~~~UPDATED APR 19 2018~~~

I have also included the "most powerful line(s)" and additional lines. The most powerful line is more or less the most powerful line that gives me chills when I hear it. The additional lines have the same effect, but not as great as the other one. Some of the songs have links to some awesome videos that I found related to that song.

15) Sweetie Little Jean (Spotify Singles)
This song was originally released on the Tell Me I'm Pretty album, but this version was my favorite.
This is the first song on this list that is one of my favorites because of a specific event that has occurred in my life. This was also the hardest song to place, as I love this song and the next about the same.
There was one trial in life that I was going through where one of my best friends got really mad at me and stopped talking to me, and this was the time when I really started to get into the Tell Me I'm Pretty album. I remember sitting down on my bed, staring at the wall and hearing not only the lyrics of the chorus ("I want you back"), but the line "How's it feel to be a ghost?" which was the line that really struck hard and made the song even more powerful.
Most powerful line(s): "How long will we let it go? I think we should just let go"
Additional: "I want you back" "[insert entire song here]" "[insert entire bridge here]"

14) Cry Baby (Unpeeled)
This song was originally written for the Tell Me I'm Pretty album, but this version is my favorite.
I love this song, but I was so close to not including it in this list. It just wasn't one of those songs that I always think of as one of my favorites. However, after thinking about it more, I realized that I just couldn't leave it out. The message after the chorus, "Open up your eyes or life will pass you by," really spoke to me and still does, in fact.
Most powerful line(s): "Cry, baby, cry, kick, scream, fight, hold on with all your might, you're gonna die, die, open up your eyes or life will pass you by"
Additional: "Monday you cough, Tuesday you cry, Wednesday in bed, what if you die?" "Cry, baby, cry, like it or not, like it or not it's a matter of time"

13) Cold Cold Cold (Tell Me I'm Pretty)
This is a song that I can relate to quite a bit. I suffer from a few mental disorders, so this really speaks to me on a personal level. Whenever I'm on one of my "meh" days, this is the song I listen to. I love how Matt sings the chorus. The way he forces out the words "cold, cold, cold, cold inside; darker in the day than the dead of night)" just gives me chills. I also love the build-up ("Doctor, can you help me, 'cause I don't feel right, better make it fast before I change my mind) really speaks to me, and I love the low pitch. It fits so well with that message.
Most powerful line(s): "Doctor, can you help me 'cause I don't feel right - better make it fast because they're ain't much time"
Additional: "[insert entire song here]" "[insert entire first verse here]" "[insert entire chorus here]"

12) Too Late to Say Goodbye (Tell Me I'm Pretty)
This song almost came after Sweetie Little Jean, but I had to give this one the number ten spot because I love the guitar and how the lyrics are so hopeless, and I can just feel the beat whenever I hear the lyrics meet with the strong strokes of the guitar. This is another one of my favorites to listen to on my low days.
I also want to mention that this song was the hardest to find the most powerful lyric for. There are so many. I kind of just wanted to copy and paste the entire song, but that would be too long.
Most powerful line(s): "It's too late to say goodbye"
Additional: "Deep down we both knew it was trouble by design" "Oh my precious ember burning, my sweet glowing light"

11) Always Something (Thank You, Happy Birthday)
This song was one of the songs that my friend was scared to suggest I listen to because she thought it was too weird, but I liked it immediately. It's kind of my mixture of the feels of Too Late to Say Goodbye and Back Against the Wall, which I explained earlier. I can also relate to this song a lot.
Most powerful line(s): "Can't hold the hands back, can't make the sun rise"
Additional: "A couple miles down the road, he's covered in your blood" "Why can't you see you can't control the weather?"

10) Teeth (Melophobia)
I'm just going to start by saying...I'm sorry.
