How Did This Too Shall Pass Become A Song Title?

There’s something almost cinematic to me about how a proverb turns into a song title — it’s like watching a tiny, weathered sign get repainted and hung above someone’s chorus. The phrase 'this too shall pass' has been doing rounds for centuries as a consoling line in folk tales, poetry, and sermons, and at some point songwriters started borrowing it because it’s short, mysterious, and emotionally punchy.

I think songwriters pick it for two big reasons: it’s universal and it’s versatile. Universal because everyone knows the feeling of impermanence, so the title instantly connects. Versatile because you can write a ballad that comforts, a punk track that sneers, or an indie single that watches the world drift by — same phrase, different moods. That’s why artists from different genres have used 'This Too Shall Pass' as a title; one of the more visible cases is OK Go, whose mechanical Rube Goldberg video turned the phrase into a visual metaphor for cause-and-effect and impermanence.

There’s also a practical side: titles aren’t copyrighted, so multiple musicians can reuse beloved proverbs without legal headaches. For me, hearing a new 'This Too Shall Pass' feels like opening a familiar book to a fresh page — the promise is the same, but the story inside is new. Next time you hear it, listen to how the music shapes the proverb’s mood.

I love that so many artists shop in the same pool of old sayings. The line 'this too shall pass' comes from deep cultural soil — people often point to Persian wisdom and medieval folklore as its roots — and that makes it a ripe seed for songs. When I’m strumming and noodling in the evening, a phrase like that sits in my head because it’s melodically friendly and lyrically heavy: perfect for a chorus hook.

Songwriters sometimes title a track before writing lyrics, and a rolling, reflective phrase like 'This Too Shall Pass' gives a direction right away. It signals to listeners that the song will deal with change, survival, or the bittersweet edge of memory. Also worth mentioning: song titles aren’t protected the way full lyrics are, so there’s no legal fence preventing dozens of musicians from naming their songs the same — it's why you’ll run into the phrase in pop, folk, gospel, and alternative scenes alike. To me, that shared title becomes a little cultural bridge — different voices, same human worry.

Short take: the phrase became a song title because it already does half the job of a song — it tells a small story. It’s an ancient-sounding proverb (often traced to Persian and folk tales), so it carries weight and familiarity, which is gold when you want instant connection.

Musically it’s handy: concise, singable, and thematically broad. Practically, many artists use it because titles can be reused freely, so you get multiple songs called 'This Too Shall Pass' across genres. Personally, I like hunting for versions that flip the meaning — comforting versus ironic — and then comparing how arrangement, tempo, and vocal tone steer the phrase. Try listening to a couple back-to-back; it’s a neat study in how production decides attitude.

I tend to think of ‘This Too Shall Pass’ as a cultural heirloom that migrated into music because it already carried the emotional cargo most songs want to move. Historically the saying shows up in various folk traditions — it’s often linked to Persian proverbs and to moral stories about kings and wise men — and by the time modern musicians noticed it, the phrase had been polished by centuries of use. That backstory gives the words authority and resonance the moment they’re sung.

Beyond backstory, writers are practical: the phrase is compact (great for headlines or playlists), memorable (it sticks in your head after the first listen), and ironically elastic — artists can make it comforting, defiant, sarcastic, or hopeful. I’m fascinated by how production choices change the meaning: a slow piano turns it into a lullaby, distorted guitars make it a sneer, handclaps and a choir turn it into an anthem. There’s also the business side — titles aren’t exclusive, so reuse is common — but mostly it’s the human factor. We all want songs that say: you’re not alone in this moment, and that makes 'This Too Shall Pass' irresistible. If I were making a playlist of resilience songs, I’d include a few different takes on it just to hear the phrase refracted through other people’s lives.