Walls are a great metaphor for many concepts in human life. One of the most common examples is when we discuss walls as a symbol of being stuck or closed in, mentally or literally.
How do musicians use them to convey messages through song? The following songs about walls will help you find out.
Table of Contents
- Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
- Walls – Kings Of Leon
- Off the Wall – Michael Jackson
- Wonderwall – Oasis
- Run Through Walls – The Script
- These Walls – Kendrick Lamar
- Walls (Circus) – Tom Petty
- Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith) – Bastille
- Don’t Hold the Wall – Justin Timberlake
- If Walls Could Talk – 5 Seconds of Summer
- Four Pink Walls – Alessia Cara
- Walls – Alextbh
- Walls Could Talk – Halsey
- Walls – Bon Jovi
- Get Down on It – Kool & The Gang
- Writing’s on the Wall – Sam Smith
- Wall of Denial – Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Carving Up the World Again… a Wall and Not a Fence – Robert Plant
- Four Walls – Jim Reeves
- Behind the Wall – Tracy Chapman
- Too Many Walls – Cathy Dennis
- Wall of Glass – Liam Gallagher
- Hello Walls – Faron Young
- Arms – Christina Perri
- Back to the Wall – Divinyls
- Change – Taylor Swift
- Wall of Love – Simple Minds
- The Walls – Chase Atlantic
- Flowers on the Wall – The Statler Brothers
- Bridges – Fifth Harmony
- Walls Have Ears – Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires
- Why We Build the Wall – André De Shields
- The Pictures on My Wall – Echo & the Bunnymen
- Climbing Up the Walls – Radiohead
- Walls – Louis Tomlinson
- Your Wall’s Too High – Steppenwolf
- Four Walls of Raiford – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Break Down These Walls – Melanie Fiona
- Walls – All Time Low
- Kick Down the Walls – Toto
- Fly on the Wall – Miley Cyrus
Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
This song looks at formal education with a critical eye, showing it as a means of control rather than teaching children to expand their minds. The “walls” in the song represent Roger Waters’ emotional barriers in school at the Cambridgeshire School for Boys, which is the main subject of the track.
Related: This song is on our list of the best songs with imagery.
Walls – Kings Of Leon
The male protagonist of this song opened himself up to the woman he loved. Unfortunately, she wasn’t capable of being what he needed and ended up hurting him after he let his walls break down for her and showed her his vulnerable side.
Related: Check out the best songs about being hurt by love.
Off the Wall – Michael Jackson
In this track, Michael Jackson tells someone that they need to let loose and have fun where they are to fit in. He makes it clear that it is time to forget about the worries of the workday. The song appears on an album of the same name, which was very popular and highly acclaimed.
Wonderwall – Oasis
It was originally said that this song is about Noel Gallagher’s former girlfriend and current ex-wife, Meg Mathews. Looking at the track from that angle, Gallagher tries to motivate Mathews to move on from discouragement and find new ways to survive after losing a job. Gallagher later said that Mathews did not inspire the song but didn’t give any further explanation about its meaning.
Related: Listen to more famous songs everyone knows.
Run Through Walls – The Script
The protagonist here says that he has “friends that will run through walls,” meaning that he knows he can count on his friends through the good times and the bad. He also says that his favorite people know what to say and do to help him at his lowest points, even when he’s hard to understand.
Related: Will your pals move mountains and run through walls for you? Here are some songs about good friends.
These Walls – Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar has a passionate interest in a woman in this song. However, she has built walls around herself due to her past lover being sentenced to jail time. It seems that she is trying to make up for it by being with Lamar and enjoying the novelty and distraction of enjoying passionate moments with a famous rapper.
Walls (Circus) – Tom Petty
This track is also known as ‘Walls (No. 3)’ and is performed by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. It talks about Petty knowing someone with a big and gentle heart, and Petty either can’t meet this person’s level of goodness or is going to crush under the pressure of it. Either way, it seems that his “walls” are breaking, and he is caving in.
Four Walls (The Ballad of Perry Smith) – Bastille
Bastille sings of Perry Smith, a real-life murderer, in this track. Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood inspired the song. The four walls in the song refer to Smith’s prison cell; the song makes it clear that he will be sentenced to death.
Related: Don’t end up behind those four walls! See more songs about being locked up.
Don’t Hold the Wall – Justin Timberlake
The narrator here asks the woman he finds attractive to give in to her desires for him and let loose and dance. It’s one of many successful collaborations between Justin Timberlake and producer Timbaland.
