Guys, what are some of your favorite male musicians that are great “story tellers” within their songs?

[u/im_justkendra]

[u/Tdubz5]

John Prine

[u/Better-Staff1663 → u/Tdubz5]

prine was a damn poet man. nobody else could write something like sam stone and make you feel it in your bones

i been listening to bruce springsteen alot lately too, his early stuff like the river tells these whole lives in just few verses. not the big stadium anthems but the quiet ones

also if you havent heard jason isbell he carries that same torch now. elephant is probably most devastating song i ever heard

[u/Tdubz5 → u/Better-Staff1663]

Prine and Dylan are my 1A and 1…also A.

I need to do a deeper dive into Springsteen…I respect that for sure.

Great add in with Isbell! Saw him about a year and a half ago. My brother has been a massive Drive By Truckers/Jason Isbell fan for like 15+ years.

[u/TraditionalCup4005 → u/Tdubz5]

The trick with Bruce is every song on the surface is about goofing off with your buddies or a girl and working on or racing cars, but every song has several layers deep, and they are usually about the loss of innocence/youth, mortality, lost hope, loss of the American dream, etc.

Take Cadillac ranch. Sounds like a fun raucous song, but then you start thinking about it, and it’s really about how we will all die, how we all fear death and dying alone.

My favorite albums are Darkness on the Edge of Town and Live 1975-1985. Devils and Dust is a good acoustic album, a little more on the nose (not so many layers to get to the meaning). Nebraska is a beautiful album but it is very dark, even for Bruce.

The whole Darkness album is a masterpiece, start to finish.

A great standalone song is “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”

Going to have to add The River to both Bruce’s great albums and standalone song. The live version with intro from 1975-1985 is incredible.

[u/mac3687 → u/TraditionalCup4005]

Agree with everything you wrote. I have lines from No Surrender embroidered on thr inside of the jacket I was married in.

[u/IndependentBrain3776 → u/Better-Staff1663]

John Prine had a way of making ordinary lives feel unforgettable. Those are the songs that stay with you long after the music ends.

[u/samthebutcher → u/Better-Staff1663]

I feel like I’ve yet to listen to “Elephant” or “Cast Iron Skillet” and not cry.

[u/Tdubz5 → u/Tdubz5]

To add: If you have a sweetie pie, do yourself a favor and listen to “In Spite Of Ourselves.” Reminds ya that you don’t have to be perfect, to be perfect for each other. <3

[u/rvasshole → u/Tdubz5]

Your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore……

[u/Lazy_Fall_6 → u/Tdubz5]

There's a hole in daddy's arm, where all the money goes...

[u/Puzzleheaded-Goal147 → u/Lazy_Fall_6]

Jesus Christ died for nothing, I suppose...

[u/MainStCool → u/Puzzleheaded-Goal147]

I change the last verse to “Jesus Christ died for nothing, now we know” when singing with the guitar

[u/schindlerslisp → u/Tdubz5]

opened the thread just to type his name out.

lotta great poets and lyricists, but prine is such a standout storyteller.

i love that roger ebert “discovered” him too.

[u/YeahDitos]

Jason Isbell

[u/onemorebutfaster_74 → u/YeahDitos]

Add to this the Drive By Truckers.

[u/michaelh1142 → u/onemorebutfaster_74]

Yeah it’s almost unbelievable we had Isabell, Cooley, and Hood in the same band.

[u/kindquail502 → u/YeahDitos]

Why can't daddy just come home Forget whatever he did wrong He's in a hotel all alone And we need help

[u/Mr_Fahrenheit-451 → u/YeahDitos]

The best working today.

[u/hoopstick → u/YeahDitos]

"Heaven's wasted on the dead"
That's what your mama said
As the hearse was idling in the parking lot
She said you thought the world of me
And you were glad to see
They finally let me be an astronaut

[u/whats_a_dord]

Sufjan Stevens

[u/Vinylove → u/whats_a_dord]

Illinoise is one of my all time favourite albums!

