So here are a few that are cutting far into me right now, and how they're managing to do so:

Digital Sea, Thrice
"I woke, cold and alone, adrift in the open sea..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mJwqrZ4lNI

Sometimes this song reminds me of my poor history in coping with the world, but it always continues on to remind me that I'm not alone. Not everyone suffers like me, but many do, and I want you all to know: You are not alone. You are not useless. You are broken and amazing and stronger than most. You are nothing short of beautiful.

I Want My Tears Back, Nightwish
"Where is the wonder, where's the awe?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV2C9_MAJ0E

Misanthropy at its finest. This song makes me feel like the world is at a loss with every death. What can we do?

Work, 1,2,3
"Gold card, platinum card, plastic card too; I don't really give a damn about you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMyFTF_LVn0

Counter to most songs that affect me, this one is empowering. Strongly. It's not the pure adrenal rush of a heavy guitar or a rolling drumbeat, it's the triumph of brass against the defiance of a man's poetry.

Pardoner, Baba Brinkman
"'I think you better tell us how you're even still alive,' and the old man replied, 'Hey, I'm ready to die!'"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6T6T2ueFa8

There's a lesson in "The Pardoner's Tale" that Chaucer sought to give us. Perhaps a fear of death is healthy, despite what you may have been told. Perhaps defince of death is foolish, despite what medicine may have you convinced of.

Yaphet Kotto, Ballerina Black
"Come black morning and warm me with your shade..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMdOATFOw9I

Something about this song feels... oxymoronic. As though it is promoting the idea of never feeling alone in solitude. Even cold is warmer than freezing, I suppose––not all optomism is what you'd call "sunny."

Easy/Lucky/Free, Bright Eyes
"Don't you weep; there is nothing as lucky, as easy, or free."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyAuPiUEDEw

The stark contrast between Have and Have-not. Oft-visited material, but I adore Conor Oberst's method of lyricism.

Lenders in The Temple, Conor Oberst
"That circus tiger's gonna break your heart. Something so wild, turned into paper... if I loved you, well, that's my fault."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8GzpUvMsw

I adore him, I say, even when he's talking about the disappointment that the world replaces our wanting with.

The Machine, Lemon Demon
"He then slowly pulls a lever which sets off the mechanism which does nothing whatsoever, but the nothing that it does negates the everything we know––"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JniShTWwJn4

Another optimistic song, and something to remember for all of you: even if you think you work toward nothing, toward no conceivable end, if you are ambitious enough the world just might follow, although they may never know why.

Pyramid Scheme, Flashbulb Fires
"And I sing to you on a subway car with my pockets full of pills..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q_rsK-f9Vk

The line itself isn't particularly strong, but the musical backing and its delivery drill it into me more than one might expect.

White Daisy Passing, Ricky Votolato
"I'm goin' down to sleep on the bottom of the ocean, 'cause I couldn't let go in the water at the setting sun."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaG2xINk5B4

A very peaceful song, something that puts me at ease with my imminent destiny. It is somber and soft and very relaxing.

On a Freezing Chicago Street, Margot & the Nuclear So And So's
"And Sarah screamed, 'Your every breath is a gift! If you weren't so selfish then you might wanna live!'"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSyPXrTSNJ4

This line tends to immediately set me to crying every time it comes up. There's a secret chord, I've heard from Cohen, and I swear to God this strikes it true as day.

This Too Shall Pass, Danny Schmidt
"There was a king that always felt too high and then he felt too low, and so he called all the wise men to the hall and he begged them for a gift to end the rises and the falls. Here's the thing: they came back with a ring. It was simple, it was plainly unbefitting of a king. Engraved in black, well it had no front or back, but there were words around the band that said 'Just Know This Too Shall Pass.'"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYqDq4ojyHg

I cannot describe how precisely this relates.