock Lyrical Performances
 Artist • Song
1. Bob Dylan
Desolation Row
2. Don McLean
American Pie
3. Bob Dylan
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
4. John Lennon
Imagine
5. Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah
6. Bob Dylan
Shelter From The Storm
7. Pete Townshend
Won't Get Fooled Again
8. Roger Waters
Time
9. Bruce Springsteen
Thunder Road
10. Joni Mitchell
Both Sides Now
11. Bob Marley
Redemption Song
12. Paul Simon
Patterns
13. Leonard Cohen
Everybody Knows
14. Ray Davies
Waterloo Sunset
15. Neil Young
Broken Arrow
16. John Fogerty
Fortunate Son
17. Bob Dylan
Masters of War
18. Jackson Browne
Late For the Sky
19. Bob Dylan
All Along The Watchtower
20. John Lennon / Paul McCartney
A Day In The Life
21. Bob Dylan
Visions of Johanna
22. Jim Morrison
When The Music's Over
23. Neil Young
Cortez the Killer
24. Sam Cooke
A Change Is Gonna Come
25. Bob Dylan
Tangled Up In Blue
26. Bruce Springsteen
4th of July, Asbury Park
27. Curtis Mayfield
This Is My Country
28. Gordon Lightfoot
The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald
29. Bob Dylan
Blowin' In The Wind
30. Warren Zevon
Lawyers, Guns and Money
31. Paul Simon
I am a Rock
32. Bob Dylan
Idiot Wind
33. Joe Strummer
Straight to Hell
34. John Lennon
Gimme Some Truth
35. Paul Simon
Sparrow
36. Jackson Browne
These Days
37. Trent Reznor
Hurt
38. Pete Townshend
5:15
39. Neil Young
Rockin' In the Free World
40. Joe Strummer
Somebody Got Murdered
41. Bob Dylan
Forever Young
42. Paul Simon
The Cool, Cool River
43. Nick Cave
Into My Arms
44. Warren Zevon
Carmelita
45. Neil Young
Thrasher
46. Roger Waters
If
47. Jim Croce
Time in a Bottle
48. Jim Morrison
The End
49. Joe Strummer
Lost in a Supermarket
50. Bob Dylan
Like A Rolling Stone
51. Harry Chapin
Taxi
52. Maynard James Keenan
The Noose
53. Warren Zevon
Disorder in the House
54. Smokey Robinson
Tears Of A Clown
55. Bob Dylan
Not Dark Yet
56. Joe Strummer
Shaktar Donetsk
57. Lou Reed
Heroin
58. Eddie Vedder
Off He Goes
59. Van Morrison
Madame George
60. Paul Simon
Something So Right
61. Roger Waters
When The Tigers Broke Free
62. Robert Plant
Stairway to Heaven
63. Jackson Browne
Fountain of Sorrow
64. Paul McCartney
Eleanor Rigby
65. Elvis Costello
In The Darkest Place
66. Van Morrison
Into the Mystic
67. Warren Zevon
Mutineer
68. Stevie Wonder
Living for the City
69. Jim Morrison
The Crystal Ship
70. Bob Dylan
The Times They Are A Changin'
71. Elvis Costello
Man Out of Time
72. Bruce Springsteen
This Hard Land
73. Paul Simon
The Sounds of Silence
74. Jacques Levy / Bob Dylan
Hurricane
75. Bruce Springsteen
Jungleland
76. Bob Dylan
Subterranean Homesick Blues
77. Paul Simon
The Boxer
78. Paul McCartney
Yesterday
79. Brian Wilson
Til I Die
80. Jim Morrison
Orange County Suite
81. Roger Waters
Eclipse
82. Joe Strummer
Spanish Bombs
83. Bruce Springsteen
Racing In the Street
84. Tom Waits
Singapore
85. Paul McCartney
Hey Jude
86. Bob Dylan
Stuck Inside of Mobile
87. Kurt Cobain
Dumb
88. Eddie Vedder
Better Man
89. Paul Simon
For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her
90. Nick Cave
Tupelo
