3 Folk Songs That Taught Us Everything We Need To Know About Life

Folk songs have a particular place in the world. Unlike many other genres, folk songs are meant to be meditated on. Listeners are meant to chew on the lyrics to gain some understanding of the world around them. Because of this, many folk songs double as life lessons. Revisit three of them below.

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“Teach Your Children” (Crosby, Stills, & Nash)

Many folk songs are more explicitly anti-war than Crosby, Stills & Nash‘s “Teach Your Children,” but it’s the song’s shrouded message that makes it all the more effective. In these intimate lyrics, the band urges its listeners to stop the bad practices of today before it gets passed on to a younger generation. Teach, your children well / Your father’s hell, did slowly go by / And feed, them on your dreams / The one they picks, the one you’ll know by, the sing.

Every generation learns a little more about the world. Ideally, it would improve over time. But, as CSN says here, if we neglect to teach the right lessons, nothing will really change. This is the kind of blanket idealism common in folk music. It sounds nearly attainable when this trio is singing about it in perfect harmony.

“Both Sides Now” (Joni Mitchell)

Growing up isn’t a linear experience. We can often feel unprepared for life’s next steps, no matter how much we think we’ve learned. That’s the sentiment behind Joni Mitchell‘s “Both Sides Now.”

This folk song is rife with life lessons. In the lyrics, Mitchell sings about the many sides of life she’s seen. Even so, she still feels completely in the dark. Though this song doesn’t necessarily help us answer life’s biggest questions, it’s comforting to know most of us feel the same way.

“Spanish Pipedream” (John Prine)

Whether you consider John Prine a country artist or a folkie, there’s no doubt his songwriting is in the folk tradition. Take “Spanish Pipedream” for example. This folk song has a rich narrative that tells us a lot about life in general—something folk songwriters have cornered the market on.

Blow up your TV / Throw away your paper / Go to the country / Build you a home / Plant a little garden / Eat a lot of peaches / Try an’ find Jesus on your own—that’s Prine’s advice for the public. Though we may not all live that exact life, the sentiment of carving out a place in the world and not letting outside troubles consume you is universal.

(Photo by Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)