Most depressing songs on the planet

[Sebastian Doyle]

What songs always get you in a morbidly sad mood and make you reach for the medication - pharmaceutical or otherwise?

I expect a lot of country tunes in this one, so why not start off with one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuUr-cB7PnY

The New Barbarians - Apartment Number 9
(and you can tell they were doing a lot of self-medicating that night :beer: )

[rug]

1. Pretty Polly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXr0XUXbRWU&feature=related

[PassingFair]

2. Empty Garden

What happened here
As the New York sunset disappeared
I found an empty garden among the flagstones there
Who lived here
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And now it all looks strange
It's funny how one insect can damage so much grain

And what's it for
This little empty garden by the brownstone door
And in the cracks along the sidewalk nothing grows no more
Who lived here
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
And we are so amazed we're crippled and we're dazed
A gardener like that one no one can replace

And I've been knocking but no one answers
And I've been knocking most all the day
Oh and I've been calling oh hey hey Johnny
Can't you come out to play

And through their tears
Some say he farmed his best in younger years
But he'd have said that roots grow stronger if only he could hear
Who lived there
He must have been a gardener that cared a lot
Who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop
Now we pray for rain, and with every drop that falls
We hear, we hear your name

Johnny can't you come out to play in your empty garden

[Cetacea]

136. In my top 10.

Especially poignant considering John's closeness to the Lennons.

[BeachBaby]

3. Dust in the Wind - hands down. eom.

[Tom Kitten]

4. Red Sovine songs

I'm sure he felt relief when he died...Even came up with a few depressing Christmas songs...

http://recordrobot.blogspot.com/2006/12/tear-in-your-holiday-beer.html

[Inchworm]

80. Too many wonderful Sovine

to play here... but fuck it.

I love how he tells this story...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJLXbmLPjbU

I reckon it's depressing

:hi:

[Orrex]

5. Womanizer

By the esteemed Britney Spears.

[PBS Poll-435]

15. Them are fighting words!

I, sir, challenge you to a dueeell.

[InternalDialogue]

6. Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves

by Gavin Friday and the Man Seezer.

It's like suicide carnival music.

[XemaSab]

7. Two:

Putting the Damage On by Tori Amos and Let Down by Radiohead. :(

[Danger Mouse]

9. I don't find Let Down to be depressing...not as depressing as some of their others, at least.

[XemaSab]

12. It's the song I get in my head when I am bummed out

:(

[Danger Mouse]

14. To me, Street Spirit is their most depressing song...

I can't even handle that song sometimes. :( The line 'This machine will not communicate these thoughts and the strain I am under' really speaks to me and gets in my head sometimes.
That and Motion Picture Soundtrack, both bring me either to tears or very near.
Hmm...Let Down I find kind of pretty, but the lyrics are somewhat depressing when you think about it.
Heh, I just love their music.

[Mari333]

8. worst, also...McCarthur's Park nt

[Danger Mouse]

10. Needle in the Hay by Elliott Smith...there is no more depressing and bleak song, period.

[Inchworm]

70. Ok damnit!!

Edit start lol: what the damn hell is so hard about sharing cool songs like this by posting youtubes?!? umm.. I've botched this post 4x so far and forget all the funny stuff I said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHDbCC0Ongs

Your hand on his arm
The hay stack charm around your neck
Strung out and thin
Calling some friend trying to cash some check
Hes acting dumb
Thats what youve come to expect

Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay

He's wearing yer clothes
Head down to toes a reaction to you
You say you know what he did
But you idiot kid
You don't have a clue
Sometimes they just get caught in the eye
You're pulling him through

Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay

Now on the bus
Nearly touching this dirty retreat
Falling out 6th and powell a dead sweat in my teeth
Gonna walk walk walk
Four more blocks plus one in my break
Down downstairs to the man
He's gonna make it all ok
I can't beat myself
I can't beat myself
And I don't want to talk
I'm taking the cure so I can be quiet
Whenever I want
So leave me alone
You ought to be proud that I'm getting good marks

Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay
Needle in the hay

:hug:

[Danger Mouse]

108. It's extra depressing considering Smith's death. It ends up sounding like a suicide note.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

11. George Jones ~ He Stopped Loving Her Today and

every song on David Gray's Life In Slow Motion.

also:

Travelling Soldier~Dixie Chicks

and

You Think You Know Someone~Tom Snider

[Tuesday Afternoon]

49. too late to edit ...so giving these songs their own subject line

please see below :blush:

[grannylib]

13. "Hole in the River" by Crowded House

There's a hole in the river
Where my auntie lies
From the land and the bushes
To the air and sky
Left her car by the river
Left her shoes beside
She was coming to see him
Something changed her mind
Drove her down to the river
There is no return...