91. Bruce Springsteen
Atlantic City
92. Paul Simon
Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall
93. John Lennon
Working Class Hero
94. Neil Young
Harvest Moon
95. Paul Weller
That's Entertainment
96. Smokey Robinson
Tracks Of My Tears
97. Joe Strummer
The Magnificent Seven
98. Eddie Vedder
Black
99. Maynard James Keenan
Third Eye
100. Bob Dylan
Tombstone Blues
101. Bruce Springsteen
Badlands
102. Roger Waters
Cymbaline
103. Robbie Robertson
Acadian Driftwood
104. Eric Clapton
Layla
105. Joni Mitchell
Big Yellow Taxi
106. Peter Tosh
Equal Rights
107. George Harrison
Something
108. Roger Waters
The Post War Dream
109. Peter Tosh / Bob Marley
Get Up, Stand Up
110. Neil Young
Crime in the City
111. Bob Dylan
It's All Over Now Baby Blue
112. Otis Redding
(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
113. Leonard Cohen
A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes
114. Dan Fogelberg
Leader of the Band
115. Elvis Costello
Tramp the Dirt Down
116. Stephen Stills
We Are Not Helpless
117. Mick Jagger
Sympathy For The Devil
118. Kurt Cobain
All Apologies
119. Maynard James Keenan
Passive
120. Paul Simon
Bleeker Street
121. Maynard James Keenan
Reflection
122. Kris Kristofferson
Me and Bobby McGee
123. Layne Staley
Nutshell
124. Morrissey
Everyday is Like Sunday
125. Frank Zappa
Dumb All Over
126. Peter Tosh
Here Comes the Judge
127. Holland / Dozier / Holland
Standing In The Shadow Of Love
128. Roger Waters
Brain Damage
129. Ray Davies
Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy
130. Peter Tosh
Pick Myself Up
131. Neil Peart
2112
132. Joni Mitchell
Chelsea Morning
133. Elvis Costello
Radio Radio
134. Jerry Cantrell
Hurt a Long Time
135. Roger Waters
Hey You
136. Joni Mitchell
Raised on Robbery
137. Ray Davies
Sunny Afternoon
138. Paul Simon
Train in the Distance
139. Bono
Bullet in the Blue Sky
140. John Lennon
Jealous Guy
141. Bob Marley
Buffalo Soldier
142. Pete Townshend
My Generation
143. Eddie Vedder
Corduroy
144. Don Henley
Hotel California
145. Eric Clapton
Tears in Heaven
146. Warren Zevon
Werewolves of London
147. Jackson Browne
Before the Deluge
148. Morrissey
Suffer Little Children
149. Elvis Costello
Oliver's Army
150. Thom Yorke
Karma Police
151. Eddie Vedder
Immortality
152. Trent Reznor
Closer
153. George Harrison
Within You Without You
154. Bono
Where the Streets Have No Name
155. Joe Strummer
London Calling
156. Bernie Taupin
Your Song
157. Jerry Cantrell
Rooster
158. Jim Croce
Operator
159. Maynard James Keenan
Weak and Powerless
160. Neil Peart
Subdivisions
161. Van Morrison
Astral Weeks
162. Ben Harper
Excuse Me Mr.
163. Van Morrison
Brown Eyed Girl
164. Jerry Cantrell
Don't Follow
165. Beres Hammond
What a Life
166. Robbie Robertson
The Weight
167. Maynard James Keenan
The Grudge
168. Neil Young
After the Goldrush
169. John Lennon
In My Life
170. Cat Stevens
Father and Son
171. Roger Waters
Comfortably Numb
172. Bob Dylan
Mr. Tambourine Man
173. Lou Reed
The Black Angel's Death Song
174. Nick Drake
Parasite
175. Bob Marley
Babylon System
176. Joe Strummer / Mick Jones
The Prisoner
177. Maynard James Keenan
H.