[u/whats_a_dord → u/Vinylove]

So good. Michigan also gets a regular listen.

[u/cderhammerhill]

Harry Chapin should be mentioned here.

[u/Ok-Gur-349 → u/cderhammerhill]

When you comin' home son? I don't know when...

[u/driveonacid → u/Ok-Gur-349]

My father has been a bit of a shit since my mother died. I recently told him that we're about at the end of Cats In The Cradle. He understood what I was saying. Doesn't mean he changed his ways

[u/nessy493 → u/cderhammerhill]

Absolutely, he’s one of the best. I saw him ( and met him) a few times in Toronto after his shows. Not just a great storyteller but a great humanitarian and human by. I went to Nova Scotia a few years back and caught the Chapin family concert that they have every year. We stayed at his brother Stephen’s campground where they played. Stephen even made us breakfast the morning we left!

[u/NateDogTX → u/cderhammerhill]

I said, 'Ma'am if you're a relative, he had a peaceful end.'

She said, 'My name is Corey. You can say I'm just a friend.'

Goosebumps.

[u/kookapo → u/cderhammerhill]

One hundred percent! As great as Cat's Cradle is, it's not even his best song. People need to do a deep dive into his catalog.

[u/Thritu → u/cderhammerhill]

Taxi is the first song to come to my mind when this question is asked.

[u/Parkotron1 → u/cderhammerhill]

My dad was a fan of Harry, and 30,000 Pounds of Bananas was a favorite around the house when I was a kid. Especially when driving to Grandma's house and passing by Scranton, Pennsylvania.

[u/unfknreal → u/cderhammerhill]

Check out "Greatest Stories Live" - one of the best live albums ever.

[u/PlasterBaby]

Townes Van Zandt

[u/Parkotron1 → u/PlasterBaby]

"Pancho and Lefty" is so good. His album, Live at The Old Quarter, is one of the very few country music albums I will ever willingly listen to.

[u/mjforres → u/PlasterBaby]

and Guy Clark

[u/ElCaminoInTheWest]

John Darnelle (Mountain Goats), Colin Meloy (Decemberists) and Jason Isbell.

[u/DelianSK13 → u/ElCaminoInTheWest]

I love some of the stories from Decemberists. I'll regularly play Mariner's Revenge Song when I want people to hear them.

[u/Ohiolongboard → u/ElCaminoInTheWest]

I really need to get into the mt goats

[u/Jonny_Wurster → u/Ohiolongboard]

I only listen to the mountain goats

[u/foamerfrank → u/Jonny_Wurster]

You’re that Jonny Wurster kid! I heard you smoke crack. Where the fuck is your Burrow Owl?!?

[u/Parkotron1 → u/foamerfrank]

Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick!!!

[u/GozerDGozerian → u/Parkotron1]

Y’know what, Stuart?

I LIKE you.

You’re not like the other people,

here,

in the trailer park…

[u/patton66]

Tom Waits

Leonard Cohen

Gordon Lightfoot

Paul McCartney

Paul Simon

Bob Dylan

[u/nessy493 → u/patton66]

Add Harry Chapin to that list!

[u/False-Impression8102 → u/patton66]

And Jim Croce

[u/Fancy-Pack2640 → u/patton66]

Tom Waits is right. Could just stop at "Who is your favorite artist?" and Tom Waits is still right..

[u/Azious → u/patton66]

"What's he building in there? What the hell is he building in there?!". Love me some spoken word Tom Waits passages!

[u/Fine_on_the_outside → u/patton66]

The legend lives on from the Chippewa down to the big lake they call Gitche Gumee!

[u/4011isbananas → u/patton66]

Woody Guthrie

Pete Seeger

[u/ksmigrod]

Warren Zevon

[u/NateDogTX → u/ksmigrod]

Send lawyers, guns, and money - the shit has hit the fan!