Those are just partial lyrics; it's always made me sad...

[PBS Poll-435]

16. Beloved Wife - Natalie Merchant

:cry:

[Orrex]

18. Oooh! Good call!

Quite the tear-jerker, that song.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

17. How Come How Long -Babyface featuring Stevie Wonder

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=tyXbJHaLdS8

Also "Orphans of Wealth" and "The Grave" by Don McLean

[Tuesday Afternoon]

19. Patches ~ Clarence Carter

I was born and raised down in Alabama
On a farm way back up in the woods
I was so ragged that folks used to call me Patches
Papa used to tease me about it
'Cause deep down inside he was hurt
'Cause he'd done all he could

My papa was a great old man
I can see him with a shovel in his hands, see
Education he never had
He did wonders when the times got bad
The little money from the crops he raised
Barely paid the bills we made

For, life had kick him down to the ground
When he tried to get up
Life would kick him back down
One day Papa called me to his dyin' bed
Put his hands on my shoulders
And in his tears he said

He said, Patches
I'm dependin' on you, son
To pull the family through
My son, it's all left up to you

Two days later Papa passed away, and
I became a man that day
So I told Mama I was gonna quit school, but
She said that was Daddy's strictest rule

So ev'ry mornin' 'fore I went to school
I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too
Sometimes I felt that I couldn't go on
I wanted to leave, just run away from home
But I would remember what my daddy said
With tears in his eyes on his dyin' bed

He said, Patches
I'm dependin' on you, son
I tried to do my best
It's up to you to do the rest

Then one day a strong rain came
And washed all the crops away
And at the age of 13 I thought
I was carryin' the weight of the
Whole world on my shoulders
And you know, Mama knew
What I was goin' through, 'cause

Ev'ry day I had to work the fields
'Cause that's the only way we got our meals
You see, I was the oldest of the family
And ev'rybody else depended on me
Ev'ry night I heard my Mama pray
Lord, give him the strength to face another day

So years have passed and all the kids are grown
The angels took Mama to a brand new home
Lord knows, people, I shedded tears
But my daddy's voice kept me through the years

Sing
Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son
To pull the family through
My son, it's all left up to you

Oh, I can still hear Papa's voice sayin'
Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son
I've tried to do my best
It's up to you to do the rest

I can still hear Papa, what he said
Patches...

[Liberal_in_LA]

40. Great choice,

[Tuesday Afternoon]

45. there are a million out there...

I think I have half of them on this thread :D :eyes:

I think I need to worry about myself :crazy:

[Liberal_in_LA]

47. Here is the youtube link

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1868932,00.html?cnn=yes

There is another link of him singing it live. I didn't realize Carter was blind.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

48. yeah...

Have you heard any of The Blind Boys of Alabama's Stuff?

blind boys of alabama, way down in the hole Warning:not for atheists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzIuUW9VUr0

[Tuesday Afternoon]

20. Warren Zevon - Carmelita

http://www.youtube.com/v/xeb0OI8wXN4&hl=en&fs=1

[Tuesday Afternoon]

22. John Prine wrote a couple of downers...

Christmas in Prison and Sam Stone come to mind and also Hello, In There, Hello.

[mitchum]

92. I also nominate his "Hasten Down the Wind"

[Tuesday Afternoon]

97. good call...so many sad songs out there. I can't post them fast enough

trying to stay in this thread and out of trouble with the rest of the Lounge :hide:

[Blue_In_AK]

120. There are some real heart-rippers

on that last album he made before he died.

[HEyHEY]

21. Puff the magic dragon

[Liberal_in_LA]

36. Yeah, as a child I found the song quite melancholy

[Inchworm]

60. Dude!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLBdHVEDCn0

I'm beginning to think I have my "depression" feeling mixed up.

To me it's a pretty song of childhood dreams.. .. hmm..

I guess that could be depressing. :D

:hi:

[HEyHEY]

72. It's about the DEATH of childhood dreams

When the kid grows up he forgets about puff, who then dies

[Inchworm]

73. I know I know!

but..!!

I still think that is the pretty part you sing to kids. It really didn't get me anywhere but dreams are as real as you make em. yada yada...

