Whether you know someone who’s turning 11 or you want to relive your childhood days, there are plenty of songs about being 11 years old. This list includes some of the best of them. Enjoy!
“7 Years” by Lukas Graham
Song Year: 2015
This song looks back at several pivotal years in the singer’s childhood. At seven, they needed to make friends. However, by 11, they were smoking and drinking, looking for something better in life. The rest of the song flashes forward to being 60 years old and not enjoying the world around them because they miss their lost childhood.
“Waves” by Imagine Dragons
Song Year: 2022
Like several songs about 11-year-olds, “Waves” by Imagine Dragons addresses other ages in the lyrics. Interestingly, it juxtaposes 11 with 21, saying that both years are the prime of life.
The singer remembers a friend from childhood but knows they can’t go back to being 11 years old again. You can cherish those memories, but you have to roll on through life and figure things out for yourself.
“Havin’ Fun” by Big Scarr
Song Year: 2022
This song addresses how some kids have to grow up too fast, experiencing things they’ll never forget at a young age. Big Scarr’s lyrics talk about how every day was a risk, starting on a scary path when he was only 11 years old. By 15, he was even deeper into the rocky life, but older people encouraged that lifestyle, so he kept on to ensure he’d live to see another day.
“Eleven Years Old Again” by Bill Boyan
Song Year: 2020
This song is a ride back in time, with the singer reminiscing about playing baseball, making friends, and still playing with childhood toys. He remembers that girls had cooties, and he still cared about making good grades in fifth grade. The song ends with the singer revealing he’s a grandparent watching his children with their own, but he still remembers his childhood.
“LIVEFASTDIEYOUNG” by Machine Gun Kelly
Song Year: 2018
In this song, Machine Gun Kelly reminisces about his childhood, but it’s not the fuzzy memories you might expect. Instead, he sings about how he started getting lit when he was only 11 years old and has stayed on a rough path since then. He continues on about how he’s always on drugs, even at awards shows but doesn’t care because he wants to live fast and die young.
“Names” by Cat Power
Song Year: 2003
This song tells the stories of several children ranging from 10 to 14 years old. The second verse is about an 11-year-old girl who learned too young about intimacy. She shows off what she’s learned in the back of a bus after leaving school.
The other children also experience bad things, and the song ends on a sad note, with the singer saying they don’t know what happened to anyone.
“Runaway Love” by Ludacris featuring Mary J. Blige
Song Year: 2006
Ludacris is a big name in rap, and his duet with Mary J. Blige was noteworthy because she’s an incredible artist on the scene. “Runaway Love” is a popular track that resembles the previously-reviewed “Names” by Cat Power. There are three subjects in this song that address why young girls run away from home.
The 11-year-old in this song is the oldest, but she’s experiencing things well beyond her age, ending up pregnant.
“No Slack” by Divine on the Mic
Song Year: 2020
This song is about how hard the singer has to work to maintain a regular blue-collar life. They can’t slack because they have to take advantage of anything they can to get by.
The 11-year-old reference comes in with the lyrics addressing his grandfather, who was on his own at that young age because his father abandoned him. That drive comes naturally to the singer through the family line.
“The Origin of Tommy the Killer” by Vetter
Song Year: 2020
This spooky song starts with Tommy, an 11-year-old, telling about the people he used to know. He mentions what they were doing the last time he saw them, and it’s always something bad. He goes from playing in the street with other children to feeling like someone is pulling him through the mirror, turning him into the Grim Reaper, and grooming him into a serial killer.
“Since 11” by Zetain
Song Year: 2022
The lyrics of this song address how the singer learned the hard way of life from the young age of 11. Once someone killed his brother, he realized he needed to protect himself with a gun and didn’t care who got in his way. He hates living this lifestyle, even feeling pain in music, which is his creative outlet, but he can’t stop because otherwise, people doubt him.
“Ballin’ Outta Control” by E-40
Song Year: 1998
This song opens right up at the singer’s eleventh year, talking about how he got pushed into a hard lifestyle when he was young. He doesn’t want to get a normal job flipping burgers, so he sticks with the lifestyle as he ages, getting more and more powerful. Still, he wants to quit but can’t risk it because he’s got it so good without having to do much work on his own.
Though the lifestyle in the song sounds rough, when E-40 was 11, he was playing drums and recording music with his siblings. While he likely knows about what he’s singing, he’s been in the music industry for a long time, proving his talent.
“As Birds Take Flight” by Aaron Walter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkHsPpPg9G8
Song Year: 2020
This song captures the heart of being 11 years old, still having long summer days with nothing to do. With a friend, the singer shoots BB guns and finds shapes in the clouds as the sun sets, having no other cares since they’re too young for jobs. The singer compares that age, on the cusp of the teenage years, to a bird taking flight and remembers it as the best times of life.
Check out some of the other best songs from 2020 to see how “As Birds Take Flight” compares.
“A Decades Old Protest Song” by Sloth Hands
Song Year: 2015
The lyrics to this song address how the singer knew honorable qualities even at 11 years old. There are references to knowing the president is strong and that you should love your country, but there are also some doubts there.
Later verses address how you can be strong and love your country but still not be right. This juxtaposition in your beliefs becomes clear as you get older, culminating in a powerful protest song. If you like this message, check out other anti-war songs.
Best Songs About Being 11 Years Old, Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these songs about being 11 transported you back to your childhood or, conversely, made you glad that you’re not a child anymore. There are so many different songs about this age, whether it’s from artists trying to capture the innocence of childhood or those who had it hard from a young age, working their way up to superstardom.
Regardless of your preferred genre of music, you’re sure to find a song about being 11 years old that you love.