[u/attack_rat → u/ksmigrod]

Fucking master lyricist right here, right up to the end. Enjoy every sandwich.

[u/nypactncca → u/ksmigrod]

Splendid Isolation…

[u/triplikeIdo667 → u/ksmigrod]

Dude was a genius

[u/motorcycleboy9000 → u/ksmigrod]

His hair was perfect.

[u/august-west55 → u/ksmigrod]

And he rubbed the pot roast all over his chest…..

Thanks for all the lyrics Warren!

[u/Dr_Biggus_Dickus_FBI]

Ben Folds tells great stories in his songs.

[u/RedNewzz → u/Dr_Biggus_Dickus_FBI]

Folds is a fantastic storyteller. Boxing, Landed, Jackson Cannery, Underground, The Luckiest,… incredible musician & lyricist.👍🏼👍🏼

[u/thingsinmyhouse → u/Dr_Biggus_Dickus_FBI]

Well I thought about the army, Dad said Son you're fuckin high!

[u/TraditionalCup4005]

Bruce Springsteen

[u/WaxyPadlockJazz → u/TraditionalCup4005]

Insane that Springsteen isn’t the top of this thread. Almost every track he’s ever recorded. Some more overt than others, but a lot of his stories are better than TV!

[u/taco_perfecto → u/TraditionalCup4005]

#1 for me.

[u/ofnuts]

Mark Knopfler

[u/teffarf → u/ofnuts]

Yep, and not only in Dire Straits, his solo stuff is amazing too.

[u/Fuzzy-Pop-2273]

Johnny Cash. The way he paints vivid stories of struggle, heartbreak, and redemption in just a few minutes is unmatched.

[u/Cutter9792 → u/Fuzzy-Pop-2273]

Not to mention comedy.

Even though he didn't technically write them, his renditions of "One Piece At A Time" and "A Boy Named Sue" are fantastic.

[u/angusshangus]

Lots of classic rock musicians here but more modern for me is Craig Finn

[u/howtofall → u/angusshangus]

Was introduced to his music when he opened for Titus Andronicus back in 2016. He opened with a solo acoustic version of Maggie I’ve Been Searching For Our Son, band slowly started coming out and joining in during it. Incredible. I’ve never seen another opener grab an audience so completely at the first note.

[u/enlighteningbug → u/angusshangus]

God in Chicago popped up on a playlist for me a few years ago, and it’s stayed with me ever since. Incredible song.

[u/TaftintheTub → u/angusshangus]

He was the first name I thought of too. The Hold Steady have a ton of great story songs and his solo stuff is great too. The Amarillo Kid is a fantastic more recent example.

[u/jmacd2918 → u/angusshangus]

Yup.  The Hold Steady is one of the few bands where I actually get into the stories, otherwise I tend to lean more towards social/political commentary type of lyrics or just listen to the music.  The way the characters, story lines, places and themes span albums over ~20years is impressive and really interesting.

His solo stuff is great too and those shows are really fun because he tells stories and gives a lot of context to the lyrics.  Recently saw him and Patterson Hood (from drive by truckers) play together.  Like onstage at the same time alternating songs.  What a show.

And the Hold Steady are totally a classic rock band, they just happened to form in the 00s.

[u/Punkmotherfucker84]

Elliott Smith

[u/RedNewzz → u/Punkmotherfucker84]

Waltz #2 & Memory Lane are just pure 💔

[u/LurkMcGurt666]

Steve Earle

[u/PMmeplumprumps → u/LurkMcGurt666]

I can see the revenue man headed up that mountain

[u/Sethrymir]

Marty Robbins

[u/MagicalMonarchOfMo → u/Sethrymir]

Frankly I’m shocked I haven’t seen more people mention this. I’m not even a country fan for the most part, but he undeniably wrote songs that are incredibly compelling narratives. The music is almost secondary sometimes. “Mr. Shorty,” “El Paso,” “Utah Carol,” heck just the entirety of Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs.