:hide:

[Liberal_in_LA]

75. Everyone was saying it was about Marijuana! That kinda killed the enjoyment of song for me.

[MrsBrady]

23. I can't make you love me

"I Can't Make You Love Me" is a 1991 popular song, written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her Luck of the Draw album from that year

kills me every time i hear it
sometimes can't stand to hear it

[PaddyBlueEyes]

24. Anything by the Cure

[fizzgig]

51. not all of it is depressing

they've got some great bubbly happy music. but, yes, i was going to post one of their songs

[Twillig]

105. Prayers for Rain. Top that one for depressing, Cure fans.

I don't think you can!

[Iggo]

25. Anything by Bread.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

31. I found your diary underneath a tree...

good call :thumbsup:

[Iggo]

41. Oh, yikes.

I'd forgotten about that one. It's especially horrid.

"The love she'd waited for was someone else, not me."

Urgh!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

26. In The Rain ~ The Dramatics

http://www.youtube.com/v/z2PVpDpxef8&hl=en&fs=1

[mcctatas]

27. I can think of two off of the top of my head...

The Fields Of Athenry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtQ6a8gA7qk

Dropkick Murphys The Green Fields Of France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK9TDt3Ouo4

[PaddyBlueEyes]

29. #1 great song

#2 British &*&^%^$&$$&

[Liberal_in_LA]

39. 'stairway to heaven' because it's based on the real life death of a child.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

59. Why oh why did they play the hell ouf of it until it no longer made

any sense? A double tragedy.

[Liberal_in_LA]

74. It was played a lot when it first came out. Don't hear it so much now.

[Iggo]

28. Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McLean

[Tuesday Afternoon]

30. Luka - Suzanne Vega

http://www.youtube.com/v/RZyxYL753w4&hl=en&fs=1

[Liberal_in_LA]

37. child abuse song, very sad.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

32. Janis Ian - At Seventeen

http://www.youtube.com/v/efHOIT1ROk8&hl=en&fs=1

[Inchworm]

61. Ok.. this one killed me

I'd have took her home. Just because at 17 we were going through different things. She was prolly already hot but wanting to be barbie. :D

:hug:

EDIT: clarity

[Tuesday Afternoon]

65. what good was it, if she did not realize it herself ...

oh.the.irony.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

33. Angel Flying To Close To The Ground

http://www.youtube.com/v/x3DxVVfTifg&hl=en&fs=1

[Inchworm]

63. u suk

:cry::cry::cry:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

64. stick with me, kid

;) I got a million of them stashed back somewhere in this misery I call a brain. :hug:

[Inchworm]

81. I'm bout buxxed

I think I love you

:loveya:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

86. awww...

that is sweet :) :hug:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

34. Sylvia's Mother ~ Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show

http://www.youtube.com/v/1RGDuJzsSdA&hl=en&fs=1

[Liberal_in_LA]

35. Most depressing song on the universe: Christmas shoes, that song about a guy

seeing a child buy a pair of shoes because dad said mom would meet jesus tonight. :cry:

[Danger Mouse]

42. Yeah, depressingly horrible.

:puke:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

38. Somewhere ~ Westside Story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2zNB-6J4SE

[Liberal_in_LA]

43. sad but so so beautiful!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

44. the sad songs say so much...

Elton John via Bernie Taupin

what does it say about me that I am all over this thread :o

[Blue_In_AK]

121. I used to play the grooves off my Westside Story soundtrack.

I loved that music.

[Kutjara]

46. Roy Harper's "Another Day," as performed by...

Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvt5YnocRp8

Prepare to have your heart ripped out.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

50. Dixie Chicks - Travelin' Soldier

http://www.youtube.com/v/nLBgmbXBOb8&hl=en&fs=1

[Inchworm]

53. That's more beautiful

than depressing. to me anyhow.

A favorite.

:hi:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

56. it is so beautiful that I cry everytime I hear it...

:shrug:

I am such a sap that depressing is beautiful to me. Emo is my middle namem Look! I am all OVER This thread :crazy:

[Inchworm]

58. I'll look

when I get cleared up :cry:

I, umm.. got sumptin in mah eye...

:hug:

I just think love is neat. Someone putting it into words is verra cool. I haven't even been able to read freakin poems lately. Swored off'em! :D

:)

[fizzgig]

52. a few of my favorite sad bastard songs from the cure

maybe someday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TABgAeAQrY

to wish impossible things http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzZ-Mgi1My4

eta: the loudest sound http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPhDuAma9po

[Dr. Strange]

89. Apart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrc4ePtOTd4

[Heddi]

54. "Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning" by Morrissey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9lkjPzOiGc

Always looking for attention
Always needs to be mentioned
Who does she
Think she should be ?
The shrill cry through darkening air
Doesn't she know he's
Had such a busy day ?

