In many songs, songwriters talk about beards and facial hair, for a variety of reasons. Discussing beards can help describe a person more, or themselves better!
Below, we’ve listed 20 great songs about beards in various different genres!
1. “My Mind Keeps Movin” by Shel Silverstein
The great poet Shel Silverstein released his song “My Mind Keeps Movin’” on his 1967 album Drain My Brain. Throughout this song, Silverstein talks about how he can never quite make up his mind, as it keeps moving. Sometimes he wants one thing, only to then immediately want another.
He explains this in a verse about facial hair. The lyrics say, “Sometimes I don’t shave and I look kinda weird / So I shave off my hair and I grow a beard / Shave off my beard dye my eyebrows green / Play myself a song upon a tambourine”.
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2. “Swlabr” by Cream
Cream’s 1967 song “Swlabr” is a song about many things — depending on what you take away from it. The band was known for creating absurdist songs and lyrics that have no true meaning. As a result, there is no main meaning to this song.
But the band does mention beards throughout! They sing, “Coming to me in the morning, leaving me alone / You’ve got that rainbow feel / But the rainbow has a beard”.
3. “Must Be Santa” by LeAnn Rimes
“Must Be Santa” was first written back in 1960. A classic Christmas song, it has been covered by many people since! Many Christmas songs end up referencing beards when discussing Santa Claus’s appearance, which isn’t too much of a surprise.
LeAnn Rimes released her own version of “Must Be Santa” on her 2015 album Today Is Christmas. She sings the lyrics, “Who’s got a beard that’s long and white? / Santa’s got a beard that’s long and white”.
4. “Berzerk” by Eminem
In Eminem’s 2013 hit song “Berzerk”, Eminem raps about a lot of different things and even goes after newer rappers. However, he also talks about beards and facial hair! He raps, “Grow your beard out, just weird out / (And go berserk) All night long”.
5. “Roland” by Interpol
Interpol released the song “Roland” on their 2000 album Turn on the Bright Lights. In this song, the band tells a story of a Polish man who may be a serial killer. The entire song is open to interpretation and can be seen in different ways.
To help describe the character fully, the band sings, “My best friend’s from Poland and, oh, he has a beard / But they caught him with his case in a public place / That is what we had feared”.
6. “Santa’s Beard” by The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys’ 1964 Christmas song “Santa’s Beard” also discusses beards, as do many winter holiday songs! In this classic song, the band narrates a story about how a child wants to meet the real Santa Claus. However, this child may cause chaos in the process.
They sing, “Is that really Santa Claus, really really Santa? (That Santa, the real Santa) (I hope he doesn’t pull Santa’s beard)”.
7. “Give My Heart to You” by Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus’ 1998 song “Give My Heart to You” also discusses beards and facial hair! In this country song, Cyrus sings how he doesn’t really have anything to give the woman he loves. All he has to give is his heart.
In the second verse, Cyrus discusses things he gave away. He no longer has these things, so he cannot give the woman he loves these things any longer.
He sings, “I gave a beard and a head of hair / To a boot camp corporal with a barber’s chair / At Camp Le Jeune / I gave Uncle Sam what he bargained for / Twenty-four months not a minute more”.
8. “Jackie” by Scott Walker
Scott Walker released the song “Jackie” as his first single off his 1967 album Scott 2. In this song, Walker sings about all the things he could become in his future.
For example, he sings in one verse, “And if my name were Juniper / Then I would know where I was going / And then I would become all-knowing / My beard so very long and flowing”.
However, as he imagines all the people he could be, he thinks back on who he used to be. Therefore, he longs for the days when he was younger. He longs for the days of his childhood innocence.
9. “Your Love Is My Drug” by Kesha
After Kesha released her song “Your Love Is My Drug” on her 2010 album Animal, the song became a huge hit around the world! In this pop song, Kesha talks about how much she loves someone — and how their love is like a drug.
Throughout the entire song, she sings about how she feels for this man. And then, at the very end of the song, she simply says, “I like your beard”.
10. “Boys” by Lizzo
In Lizzo’s 2018 song “Boys”, she sings about all the different boys she likes. She doesn’t discriminate, nor does she have a type! While discussing the many different men she finds attractive, she describes them in detail.
Therefore, she also references beards in these descriptions. She sings, “I like a big beard, I like a clean face / I don’t discriminate”.