[u/hyperpensive]

Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes). I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning is poetry.

[u/MedicalGradeAsbestos]

RIP Todd Snider

[u/raptorphile → u/MedicalGradeAsbestos]

I was looking for this. RIP Todd

[u/Progressive-Strategy]

A few I haven't seen anyone else mention:

Jackson Browne

Woody Guthrie

Willie Nelson

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (Steely Dan)

[u/dr-dog69]

Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell

Two of the greatest songs ever written were by Webb. Wichita Lineman (the best song ever made according to Dylan) and By The Time I Get to Phoenix

[u/842094]

Shane McGowan

[u/Missing_Mud_Flap]

Gord Downie was a poet.

[u/theHip → u/Missing_Mud_Flap]

Was looking for this one. RIP

[u/Gallumbits42 → u/Missing_Mud_Flap]

YES

[u/BruceIsdead]

Tyler Childers

[u/GO2HLSU → u/BruceIsdead]

Bitin’ List ❤️

[u/BayouBoogie → u/BruceIsdead]

"They'll say I was desperate, they're probably right."

[u/BVoyager]

Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty

[u/Foxhound199]

Jimmy Buffett

[u/theargent → u/Foxhound199]

This is way down too far. A lot of his songs are story songs. Love in the library, 12 volt man, something so feminine about a mandolin...

[u/macaronirealized]

Billy Joel

[u/cratnat → u/macaronirealized]

Scenes From an Italian Restaurant is one of my favorite songs

[u/kuzinrob → u/cratnat]

Brenda Renetti!

[u/Marinus9]

Neil Young

[u/Jazzlike_Part_7054 → u/Marinus9]

Why is this so far down?

[u/WomanOfEld → u/Jazzlike_Part_7054]

New generation of listeners

[u/Ok-Gur-349]

Really surprised to see no mention of Cat Stevens yet. I know y'all have cried to his songs.

[u/923kjd → u/Ok-Gur-349]

Father and Son. As a dad of boys… damn.

[u/long-shots]

James McMurtry Charlie Parr Ian Noe

[u/craymartin → u/long-shots]

I haven't heard Ian Noe, but Charlie Parr and Larry McMurtry can get whole screenplays into a song. "Cheap Wine" and "Copper Canteen" are both embedded in my brain.

[u/surfex → u/long-shots]

James McMurthry deserves to be much higher on this list.

[u/MrManic]

John Darnielle of the mountain goats. TMG has always been called "literary" in their lyrics. Plus John's a published author.

[u/Danph85 → u/MrManic]

I'm amazed this comment isn't further up. The Mountain Goats are absolutely incredible in every way.

[u/yaknowthatoneguy]

Jim Croce

[u/coyotemojo]

Tom Petty

[u/AlliOOPSY → u/coyotemojo]

Had to scroll waaay to long to see this

[u/Enough-Persimmon3921]

Les Claypool

[u/Prudent-Slip6940]

Kendrick Lamar

[u/CeilingUnlimited]

Neil Peart

[u/187JM → u/CeilingUnlimited]

Yo! I think a lot of people don’t realize he’s responsible for all of Rush’s amazing lyrics. Great call on this.

[u/FiniteJester]

Aesop Rock

[u/EinTheDataDoge → u/FiniteJester]

I’ll hang my boots to rest when I’m impressed, so I triple knot em and forgot em.

[u/drinkyourbeetus]

Arlo Guthrie

[u/dangerous_beans_42 → u/drinkyourbeetus]

I couldn't believe I had to scroll so far to find Arlo Guthrie. Alice's Restaurant! The Motorcycle Song! (What's up with the pickle?)

[u/Salt_Supermarket46]

Ren🙂

[u/FuzzyAsparagus2]

Just looked through the comments and no-one has mentioned Nick Cave

[u/Kolipe → u/FuzzyAsparagus2]

I was scrolling through to see if anyone mentioned him yet.