Tell her ... sshhh
Somebody tell her ... sshhh
Oh, no way, no way, there's no movement
Oh, oh, hooray
Slowest ...

It was only a test
But she swam too far
Against the tide
She deserves all she gets
The sky became marked with stars
As an out-stretched arm slowly
Disappears

Hooray
Oh hooray
No, oh, oh, woh, there's no movement
No, oh, hooray
Oh, hooray

Please don't worry
There'll be no fuss
She was ... nobody's nothing

(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)

When he awoke
The sea was calm
And another day passes like a dream
There's no ... no way

(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)
(What's your name ?)

[Heddi]

55. Dark Globe by Syd Barrett

but I like the cover by REM better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuuGsHTRapo

Oh where are you now
pussy willow that smiled on this leaf?
When I was alone
you promised the stone from your heart.
My head kissed the ground
I was half the way down
treading the sand
please.

Please lift a hand
I'm only a person
whose armbands beat
on his hands, hang tall
Won't you miss me?
wouldn't you miss me at all?
Oh
Oh
Oh

The poppy bird's way
swing twigs coffee brands around
brandish her wand with a feathery tongue
My head kissed the ground.
I was half the way down
treading the sand
please
please

Please lift a hand
I'm only a person
with eskimo chain
I tattooed my brain all the way
Won't you miss me?
wouldn't you miss me at all?
Oh
Oh
Oh

[Cetacea]

135. "Late Night" nt

[Career Prole]

57. "I'll Be Home For Christmas"...

...when you can't.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

62. most def...if only in my dreams. very.sad.

:hug:

[Liberal_in_LA]

77. yep, sad

[coolhandlulu]

66. "Daniel" reminds me of my sister

Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane
I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain
Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye
God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes

They say Spain is pretty though I've never been
Well Daniel says it's the best place that he's ever seen
Oh and he should know, he's been there enough
Lord I miss Daniel, oh I miss him so much

Daniel my brother you are older than me
Do you still feel the pain of the scars that won't heal
Your eyes have died but you see more than I
Daniel you're a star in the face of the sky

Daniel is travelling tonight on a plane
I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain
Oh and I can see Daniel waving goodbye
God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes
Oh God it looks like Daniel, must be the clouds in my eyes

[Common Sense Party]

67. "Here Comes a Regular" - The Replacements

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW7PS3Lkih0

[Common Sense Party]

68. "Too Far Down" - Husker Du

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3fuxnNaKLA

[Tuesday Afternoon]

69. Girl, I can't let you do this (otherwise known as Righteous Brothers - Soul & Inspiration)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDyOulteViU

[Tuesday Afternoon]

71. Righteous Brothers - Just Once In My Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JohQwlBi5CI&NR=1

on edit: Face it...these guys are so good, anything they do will bring a tear to the eye!

more proof:
The Righteous Brothers-Hey Girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YilMQTS7uA

[Liberal_in_LA]

76. that song by Elvis: About the guy on death row: "the green green grass of home". DEPRESSING!

I turn the channel when that song comes on.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

98. tears me up every time.

so sad.

[sakabatou]

78. "Farewell" by Yoko Kanno (Warning: Tear-Jerker vids)

Be warned, this video has made people cry. I've seen it myself: HERE

Or maybe it's "Is it Real?" Lyrics

[Inchworm]

79. Conversation with Death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpkdOA1LU5I

Ooo death..

Ooo death..

Won't you spare me over til another year.

Well, what is this that I cant see
with ice cold hands taken hold of me

Well, I am death none can excel
I open the door to heaven and hell

Ooo death..

Someone would pray
could you wait to call me another day?

the children prayed, the preacher preached
time and mercy is out of your reach

I'll fix your feet til you can't walk
I'll lock your jaws til you can't talk
I'll close your eyes so you can't see
this very aire come and go with me

Death I've come to take the soul
I'll leave the body and leave it cold
to drop the flesh from ofn your frame
The earth and worms both have a claim

oh death
Ooo death..


won't you spare me over to another year
won't you spare me over to another year



Goin to bed...

:hug:

[fizzgig]

82. not depressing, but makes me bawl

alison krauss - when you say nothing at all http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjsjZWlRVvo

she just kills me

[Inchworm]

83. Without saying a word

you could light up the dark.

...

It just doesn't get better than that.

:hug:

[easttexaslefty]

84. Towns Van Zandt :Marie"

Elliot Smith "Fond Farewell"

[cemaphonic]

107. Really, about a dozen songs from Van Zandt.

"Lungs" would have to be up there too.