Related: If you’re hesitant to fall in love, listen to these songs about not believing in love.
If Walls Could Talk – 5 Seconds of Summer
Here we have a protagonist who wants to keep some things secret between himself and his romantic partner. He thinks things will be better for both of them if they don’t know everything about each other, as it’s better not to know every detail of someone else’s life.
Related: Honesty is important, so here are some songs about loyalty and trust.
Four Pink Walls – Alessia Cara
Alessia Cara explores the conflicting emotions she feels from achieving her dreams in this song. She enjoys her music career and fame, yet she sometimes feels homesick and overwhelmed. The song is meant to be relatable to anyone who has dreams and goals they want to fulfill.
Walls – Alextbh
This is a continuation of the single ‘stillmine,’ which was released the same year as ‘walls.’ The narrator seems to be having a relationship-related crisis since the two partners don’t always see eye-to-eye or be the best people for one another.
Walls Could Talk – Halsey
It looks like Halsey is having issues with a former partner and that the two have a long history together: “we both been here since we 17.” The two have finally broken up, and Halsey is done trying to make things work between the two and needs to find closure and move on with life.
Related: See our encouraging playlist of songs about moving forward.
Walls – Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi sings about being brave and doing great things to help others in this song. He asks listeners who will help others if they do not make an effort to connect with people and give them a leg up in life.
Related: Need a pep talk? Listen to the best songs about being fearless.
Get Down on It – Kool & The Gang
The protagonist of this piece encourages someone to let loose and dance. It appears this person is standing against the wall and feeling insecure. It’s a dance anthem from the post-disco period of the early 1980s. Peter Andre released his own version in 1996.
Related: Let loose with the best dance club songs.
Writing’s on the Wall – Sam Smith
Sam Smith recorded this track as the new James Bond theme song in 2015. Smith sings as a narrator who needs someone else’s love and, as a result, will risk everything to be with that person. Smith hopes they will be there through the rough times.
Related: This song features on our list of James Bond movie songs.
Wall of Denial – Stevie Ray Vaughan
This song explores what happens when one stops denying the truth and releases all worries into honesty about life around them. The song also explains that the little wonders in life make the hard times and the tough truths more bearable: “It makes no difference if we run away in fear. The little things in life hold us so near.”
Related: Are you on the run physically or metaphorically? Check out our playlist of running away songs.
Carving Up the World Again… a Wall and Not a Fence – Robert Plant
Robert Plant explores how countries fight each other for power in this track. It shows how unfortunate the division between countries is and how each country is more fragile than their egos will let them admit.
Related: These songs about being vain are the best of the best!
Four Walls – Jim Reeves
Jim Reeves feels closed in with no escape in this song. He wonders what he is waiting for at times until he remembers that there is someone he loves who makes all of the pain worthwhile, at least in his eyes. The track reminds listeners of the lengths we sometimes go to for love and those we adore.
Behind the Wall – Tracy Chapman
Here’s a piece from 1988 that illustrates the seriousness of domestic violence. Its a capella arrangement makes its message all the more haunting. The lyrics find Tracy Chapman frustrated by the suffering of the woman next door and the failure of the police to help her.
Related: Head over to our playlist of songs with the word dangerous.
Too Many Walls – Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis is frustrated by society’s response to her relationship with a younger guy in ‘Too Many Walls.’ She loves him and being with him, but the people around them have divided them and said hurtful things about their relationship. She still wants to be with him and hopes they can find a future together.
Wall of Glass – Liam Gallagher
This was the first song Liam Gallagher released from his first solo album. While Gallagher hasn’t been entirely clear about who the song is about, he directs his anger toward people he doesn’t agree with to let off steam.
Hello Walls – Faron Young
Faron Young’s love has left him in this tune. Now all he does is talk to his house’s ceiling, windows and walls. Willie Nelson actually wrote the track before he found fame as a singer, and it became a country charting hit for Young in the United States as well as a U.S. pop charts hit.
Arms – Christina Perri
The female narrator here is at odds between her heart and her mind. Her mind wants her to protect herself by shutting herself off to love, but her heart eventually wins. She realizes that the safe feeling of romantic love outweighs the fear of being hurt by a partner again.
Back to the Wall – Divinyls
The narrator here is desperate and warns someone who seems to be a romantic partner that something drastic might happen. Whether the desperation comes from society or inward struggles is unclear, but the narrator is frantic and isn’t thinking with a clear head.
