While it’s difficult to capture all the feels surrounding becoming a parent, there are a few songs out there that perfectly capture this life-changing event. From heart-melting lyrics to vibey beats, a stand-out song about bringing life into the world cuts deeper than your average love song.
We’ve rounded up the most powerful songs about becoming a parent. Coming straight to you from artists like Alicia Keys and Bob Dylan, add these gems to your playlist and let those tears roll down your cheeks, mama.
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“To Zion” by Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill wrote “To Zion” as a love letter to her first child, Zion David Marley. An emotional apex of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, the song talks about feeling her child move for the first time and her choice to go through with the pregnancy. According to Hill, she was encouraged to terminate her pregnancy in order to protect her career.
Favorite Lyrics:
I knew his life deserved a chance
But everybody told me to be smart
Look at your career, they said
Lauryn, baby use your head
But instead I chose to use my heart
“Forever Young” by Bob Dylan
One of the world’s most lauded songwriters, Bob Dylan, penned this gorgeous love song about the hopes and dreams he held for his child. The hit appeared on Dylan’s fourteenth studio album Planet Waves.
Favorite Lyrics:
May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young
“Blue” by Beyoncé (featuring Blue Ivy)
Beyoncé’s ballad “Blue” was written about all the feelings surrounding new motherhood. At the end of the song, you can even hear the sounds of her daughter Blue Ivy Carter. Through the emotional lyrics, Beyoncé shares how having a child has made her feel more alive than ever before.
Favorite Lyrics:
Each day I feel so blessed to be looking at you
‘Cause when you open your eyes, I feel alive
My heart beats so damn quick when you say my name
When I’m holding you tight, I’m so alive
“Gracie” by Ben Folds
It’s nearly impossible to get through this song by Ben Folds without getting emotional. Written for his daughter Gracie, Folds discusses how he will always see her as his little girl.
Favorite Lyrics:
You nodded off in my arms watching TV
I won’t move you an inch even though my arm’s asleep
One day you’re gonna want to go
I hope we taught you everything you need to know
Gracie girl
And there will always be a part of me
Nobody else is ever gonna see but you and me
My little girl
My Gracie girl
“Sweetest Devotion” by Adele
Adele featured this song about motherhood as the last track on her album 25. Inspired by the love and devotion she holds for her son Angelo, the song features his vocals in the intro and outro.
“I thought I’d have a kid in my 30s, to be honest,” Adele shared in an interview with NPR. “And I think everyone thought I was crazy for having a baby when I did, but I feel like he was my little angel, and he came down to save me. And he did—he hit me like an explosion. It’s the most shocking thing when you have a child; you can’t prepare yourself. It’s like, ‘Oh my God. What have I done?’”
Favorite Lyrics:
I wasn’t ready then, I’m ready now
I’m heading straight for you
You will only be eternally
The one that I belong to
The sweetest devotion
Hitting me like an explosion
All of my life, I’ve been frozen
The sweetest devotion I’ve known
“Speechless” by Alicia Keys (featuring Eve)
Alicia Keys wrote “Speechless” as a tribute to her first child, Egypt. The new mom perfectly captures what she feels when gazing at her newborn son.
“I’m at a brand-new time in my life and a brand new feeling, and it’s like this little guy, man, he takes my breath away,” Keys says at the top of the track.
Favorite Lyrics:
There ain’t no man or prize
Can compare to you
Ain’t no words to describe the way that I’m feeling
When I look at you
“Lullaby” By The Chicks
The acoustic song was written by The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) in an effort to describe the lasting nature of a mother’s love.
Favorite Lyrics:
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
‘Cause I’m never, never giving you up
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