[easttexaslefty]

113. True that

[Nikia]

85. Concrete Angel

I don't usually listen to country but when it was popular it came up when I was watchung Yahoo music videos. I cried during and a while after it.

[Arkansas Granny]

87. Alone Againe (Naturally) by Gilbert O'Sullivan

In a little while from now,
If I'm not feeling any less sour
I promised myself to treat myself
And visit a nearby tower,
And climbing to the top,
Will throw myself off
In an effort to make it clear to who
Ever what it's like when your shattered
Left standing in the lurch, at a church
Where people 're saying,
"My God that's tough, she stood him up!
No point in us remaining.
May as well go home."
As I did on my own,
Alone again, naturally

To think that only yesterday,
I was cheerful, bright and gay,
Looking forward to, but who wouldn't do,
The role I was about to play
But as if to knock me down,
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch,
Cut me into little pieces
Leaving me to doubt,
All about God and His mercy
For if He really does exist
Why did He desert me
In my hour of need?
I truly am indeed,
Alone again, naturally

It seems to me that
There are more hearts
Broken in the world
That can't be mended
Left unattended
What do we do? What do we do?

(instrumental break)

Now looking back over the years,
And what ever else that appears
I remember I cried when my father died
Never wishing to have cried the tears
And at sixty-five years old,
My mother, God rest her soul,
Couldn't understand, why the only man
She had ever loved had been taken
Leaving her to start with a heart
So badly broken
Despite encouragement from me
No words were ever spoken
And when she passed away
I cried and cried all day
Alone again, naturally
Alone again, naturally

[meegbear]

129. Big Time!!

[SoxFan]

88. Green Fields of France

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huRwBFmAx78

It's been recorded by a number of artists, but I'm partial to the Dropkick Murphys version.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

90. I wish I could find a YouTube version of this song about child abuse:

You Think You Know Somebody ~ Todd Snider

You think you know somebody
You think they know you
You think you know somebody
But man you never do

Jackie used to live three blocks away from me
We used to throw the baseball
And we'd climb his old oak tree
You know we would sneak his old man's cigarettes
Behind the picket fence
We swore that we would always be best of friends
We used to sit out on the curb
And talk on summer nights
Until Jackie's dad would call him
And he took off like a light
The Friday nights were all the same
Our high school senior year
We hung out at the river
Drank black label beer
And we would listen to the Stones
With all of our old friends
Maybe sneak a toke or two
Down where the river bends
Well I remember how I said
I'd drive him home on Friday night
Well he said go on without out me
Buddy I'll be all right
We went off to college
Start our freshman year
Well I went off to school
About an hour away from here
But you know Jackie he took off
Went to college out of state
He used to call me all the time
He used to tell me it was great
He said I'm coming home for Christmas
And I hope you'll do the same
Well he'd say that he was coming
But Jackie never came

Ah, you think you know somebody
You think they know you
You think you know somebody
But man you never do

Well the night that he got married
Well I was his best man
He's moved back to town
And now we're neighbors again
I've since found myself a wife
So now I'm married too
Our families get together
Every Sunday afternoon
His boy and my boy
They sit out and talk at night
Until Jackie calls for his boy
And then he takes off like a light
Last night I saw the flashing lights
I quickly ran outside
A neighbor lady told me
That Jackie's youngest boy had died
And I was shocked to see the cops
Had Jackie handcuffed in the car
'Til this morning's paper told me
That Jackie had gone too far
And now they're saying Jackie
He ain't the only one to blame
'Cause battered children, they almost always
Grow up to do the same

You think you know somebody
You think they you know you
You think you know somebody
But man you never do
Ooohhhh...

[Tuesday Afternoon]

91. wait a while, eternity...Christmas In Prison - John Prine cover

http://www.youtube.com/v/53agtl-Al2s&hl=en&fs=1

t was christmas in prison
And the food was real good
We had turkey and pistols
Carved out of wood
And I dream of her always
Even when I dont dream
Her names on my tongue
And her bloods in my stream.

Chorus:
Wait awhile eternity
Old mother natures got nothing on me
Come to me
Run to me
Come to me, now
Were rolling
My sweetheart
Were flowing
By god!

She reminds me of a chess game
With someone I admire
Or a picnic in the rain
After a prairie fire
Her heart is as big
As this whole goddamn jail
And shes sweeter than saccharine
At a drug store sale.