But no, I'm really not. XD
This was one of those songs that I wasn't suggested to listen to (I had a friend giving me songs from them to listen to when I first starting listening to them), but instead found out about on my own. This is the first song on this list that I remember playing over and over again on repeat until I got sick of it (I never did, I just decided that it was probably time to listen to something else). I just couldn't leave this out. This song gets so little recognition! I relate to it, as well, as when I listen to or sing music for a long time, I start to get this tingling sensation in my gums and teeth. Music is powerful, and it drives me crazy (in a good way) thinking about how much I love music. I like the dialogue afterwards as well, except that one line...but whatever I love the song, anyway!
Most powerful line(s): "I can feel it in my teeth"
Additional: "Will somebody please help me? Call the doctor, but don't call the police"

9) Drones in the Valley (Cage the Elephant)
I loved this song when I first listened to it, and it's probably one of my favorites of the rock genre by this artist. This song almost didn't make the list, but then I realized that it needed to, and I was okay with that. I love the meaning behind the song, it reminds me a lot of Soil to the Sun and Come a Little Closer.
Most powerful line(s): "Here we stand at this fork in the road - we got no time to waste, oh which way shall we go?"
Additional: "This whole world's spinning out of control - oh which way shall we go, which way shall we go?" "It's what they want, but no it's not what we need!" "We feast on lies which makes it hard for us to take a stand"

8) How Are You True (Unpeeled)
This song was originally written for the Tell Me I'm Pretty album, but this is my favorite version.
Not only is this song my favorite to play on the ocarina, but it's also one of those songs I turn to when I need motivation. I love the backstory, and even though it was written for someone in particular, I also feel like Matt is talking to me, in a way.
This song was actually taken off the list for the longest time until I finally decided I couldn't leave it out - and it's kept its spot. It has even jumped from number 13 to number eight.
Most powerful line(s): "I remember clearly we were both there on the airplane - you told me all your secrets, oh I never saw it coming - I thought that you were joking, you were actually quite serious"
Additional: "And I try to find the will to carry on, wonder how much longer I can carry on" "Wake up, say a little prayer - out of bed to the bathroom where I take a look at myself and I stop and stare and I wonder who is this standing here"

6) Spiderhead (Melophobia)
This song surprised me in where it stood on this list. This song used to be in the number four slot until it got replaced with the following two songs.
Not only was this song one of the first CTE songs I listened to (#5, to be exact), but I'm even having trouble writing this explanation right now because it is impossible to listen to this song with getting into it! I love the chorus when gets really strong and then cools down, like "SPIDERS in my head, SPIDERS in my mind!"
Most powerful line(s): "Spiders in my head, spiders in my mind"
Additional: "Say you wanted to" "Either I'm heaven or I'm in hell, am I losing my mind, 'cause I can't tell"

5) Soil to the Sun (Cage the Elephant)
And we're down to the top five!
This song reminds me a lot of Drones in the Valley, and I love how it talks about a "dream." (I'm obsessed with this topic apparently...) I loved this song after the first time that I listened to it, and I had it stuck in my head before I went to bed the first night. The next day, I listened to it on repeat. at first I avoided this song because I thought it was inappropriate, but I'm so glad I finally decided to listen to it.
Most powerful line(s): "Come one, come all, come see it, believe it - the truth will shine if you open your eyes"
Additional: "Oh the sun crashed down to the ground, the moon rose up to the sky, blood red" "The weak will rise and give birth to the sky" "They fell to their knees as the stars started screaming"

4) Telescope (Melophobia)
I thought a lot about this song while making this list. I knew that I love this song, but at the same time, looking at the others really made me question exactly how much I love this song. I actually ordered these songs on my playlist by how ordered them here, and after moving Telescope lower on the list thinking that the previous three songs were more special, I was listening to this song on my playlist and just realized, "Nah, I really do love this song!" It's so beautiful and it also happens to be the first CTE song that I learned to play on my ocarina. I also love how Matt said that this was inspired by a low time in his life, which I totally understand. This song really speaks to my heart and I just couldn't leave it out.