11. “Amazing Journey” by The Who
The Who released their song “Amazing Journey” on their 1969 album Tommy. In this classic rock song, the band sings about the boy Tommy, who is deaf and blind. However, in his mind, the boy lives fully — even if he can’t in his real life.
The band also sings about an apparition in a haze. They sing, “All at once a tall stranger / I suddenly see / He’s dressed in a silver-sparked / Glittering gown / And his golden beard flows / Nearly down to the ground”.
Here, the band describes this stranger. By describing him with a golden beard that almost hits the ground, listeners can easily imagine this fictional person in their own heads!
12. “Up!” by Shania Twain
In Shania Twain’s hit 2003 song “Up!”, she also describes a beard. Twain describes how nothing seems to go right in her life at the moment. However, she knows that everything will just go “Up!” in the near future. After all, it has to.
To describe how she feels, she also talks about beards. She sings the lyrics, “Even my skin is acting weird / I wish that I could grow a beard / Then I could cover up my spots / Not play connect the dots / I just wanna disappear”.
13. “Sleepyhead” by Passion Pit
Passion Pit released the song “Sleepyhead” on the 2008 album Manners. According to the band, this song is about a breakup as a result of someone consistently sleeping in, rather than getting up early in the morning.
The band also references facial hair to better describe the story. They sing, “My beard grew down to the floor and out through the door”.
14. “Give Yourself a Try” by The 1975
The 1975’s 2018 song “Give Yourself a Try” is all about, as the title suggests, giving yourself a try. Throughout the song, the singer discusses some of his own personal issues throughout his life. Now that he’s older, he understands things that he wished he knew when he was younger.
He sings, “And what would you say to your younger self? / Growing a beard’s quite hard / And whiskey never starts to taste nice”.
Instead of continuing to be sad, he tells others to give themselves a try. He doesn’t want others to give up on themselves.
15. “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull describes an old homeless man in his 1971 song “Aqualung”. Tull describes this man in detail, including all of his many flaws. He sings, “Do you still remember / December’s foggy freeze? / When the ice that / Clings on to your beard was / Screaming agony”.
16. “Gentle On My Mind” by Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell released his song “Gentle On My Mind” on his 1967 album of the same name. This song, which was written in the 1960s, has many different themes, including a theme of “free love”.
As a result, while there are many ways to interpret this song, many believe the phrase “if you love someone, set them free” accurately sums up the main meaning of this song. Campbell sings that because his relationship isn’t tied down, he has freedom and loves his partner more.
Later in the song, he talks about his beard and sings, “I dip my cup of soup back from a gurglin’ / Cracklin’ caldron in some train yard / My beard a-rustlin’, coal pile / And a dirty hat pulled low across my face”.
Here, he could be discussing how he would rather be a homeless drifter than be tied down in any way.
17. “Song About You” by Mike Posner
Mike Posner also talks about beards in his 2018 song “Song About You”. In this breakup song, Posner says that he’s not going to write a song about his ex. However, he can’t help but miss her.
He sings, “I’m growin’ my beard, movin’ back in my van”. His home is filled with his ex’s things, and he can no longer live among these things. So, he’s decided to move back into his van. However, he can’t really get away from her and his sadness, even though he tries.
18. “Jerome” by Lizzo
In Lizzo’s 2019 song “Jerome”, Lizzo discusses a breakup. She tells her ex Jerome to leave and go home, as she’s done with him. She also tells him to grow up in the process.
However, we also learn that Lizzo doesn’t completely hate him. She’s breaking up with him because she’s trying to do better for herself. But she does still sing the lyrics, “I never said that you wasn’t attractive / Your style and that beard, ooh, don’t get me distracted”.
19. “Joshua” by Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s 1971 song “Joshua” also talks about beards! At the beginning of this country song, Parton talks about how a mean man lived down in a shack by the railroad track. Everyone in town said to stay away from him. However, Parton went down to see if the rumors were true.
She sings, “And I heard somebody say well who are you / Oh and there he stood in the door of that shack / His beard and his hair was long and black / And he was the biggest man I’d ever seen”.
Parton learned that the man wasn’t mean — and the two fell in love!
20. “Deja Vu” by Eminem
Finally, “Deja Vu” by Eminem also references beards and facial hair. In this song, Eminem discusses his problems with drugs and the issues he found himself having again. As a result, this begins to impact his entire life.
He raps, “Mommy, something is wrong with Dad I think / He’s acting weird again, he’s really beginning to scare me / Won’t shave his beard again and he pretends he doesn’t hear me”.