The search light in the big yard
Swings round with the gun
And spotlights the snowflakes
Like the dust in the sun
Its christmas in prison
Therell be music tonight
Ill probably get homesick
I love you. goodnight.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

93. Hello In There - John Prine cover

We had an apartment in the city,
Me and Loretta liked living there.
Well, it'd been years since the kids had grown,
A life of their own left us alone.
John and Linda live in Omaha,
And Joe is somewhere on the road.
We lost Davy in the Korean war,
And I still don't know what for, don't matter anymore.

Ya' know that old trees just grow stronger,
And old rivers grow wilder ev'ry day.
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, "Hello in there, hello."

Me and Loretta, we don't talk much more,
She sits and stares through the back door screen.
And all the news just repeats itself
Like some forgotten dream that we've both seen.
Someday I'll go and call up Rudy,
We worked together at the factory.
But what could I say if asks "What's new?"
"Nothing, what's with you? Nothing much to do."

So if you're walking down the street sometime
And spot some hollow ancient eyes,
Please don't just pass 'em by and stare
As if you didn't care, say, "Hello in there, hello."

[mitchum]

94. The Kids...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3AEL9bhftw

[TZ]

95. Cat's in the Cradle

By Harry Chapin. But maybe because my father has lived far away for most of my life.

[Felix Mala]

102. I expected that to be in the top five. n/t

[Tuesday Afternoon]

96. Sam Stone ~ John Prine

http://www.youtube.com/v/C7BXCByMjec&hl=en&fs=1

Sam Stone came home
to his wife and family
After serving in the conflict overseas.
And the time that he served,
Had shattered all his nerves,
And left a little shrapnel in his knee.
But the morphine eased the pain,
And the grass grew round his brain,
And gave him all the confidence he lacked,
With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back.

There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose.
Little pitchers have big ears,
Don't stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios.
Mmm....

Sam Stone's welcome home
Didn't last too long.
He went to work when he'd spent his last dime
And Sammy took to stealing
When he got that empty feeling
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime.
And the gold rolled through his veins
Like a thousand railroad trains,
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose,
While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothes...

Sam Stone was alone
When he popped his last balloon
Climbing walls while sitting in a chair
Well, he played his last request
While the room smelled just like death
With an overdose hovering in the air
But life had lost its fun
And there was nothing to be done
But trade his house that he bought on the G, I. Bill
For a flag draped casket on a local heroes' hill

[Inchworm]

100. Still goin?

Now why didn't I think of Sam Stone?!?

:hi:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

101. yeah...~sigh~ still going

there are plenty more out there.

Elton John - Sad Songs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVcb1Hl46Ds

[Burma Jones]

130. Yep, and Hello in There...and Souveniers.....

with Steve Goodman.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdEWBc2bAto



All the snow has turned to water,
Christmas days have come and gone.
Broken toys and faded colors are all that's left to linger on.
I hate graveyards and old pawn shops,
For they always bring me tears.
I can't forgive the way they robbed me of my childhood souvenirs.

Memories, they can't be boughten.
They can't be won at carnivals for free.
Well it took me years to get those souvenirs,
And i don't know how they slipped away from me.

Broken hearts and dirty windows
Make life difficult to see.
That's why last night and this morning
Always look the same to me.
And I hate reading old love letters
For they always bring me tears.
I can't forget the way they robbed me,
Of my sweetheart's souvenirs.

Memories they can't be boughten,
They can't be won at carnivals for free.
Well it took me years to get those souvenirs
And i don't know how they slipped away from me.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

99. Mike and the mechanics. Living years

http://www.youtube.com/v/rZrN7kSVvoY&hl=en&fs=1

Every generation
Blames the one before
And all of their frustrations
Come beating on your door

I know that Im a prisoner
To all my father held so dear
I know that Im a hostage
To all his hopes and fears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Crumpled bits of paper
Filled with imperfect thought
Stilted conversations
Im afraid thats all weve got

You say you just dont see it
He says its perfect sense
You just cant get agreement
In this present tense
We all talk a different language
Talking in defence

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
Its too late when we die
To admit we dont see eye to eye

So we open up a quarrel
Between the present and the past
We only sacrifice the future
Its the bitterness that lasts

So dont yield to the fortunes
You sometimes see as fate
It may have a new perspective
On a different day
And if you dont give up, and dont give in
You may just be o.k.