Most powerful line(s): "Safe to say that I don't think you understand, there's nowhere left to turn, walls keep breaking"
Additional: "Time is like a leaf in the wind, either it's time well spent or time I've wasted - don't waste it" "[insert entire bridge here]"

3) Right Before My Eyes (Unpeeled)
This song was originally written for the Thank You, Happy Birthday album, but this was my favorite version.
This is the song that I would personally kill someone if it wasn't included in a top ten CTE list. Fortunately, I have yet to find a list that does not. I know get mad when their first pick isn't on a list, but I understand that my first pick isn't always everyone's favorite. This one, however, was a masterpiece. It also happened to be one of the first songs I listened to by the artist (#7). I especially love the acoustic version after Flow. This song is just simply beautiful. Especially the second verse, "Hold our dirty hands over the flames, getting pleasure from the pain. Softly screaming, the pistol that you raised has spoken." I also love the part of the verse that follows those lines. I also the chorus. I also love...
Never mind. You get the gist.
I also had trouble placing this. I was so close to making it number two, but I eventually had to admit that number 2 was better for personal reasons that I would rather forget about.
Most powerful line(s): "I fell through the floor, I couldn't take it anymore - I can't take this anymore, it breaks my mind uh-uh-huh"
Additional: "Right before my eyes I saw the whole world lose control, the whole world lost control before my eyes"

3) Shake Me Down (Thank You, Happy Birthday)
This was the first song that was suggested to me to listen to that really got me to love CTE. I normally choose one favorite of something and stick with it for life because my favorites change so much, so this song was my favorite for the longest time. There are a few times that my favorites do change, but for the most part, I don't like changing my favorites because then I want more than one.
I remember when I first listened to this song, like my mom, I was also really skeptical about music, just not in the same way as my mother. With me, I was willing to listen to different kinds of music, but a lot of the time I didn't ever search for music on my own, instead keeping to my existing playlists. Even when I was discovering new songs from an artist that I already liked, I rarely ever gave the new songs a chance because they were different and I loved the others too much. Even when I did give them a chance, I often have to listen to it quite a few times before I really start to enjoy it. I felt this way when I first listened to CTE.
The first song that was suggested to me, as I mentioned earlier, was Cigarette Daydreams, but I thought it wouldn't be appropriate, so I consulted Google for a list of songs and chose three at random by their titles. The first one was Flow, which I thought was a little boring at the time. The second was Telescope, which I enjoyed, but at the same time I thought the part where it goes "clearing my mind, losing my friends..." was weird, so I was turned off. The third song was Black Widow, and while I loved the music in the background, the high-pitched lyrics didn't really excite me. CTE's guitar music was really what kept me interested.
So I texted my friend, told her what I thought, and asked if there were any songs she thought I'd like. She then suggested Sweetie Little Jean and then Spiderhead, which I enjoyed, but I was still skeptical. So then she just says, "Oh my goodness, listen to Shake Me Down PLEASE." So I did.
After the song ended, I slowly pulled out my earbuds and hid my face in my hands. I tried not to, but I started to laugh. I REALLY enjoyed this song. I just didn't want to admit it. I told my friend that, and she went CRAZY. The next song she gave me was Right Before My Eyes, and then it all went downhill from there.
I could go on and on with this, but that's not the point of this list. Even though this is technically in the top spot for nostalgic purposes, this is still an excellent song, and even though I wouldn't automatically recommend it to someone, I like how hopeful and motivational the song is. Especially the first verse and the bridge, "Even on a cloudy day, I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun."
Most powerful line(s): "Shake me down, not a lot of people left around"
Additional: "Even on a cloudy day, I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun" "Their eyes cast down, fixed upon the ground, their eyes cast down"

2) Ain't No Rest for the Wicked (Cage the Elephant)
Any CTE fans would kill me if I didn't include this song in this list. Anyone who has ever listened to this song knows what I mean.This song is AMAZING. My spirits are immediately lifted when I listen to this song. I love the guitars almost battling each other in the beginning, and I get so excited when I hear it turn on!
