50 Best Rock Songs About Volunteering

Rock Songs That Capture the Spirit of Giving Back

There’s this odd kind of charge that comes with giving your time away. You’re not chasing a paycheck or applause, you’re just trying to make something a little lighter for someone else. It’s quiet and restless at the same time. The world keeps moving like usual while you’re out there, hands in motion, trying to make sense of what it means to care. Some rock songs hit that strange middle—between pride and humility, between doing something good and wondering why it took you this long to start. Not every lyric mentions volunteering, but the feeling sits there in the mix, humming underneath.

The thing about helping is that it’s not always tidy or noble. Sometimes it’s exhaustion and noise and someone’s speaker half-working while you’re hauling boxes in the rain. Sometimes it’s that weird clarity that hits when the job’s done and everyone’s too tired to talk. Those are the moments that certain tracks catch—Foo Fighters cutting through the static, U2 sounding like they’re trying to lift the whole sky, or even a Springsteen anthem that’s worn down at the edges but still trying. Some of these songs weren’t meant for this, but they work anyway. They fit the mood of trying.

And really, it’s the same kind of energy that runs through so many pop, rock, country, and R&B songs built around care, community, or plain stubborn hope. The ones that hit when people come together and make something happen, even if no one’s filming. These tracks hold that spark without smoothing it out, and they sound like movement in every sense. Here are the best rock songs for volunteering.

1. 'Give a Little Bit' by Supertramp

2. 'I'll Stand by You' by The Pretenders

3. 'Let's Work Together' by Canned Heat

4. 'With a Little Help from My Friends' by The Beatles

5. 'Everyday People' by Sly & The Family Stone

6. 'People Help the People' by Birdy

7. 'Trouble Me' by 10,000 Maniacs

8. 'Volunteers' by Jefferson Airplane

9. 'Brother To Brother' by Gino Vannelli

10. 'Everybody Hurts' by R.E.M.

11. 'Imagine' by John Lennon

12. 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' by Simon & Garfunkel

13. 'One' by U2

14. 'Redemption Song' by Bob Marley

15. 'For What It's Worth' by Buffalo Springfield

16. 'Treat People with Kindness' by Harry Styles

17. 'You've Got a Friend' by James Taylor

18. 'I Can Help' by Billy Swan

19. 'Lean on Me' by Bill Withers

20. 'Handle With Care' by The Traveling Wilburys

21. 'Hero' by The Foo Fighters

22. 'Wind Beneath My Wings' by Bette Midler

23. 'Help!' by The Beatles

24. 'An Act of Kindness' by Bastille

25. 'Man in the Mirror' by Michael Jackson

26. 'I'll Be Your Shelter' by Bonnie Raitt

27. 'If Everyone Cared' by Nickelback

28. 'The Joker' by Brandi Carlile

29. '(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding' by Elvis Costello

30. 'Stand By Me' by Ben E. King

31. 'Change the World' by Eric Clapton

32. 'Heal the World' by Michael Jackson

33. 'We Are the World' by USA for Africa

34. 'The Times They Are A-Changin'' by Bob Dylan

35. 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' by Bruce Springsteen

36. 'Get Together' by The Youngbloods

37. 'All You Need Is Love' by The Beatles

38. 'A Change Is Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke

39. 'Blowin' in the Wind' by Bob Dylan

40. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' by U2

41. 'Don't Give Up' by Peter Gabriel

42. 'Kind and Generous' by Natalie Merchant

43. 'Ripple' by Grateful Dead

44. 'Talkin' Bout a Revolution' by Tracy Chapman

45. 'Voices That Care' by Various Artists

46. 'I Won't Back Down' by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

47. 'The Only Way to Care' by The Vaccines

48. 'We Shall Overcome' by Pete Seeger

49. 'Love Train' by The O'Jays

50. 'I Volunteer' by Collin Raye