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
Its too late when we die
To admit we dont see eye to eye

I wasnt there that morning
When my father passed away
I didnt get to tell him
All the things I had to say

I think I caught his spirit
Later that same year
Im sure I heard his echo
In my babys new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years

Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
Its too late when we die
To admit we dont see eye to eye

[Tuesday Afternoon]

103. Elton John - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecU-e0XUMd8

[Franzia]

104. Bittersweet Symphony - the Verve

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx3m4e45bTo

[Tuesday Afternoon]

106. Except The New Girl ~ Chris Isaak, Effenaar, Eindhoven

http://www.youtube.com/v/jUBuznLcJC4&hl=en&fs=1

Drive your mustang down
To where you hang out
Alone without a friend
Girls walk by you
Some in fact have tried you
Once they tried they never tried again
Except the new girl
Except the new girl

Alone and lonesome
Trusting no one
They say you never had a friend
People talk about you
They say they doubt you really
Ever let anybody in
Except the new girl
Except the new girl

I guess there's never been anyone else
Except the new girl
Except the new girl

Last time I saw him
He was laughing
She was standing by his side
I've got a feeling
That they're still together
>From the look that was in his eyes
There's no one
Except the new girl
Except the new girl

See him smile
He don't care
Said he loves her
And he'll always love her
See him smile
It seems fair
That he finally found her
Finally hold her
There's no one
Except the new girl
Except the new girl
Except the new girl

[LanternWaste]

109. Harry Chapin's 'A Better Place To Be'.

Harry Chapin's 'A Better Place To Be'. Epic Depression...

Maybe Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', too.

[freestyle]

110. Everybody Hurts by REM and Angel by Sarah McLachlan

[Manifestor_of_Light]

111. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

By Gordon Lightfoot.

Have to turn it off. Can't handle it.

This is why I can't stand country music. And I can't stand singers who whine nasally instead of sing.

[BornBlue]

112. Burn - Ray LaMontagne

"Oh mama don't walk away
I'm a goddam sore loser
I ain't too proud to stay
But I'm still thinking 'bout you
And I'm so lonesome without you
And I can't get you out of my mind
Oh mama don't leave me alone
with my soul sat down so tight it's like a stone cold tomb
Ain't it clear when I'm near you
I'm just dying to hear you
Calling my name one more time
Oh so don't pay no mind
To my watering eyes
Must be something in the air
That I'm breathing
Yes'n I try to ignore
All this blood on the floor
It's just this heart on my sleeve that's a bleeding
Oh mama don't walk away
You leave me here bereaving from the words so hard and plain
Saying the love that we had
was just selfish and sad
To see you now with him
is just making me mad
Oh so kiss him again
just to prove to me that you can
an I will stand here
and burn in my skin
Yes I will stand here
and burn in my skin"

and almost everything on his second album: Til the Sun Turns Black

[Amerigo Vespucci]

114. "Everybody Hurts" by REM...sweet JESUS, do I HATE that song.

Just sayin'...

:hide:

[cordelia]

115. Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

[Inspired]

116. Cry by Godley and Creme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYbr7IUNIJQ

[ellaydubya]

117. My first thought, George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today"...

But Fred Eaglesmith writes some pretty sad, depressing songs (that I happen to love!), such as "Crashin' and Burnin'", "Bullets", "Carter", and, well, if you have never listened to him, here is an invitation. An awesome songwriter!:loveya: :cry:

[RetroLounge]

118. The Promise by Tracy Chapman

For some reason I can never get thru this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvC77iWO648&feature=related

:cry:

RL

[Blue_In_AK]

122. My daughter sang that song for my husband and me

at our wedding in June 2003. We had been high school sweethearts in 1963, but my parents broke us up, saying we were too young to be so serious, and we went our separate ways (five unhappy marriages between us). 37 years later I tracked him down, and it was like we had never been apart. This song just seemed so appropriate for us.

[latebloomer]

119. "Hurt" by Johnny Cash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go

Breaks my heart. The video too

"Everyone I know goes away in the end."

[ashling]

123. Linda Ronstadt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AszHvfKdGtU&feature=related


Ponme mi vestido blanco
Aquel con que nos casamos
El doctor por mas que le ande
Esta muy lejos nuestro rancho

Ya no gastes en remedios
Ya mis fuerzas van mermando
Ponme mi vestido blanco
Tata Dios me esta llamando
Tata Dios...

Todo se queda en silencio
Solo Juan le dice a ella:
Vieras que lindos jilotes
Se estan dando en la ladera
Pero ya no "quiero" nada
Voy a regalar la siembra
Tata Dios asi lo quiere
Y con Tata nadie juega
Tata Dios... Me esta llamando




Put my white dress on me
The one I wore when we were married
The doctor has far to walk
Because our ranch is so far away

Don't waste your time on remedies
My strength is already leaving me
Put my white dress on me
Father God is calling me

Everything remains still
Only Juan is telling her:
See how pretty the cornstalks
Growing on the hillside
But now I don't want anything
I'm going to give away the seed
Father God wants it this way
And with Father nobody plays
Father God... is calling me

[LaraMN]

124. "Mad World" the Gary Jules version.