Change – Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift originally recorded this track for an album supporting the U.S. team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The song highlights what it is like to struggle while pursuing your dreams but still hoping for the day that your luck changes. ‘Change’ was Swift’s first single to reach the Top Ten on the U.S. Hot 100 chart.
Related: Can luck really change? Find out on our list of songs about being lucky.
Wall of Love – Simple Minds
The narrator of this track wants to change the world with a “wall of love.” This would help ease the suffering and injustice in the world caused by the greed and power of those who want to separate themselves from others, especially those they see as beneath them.
Related: Enjoy our unifying list of the best world peace songs.
The Walls – Chase Atlantic
This song is about the various things people use to get them through the day, such as romance and substances. It’s hard to tell if the protagonist thinks this type of dependence is good or bad, as he is in the same position.
Related: Listen to more addicting songs about rehab.
Flowers on the Wall – The Statler Brothers
The guy in this song is in a sorry state after a heartbreak. He plays solitaire with an incomplete deck and counts flowers on a wall. He is nearly catatonic. The song appears on the soundtrack album for the celebrated film Pulp Fiction. It has been named one of the 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time by CMT.
Related: This song is on our Pulp Fiction songs list.
Bridges – Fifth Harmony
Fifth Harmony sings a rare political track to protest former U.S. President Donald Trump’s border wall plans. The group tells listeners that we need to build bridges rather than walls and that love can always triumph over hatred. The song also calls for unity among listeners.
Related: Here are some more songs about coming together.
Walls Have Ears – Elvis Presley and The Jordanaires
It seems that Elvis Presley is fighting with a lover in this song. He reminds her that others may hear her fighting with him but won’t be able to hear the quiet romantic moments they also share. As a result, he wants her to take a moment to think before she does anything too hurtful.
Why We Build the Wall – André De Shields
This song serves as an album outro. It shows listeners that many things can go on behind closed doors that people outside of them know nothing about. There could even be something shady or illegal going on, as well as something secretive.
The Pictures on My Wall – Echo & the Bunnymen
‘Pictures on My Wall’ talks about change, seemingly in a relationship. Both parties have tried to work out their differences but can’t deal with them anymore. Even so, it seems that everything will come crashing down for the narrator now that there is a change to deal with.
Related: Get inspired to do better with the best songs about growth and change.
Climbing Up the Walls – Radiohead
This track has a scary sound, and intentionally so. The track shows what inner demons and paranoia can do to a person’s mental well-being in a terrifying way. Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke once worked in a mental hospital, which helped inspire the track and the nearly unspeakable horrors it addresses.
Walls – Louis Tomlinson
This was the title track and lead single for Louis Tomlinson’s debut solo album. The song discusses the challenges we face in life and love. It also reminds listeners that these challenges make us stronger and more well-rounded individuals in the long run. The song features drums, orchestral music, and heavy guitar instrumentation.
Your Wall’s Too High – Steppenwolf
The narrator here is talking to a woman he is interested in. She has built so much emotional protection around herself that no one can reach her, leaving her alone to deal with life’s struggles by herself. The narrator reminds her that everyone faces disappointments and heartbreaks and that you must find healthy ways to move on from them rather than shutting down.
Four Walls of Raiford – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Here we find a narrator who is waiting to go to prison for a crime he committed. He talks about all the mistakes he keeps making and prays to Jesus to save him and his soul, so he doesn’t have to keep suffering from his own darkness.
Related: Head over to our playlist of songs about the law.
Break Down These Walls – Melanie Fiona
In this song, Melanie Fiona and a romantic partner learn to be there for each other through good and bad. The track shows how important it is to grow with a partner when learning about the parts of their history that they may normally keep secret.
Walls – All Time Low
This tune finds its protagonist letting his guard down to enjoy a new love. The pair used to be friends but never felt that they should be platonic with one another. Now they have to learn to get more serious about their emotional bond to be better together.
Related: Celebrate your significant other with the best songs for new relationships.
Kick Down the Walls – Toto
Here’s a track that talks about several things, including how people hide from their problems and the fact that the narrator feels trapped, possibly because of the dishonest ways that people hide their issues to seem less flawed.
Fly on the Wall – Miley Cyrus
This media critique was a response to the negative and constant attention that Miley Cyrus was suffering from when it was written. She sings about how the media wanted to know about every aspect of her life at all times.