178. Paul Simon
Bridge Over Troubled Water
179. Morrissey
I Know It's Over
180. Pete Townshend
Sally Simpson
181. Neil Young
Powderfinger
182. James Taylor
Fire and Rain
183. Brian Wilson / Tony Asher
God Only Knows
184. Pete Townshend
Behind Blue Eyes
185. Ray Davies
Days
186. Neil Young
Needle and the Damage Done
187. Roger Waters
Wish You Were Here
188. Otis Redding
Coffee and Cigarettes
189. Jim Morrison
The Movie
190. Eddie Vedder
I Am Mine
191. Frank Zappa
Muffin Man
192. Pete Townshend
Baba O'Riley
193. Van Morrison
Moondance
194. Bruce Springsteen
Lost in the Flood
195. Justin Hayward
Tuesday Afternoon
196. Chris Cornell
Say Hello 2 Heaven
197. Holland / Dozier / Holland
Bernadette
198. Paul Simon
The Dangling Conversation
199. Paul McCartney
The Long and Winding Road
200. Morrissey
There's A Light That Never Goes Out
201. Lou Reed
Andy's Chest
202. Bruce Springsteen
State Trooper
203. Chuck Berry
Johnny B. Goode
204. Bruce Springsteen
Born To Run
205. Pete Townshend
Pinball Wizard
206. Joe Strummer / Mick Jones
Gates of the West
207. Neil Young
Ohio
208. Bono
One
209. Joe Strummer
Washington Bullets
210. Justin Hayward
Question
211. Neil Young
Old Man
212. Joe Strummer
Something About England
213. Brian Wilson
Meet Me In My Dream Tonight
214. George Harrison
All Things Must Pass
215. Kurt Cobain
Heart Shaped Box
216. Thom Yorke
Street Spirit
217. Don McLean
The Grave
218. Harry Chapin
Cats in the Cradle
219. John Lennon
Mind Games
220. Leonard Cohen
Famous Blue Raincoat
221. Neil Peart
Something For Nothing
222. Roger Waters
Run Like Hell
223. Jerry Cantrell
Down In A Hole
224. Kurt Cobain
Lithium
225. Jim Morrison
Celebration of the Lizard
226. Mick Jagger
Dead Flowers
227. David Crosby
Wooden Ships
228. John Lennon
I am the Walrus
229. Bruce Springsteen
My Home Town
230. Pete Townshend
Substitute
231. Bob Dylan
Everything is Broken
232. Ray Davies
Celluloid Heroes
233. Kevin Moore
Space Dye Vest
234. Nick Lowe
Peace, Love, and Understanding
235. Bob Marley
I Shot the Sheriff
236. Keith Richards
Wild Horses
237. Bob Dylan
License to Kill
238. Otis Redding
Dreams To Remember
239. Bruce Springsteen
Streets of Philadelphia
240. Roger Waters
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
241. Mick Jagger
Gimme Shelter
242. Jim Morrison
Peace Frog
243. Leonard Cohen
Bird on a Wire
244. Jimi Hendrix
Castles Made of Sand
245. Tom Waits
Blind Love
246. Eddie Vedder
Jeremy
247. Billy Corgan
Disarm
248. Ben Harper
Another Lonely Day
249. Mick Jagger
Paint It Black
250. Leonard Cohen
Avalanche
251. Jim Morrison
Rider's On the Storm
252. Ray Davies
Lola
253. Warren Zevon
Genius
254. Mick Jagger
Mother's Little Helper
255. Micheal Stipe
Everybody Hurts
256. Tom Petty
Free Fallin'
257. Paul McCartney
Fool on the Hill
258. Warren Zevon
Porcelain Monkey
259. Tom Waits
Downtown Train
260. David Bowie
Space Oddity
261. Thom Yorke
Subterranean Homesick Alien
262. Neil Young
Pocahontas
263. Tom Petty
A Woman In Love
264. Bruce Springsteen
The Promise
265. Eddie Vedder
Love Boat Captain
266. Ian Curtis
Passover
267. Nick Cave
Red Right Hand
268. Elvis Costello
Less Than Zero
269. Bob Dylan
Hard Rains Gonna Fall
270. Stephen Stills
Treetop Flier
271. David Gilmour
High Hopes
272. Elvis Costello
I Hope You're Happy Now
273. Bob Marley
Waiting In Vain
274. Warren Zevon / Hunter S. Thompson
You're a Whole Different Person When Your Scared
275. Nick Cave
Babe I'm the One On Fire
276. Tom Petty
It's Good To Be King
277. Tom Waits
Jesus Gonna Be Here
278. Wilson/Asher/Love
Wouldn't It Be Nice
279. Ben Harper
Give a Man a Home
280. Neil Young
Southern Man
281. John Ondrasik
Superman (It's Not Easy)
282. John Lennon
Strawberry Fields Forever
283. Bruce Springsteen
Darkness on the Edge of Town
284. Eddie Vedder
Thumbing My Way
285. Neil Young
Hey Hey, My My
286. John Fogerty
A Hundred and Ten in the Shade
287. John Lodge
Evening: Time to Get Away
288. Paul McCartney
For No One
289. Trent Reznor
The Becoming
290. Elvis Costello
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
291. Jerry Cantrell
Brother
292. Tom Waits
The Piano Has Been Drinking
293. Chris Cornell
Outshined
294. Robert Smith
Lullaby
295. Anthony Kiedis
Californication
296. David Bowie
Life on Mars
297. Neil Young
Sugar Mountain
298. Joe Strummer / Mick Jones
The Card Cheat
299. John Fogerty
Premonition
300. Ben Gibbard
We Looked Like Giants
Bob Dylan
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Leonard Cohen
Jim Morrison
Ray Davies

Last Updated: 2023-12-04