Perty, but de-press-ing.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

125. Seven Spanish Angels ~ Ray Charles and Willie Nelson

http://www.youtube.com/v/FYtDb_gXf9g&hl=en&fs=1

[Tuesday Afternoon]

126. Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Lucky Man

http://www.youtube.com/v/Nm7-cysfE2c&hl=en&fs=1

[sasquatch]

127. Hank Williams - Cold Cold Heart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pYTOHernds

[deutsey]

128. Time by Pink Floyd

I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned.

The last stanzas:

So you run and you run
to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking.
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way
But you're older
Shorter of breath
And one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter
Never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught
Or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way

The song is over, the time is gone
Thought I'd something more to say...

[carlyhippy]

131. That's my job-George Jones(?)

That is the worst song, I have to turn it off or leave the room when it's on. Followed closely by Honey by Bobby Goldsboro.

[CTyankee]

132. "Tears in Heaven"

The death of a child absolutely stops me in my tracks...

[Forkboy]

133. I Am Your Clock....makes me want to kill myself.

The lyrics are as depressing as it gets, and the music itself is slow and drawn out...just like our lives. x(

I am your clock
I am your religion
I am your shotgun mechanical bride
Nothing is done without my approval
I own you
I decide how long you sleep
And how much rest
You are ever allowed

I decide what you desire
I deny you time to think
I am the mirror of constant humiliation
That follows and shadows you
Wherever you go
And blocks out the light
At the end of every tunnel you try

Be on time
Be on schedule
Always feel
Like you're always late
And need more scolding and punishment
Do not daydream
Do not dilly-dally
Do not fall behind
Wings are flapping right behind you
You know what's coming next
As I swoop down like a hungry owl
And sink my talons into your back
And drag you back to square one again
The pain gets a little worse every time

Crash
Crumple

Do not pass go
Do not collect
Your dignity and your self respect
Give up
It's over
No time allowed
To try something you like
The bills were all due yesterday

You've failed
You're through

First we form our habits
Then they form us
We dress up as someone else every day
Gingerbread houses
Fireplace surprises
What tastes the best
The witches won't let you have

These days, having a baby
Is like what having a BMW used to be
While they're asleep
Play those New Age cassettes
To transmit subliminal messages
I like mom
I like school
I like to study
I like rules

I am the school teacher
Who yelled at you for not paying attention
And shamed you in front of the entire class
And dragged you around the room by the hair
This is what happens to boys and girls
Whose penmanship is messy
Be neat, like the others
Follow orders
Obey what is put in front of you
Imagination is the ultimate sin
You can't be creative the rest of your life
Your counselor wants a word with you

If you liked school, you'll love work
Resign yourself to a job you'll hate
Get a hobby - but keep it in the garage
Shove yourself into a slot
Despise your ideas
Your boss knows best
We can't all do what we want to do
Always settle for what you're told to expect
Do not take chances
You might fail
You might fail

You don't want to find out the hard way
How our society treats
The misfits who make mistakes
Bad
Failure
Bad
Failure
Homeless
Depression
Mental hospitals
Murder

Born on the cutting room floor
Die in the bin by the door
Hypothermia of the spirit
Why do people chase
So many useless toys
In search of the perfect baby sitter

"For just $19.95 and just thirteen minutes of your busy day,
you can have 'the full, rich experience of parenthood
without the mess of the real thing.' It's called Video Baby."
Creative Programming, Inc., offer "All of the enjoyment -
and none of the commitment."

I am your calendar
There is no escape
I am why you're afraid
To respect yourself
I lead you down garden path after path
With carrots on a stick
I'll let you taste but never embrace
Peek in the wrong door, I slam it on your fingers
Go back
Adventure is not allowed
Go back - not allowed!
I leave you exhausted, henpecked and afraid
Never quite enough money
Never enough nerve
To reach out for something better
Than the grind you call your life

The hatch of your hamster cage is open
But guess who waits just outside the door
Stay on your treadmill
Keep running on that wire wheel
Briefcase in hand
Money rains down just out of reach
You'll burn out soon enough
It's all part of the plan
When you're no longer useful
You can finally retire
To the glue factory of your choice

Free at last
To scratch your head
Wondering what happened
Free at last

I bid you goodbye
On your own
To wait to die

[ogneopasno]

134. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Makes me cry every time, and I am not kidding when I say that.

Another song that makes me cry is "Fisherman's Blues" by the Waterboys.