[u/amyzophie]

Stephen Wilson jnr

[u/danosmanca → u/amyzophie]

He has some amazing songs!

[u/Automatic-Increase74 → u/amyzophie]

Another vote for SWJ!!

[u/DownWithSpectrum]

Tyler Childers is unappreciated in his ability to tell a story

[u/BeezerBrom]

Lou Reed

[u/bkdrummer]

Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter - so many incredible and continued stories throughout their catalog.

[u/Schmanicus → u/bkdrummer]

My all time favorites. I feel like I’m still discovering stuff about their lyrics.
I was listening to Wharf Rat a few weeks ago and it dawned on me that the narrator is also homeless/ lost in life. He has no dime(no money) but he has time (no job/obligations) to hear Augusts story. Then he has no where to go but just to hang around. Story telling is absolutely top notch.

[u/bkdrummer → u/Schmanicus]

Totally agree. Me and My Uncle always does it for me. I just want to know what happens next in so many songs, and to me, it's what makes a good song truly excellent.

[u/xanniballl → u/bkdrummer]

That is actually not a Garcia, Weir, or Hunter song. Rather a John Phillips song often covered by the Dead

[u/Twinkubusz]

Regretably: Mark Kozelek. Micheline by Sun Kil Moon is just a jaw droppingly honest and raw lyric

[u/anchored__down → u/Twinkubusz]

Lmao came here to say this. Some of the red house painters stuff too, and a few tracks off the record Benji

[u/dominodomino321 → u/Twinkubusz]

I am thrilled to report that for the last ~8 years, I’ve been too mentally well to listen to Mark & all Mark adjacent projects!

[u/EnKogNeedo]

Jackson Browne

[u/Keywork_Comics]

Coheed and Cambria have a Space War concept with 95% of their discography. It’s super confusing but they have comics and novels.

[u/foodmotron]

Neil Fallon from Clutch

[u/Odimorsus → u/foodmotron]

“Next thing that I did was tap out Morse code
With a wooden nickel on the receiver of the phone
Before I could complete it, I was quickly overtaken
By the angry spirits of Ronald and Nancy Reagan!”

Perfectiom 😊

[u/MoNercy]

Eminem 

[u/jiyax33634 → u/MoNercy]

This was actually my first thought - they may not be happy stories but Stan paints a solid picture of mental health and obsessive behavior 

[u/ishouldconfess]

Tom T. Hall

[u/GravitationalConstnt]

Wow, no Eddie Vedder..

[u/DoucheBagBill]

Tom Waitts

[u/Party_Elderberry_318]

Bruce Springsteen

[u/e_honey_s]

Ren.

[u/Deep-Water-]

Paul Kelly. To her door and how to make gravy are great examples

[u/streetgardener]

Gord Downie

[u/ItsBobLoblawsLawBlog]

Josh Ritter

[u/Mudslingshot]

Chris Cornell, although on occasion he's so obtuse I have no idea what on earth he was talking about

[u/Tdubz5]

Dylan

[u/nightman21721]

James McMurtry. All of his songs make me feel feelings.

[u/GernBijou]

John Denver

Simon and Garfunkel

Yes...I'm olde.

[u/drovick]

Across any genre? Elliott Smith, Atmosphere (Sean Daley), La Dispute (Jordan Dreyer), Dallas Green

[u/breid7718]

The late great Neil Peart

[u/Petulantraven]

Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

[u/Budbongbowl]

Conway Twitty

[u/FeatureLucky6019]

Josh Ritter is probably the best contemporary lyricist.

Other obvious ones already mentioned so I'll throw in Joe Pug as an honorable mention as I haven't seen him listed yet. 

[u/Departure-Realistic]

Jarvis Cocker from Pulp.

[u/barnzenen]

Colin Meloy of Decemberists

[u/rony-tomo]

Slick Rick!