Most powerful line(s): "We can't slow down, we can't hold back though you know we wish we could - oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked 'till we close our eyes for good"
Additional: "But even still I can't say much because I know we're all the same, oh yes we all seek out to satisfy those thrills" "Oh no, there ain't no rest for the wicked, money don't grow on trees - we got bills to pay, we got mouths to feed - there ain't nothing in this world for free" "I said, 'you're such a sweet young thing oh, why d'you do this to yourself?' She looked at me and this is what she said" "He said, 'give me all you got - I want your money, not your life - if you try to make a move I won't think twice" "What made you wanna live this kinda life?

Link:

Honorable Mentions:
(I love so many of their other songs, but the songs listed are the picks that I had trouble leaving out of my top 15)

Portuguese Knife Fight (Tell Me I'm Pretty)
This was one of those songs that I used to hate because in the beginning, the guitar was only heard in one ear, and it made me feel like I was deaf. Nowadays, I don't think this song gets enough recognition, to be honest; it gets more hate than How Are You True, actually.
Flow (Thank You, Happy Birthday)
This was the very first song I listened to by Cage the Elephant. I really wanted to include it, but after a long time of thinking about it, I realized that it just wasn't as special as the newer songs that I had listened to, and I had to take it out.
Black Widow (Melophobia)
This was the third song that I listened to by CTE, but I didn't like it for the longest time. However, I've recently grown to love it. No one ever talks about it, but I feel like it's a really good song, and I really wanted to include it, but it just wasn't as strong as the others.
Mess Around (Tell Me I'm Pretty)
This used to be in the number 9 spot, but then I realized that I liked How Are You True more. This song has a special place in my heart, as it's one of those songs that immediately makes me happy.
Around My Head (Thank You, Happy Birthday)
I thought this song was weird at first, but I really enjoy it, actually. It's another one that I can really relate to.
Back Against the Wall (Cage the Elephant)
This song used to be in the number 15 spot, but it was replaced when I got into Soil to the Sun. I still really love it, though.
Baby Blue (Melophobia)
This song is a B-side of Melophobia, and I think this might just take a spot in the list sometime soon - it's really growing on me.
Instant Crush - Unpeeled (Unpeeled)
This would have DEFINITELY taken a spot...but it's a cover, so I just couldn't put it in.

1) Cigarette Daydreams (Melophobia)
This is actually the oldest song that I was introduced to. This was the first song that was suggested to me, but I refused because, by the title, I assumed that it was about getting high on drugs. However, one day I was watching a concert while drawing, and this was one of the songs that started to play, and for some reason, I just let it play. The chorus really stuck with me, and the next day it was all I could think about. "You can drive all night, looking for the answers in the pouring rain." I could also relate to it to a scary extent for the same reason as Sweetie Little Jean.
I was always debating whether I loved this song more than Shake Me Down, and after calming down about the band, I realized that this song was really the only song that I never EVER skip.
Most powerful line(s): "Standing in the pouring rain"
Additional: "You were only seventeen" "You can drive all night, looking for the answers in the pouring rain"

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DISCLAIMER!

This is only opinion, not fact. I'm sorry if your favorite song didn't make it, and there are so many other CTE songs that I love, but I couldn't include all of them.

If you want me to be honest, the only songs that weren't considered at all were Free Love, Back Stabbin' Betty, In One Ear, Lotus (all from the first album), and Golden Brown - Unpeeled from the Unpeeled album - especially In One Ear. I've heard a clean version of it, but due to the famous use of profanity, it's just not for me, and is therefore my least favorite Cage the Elephant song, mainly because of its popularity. The only songs that haven't been touched at all but have still been avoided are Back Stabbin' Betty and Golden Brown, and I don't ever intend to listen to them. If it has an "explicit" tag on Spotify, I avoid it. I listened to about half of Lotus and I liked it, but then they swore, and I've listened to most of Free Love because it randomly started playing on Spotify.