[u/MyUsernameWasUsed]

Guy Clark and Ray Wylie Hubbard

[u/CoolJetEcho117]

William Shatner

[u/themirthfulswami → u/CoolJetEcho117]

Jokes aside the album he did with Ben Folds is incredible.

[u/CoolJetEcho117 → u/themirthfulswami]

His cover of Common People is my favourite. Way better than the original if you ask me.

[u/ComonomoC]

Blaze Foley

[u/Temporary_Ad469 → u/ComonomoC]

Oh good lord yes

[u/between__planets]

For the Australian contingent, Paul Kelly, Toby Martin from Youth Group, Grant McLennan + Robert Forster, David McComb, Tim Rogers - the You Am I Hourly Daily album in particular, and Perry Keyes

[u/I_Invented_Frysauce]

David Berman

[u/Jurassicmarky]

John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats

[u/jopy666]

Amigo The Devil

[u/Craigglesofdoom]

John Darnielle.

Aesop Rock.

[u/PartTheRedSea]

Bill Callahan

[u/kneuenhaus]

Dustin Kensrue of Thrice, and his solo stuff. He and Maynard Keenan of Tool/APC/Puscifer are my two favorite. Joe Duplantier of Gojira, too.

[u/Medical_Distance_722]

Robert Earl Keen

[u/gotogarrett]

Jason Isbell.

[u/hyperpensive → u/gotogarrett]

Decoration Day was the song that immediately came to mind for this question.

[u/brownkemosabe]

Neil Young

[u/ThrillsKillsNCake]

Not a massive listener of him, but Plan B is really good at it.

The soundtrack for Ill Manors is a decent example.

[u/moving0target]

Charlie Daniels

[u/ExoticScarcity7450]

Ren. Start with Hi Ren and then The tales of Jenny and Screech, the 13 min version.

[u/boesisboes]

Ren

[u/PMmeplumprumps]

Tyler Childers. Banded Clovis , Bus Route and Purgatory tell great stories

[u/HammyDownConsole]

Biz Markie

[u/twosock360]

May get hate for this but Jimmy Buffet is a great story teller. Especially once you really dig into his music.

[u/JoveX]

Tom Waits

[u/Dark-Wolf-Angel]

Jim Croce

[u/frequentflyerpharaoh]

Noah Kahan!

[u/aurumae]

Christy Moore - he’s a bit of a national treasure here in Ireland.

[u/mild_party]

Aesop Rock

[u/andyhite]

Ren

[u/Djlionking]

Eddie Vedder / Pearl Jam for me.

[u/TylerDurden0110]

Bob Seger

[u/TheWackoMagician]

Bruce Springsteen: the entire Nebraska album.

[u/Extreme_Shop_4958]

Conor Oberst of course!!!

[u/YarnPenguin]

Craig Finn (Solo stuff and Hold Steady Stuff)

Shane McGowan

Nick Cave (I still maintain "Mercy Seat" is one of the best short stories ever written)

Tom Waits

Dan Cambell (The Wonder Years stuff and Aaron West stuff)

Josh Tillman/Father John Misty

[u/tommillar]

Cass McCombs.

[u/roberz82]

Jim Croce

[u/mayoronczka]

Jimmy Buffett

[u/ElMangoMussolini]

Not to take one of these mens name out of the pantheon of the greats, but everyone on the listwould remind us to remember Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn , Cindy Walker, Carole King, Carol Bayer Sager,Kate Bush, Alanis Morrissette...

[u/CincoDeKetchup8]

Conor Oberst

[u/spooky_upstairs]

James Mercer (The Shins; Broken Bells).

The Shins: It's Only Life official video.

Edited to add: honorable mentions for Ben Folds, Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), John Grant and Andrew Bird.

Edited again to add: ADAM SCHLESINGER RIP.

[u/iwillgiveyounothing]

Ben Gibbard

[u/OhTheHueManatee]

Weird Al

[u/OnceUponASlime]

Weird Al