# Favorite suicide songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2009, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019 "2009-05-29T12:41:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/1 "2009-05-29T12:41:20Z")
We’ve covered breakup and depressing songs, so let’s complete the trilogy and kill ourselves to music. The most obvious: Suicide is Painless, the theme to M_A_S\*H My favorite: Tom Paxton’s “Now That I’ve Taken My Life.” The only upbeat suicide song I know. Now that I’ve taken my life, remembering the April air. My hands in a cursory prayer, my eyes on the crowd outside. The music is merry, the laughter is comfortably loud outside. And the laughter I’m hearing is mine, now that I’ve taken my life. It was a foolish life I know, ivory towered and quite out of touch. It was a life that had to go, I guess I won’t miss it much. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/2 "2009-05-29T12:52:15Z")
Elton John - Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself It’s very upbeat and ragtime sounding… Think I’m gonna kill myself Cause a little suicide Stick around for a couple of days What a scandal if I died Yeah I’m gonna kill myself Get a little headline news I’d like to see what the papers say On the state of teenage blues ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/3 "2009-05-29T12:53:38Z")
Opus 40 by Mercury Rev gives me chills over and over again but it’s a song of survival > [@](#): > > A snip of Lyrics to Opus 40 : > Well she tossed all night like a ragin’ sea > woke up an’ climbed from th’ suicide machine > with her spanish candles an’ her persian poems > stuck on th’ rocks insude opus 40 stoned > an’ scratchin’ her wrists in the pourin’ rain > she collapses down upon th’ ocean floor again ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/4 "2009-05-29T12:57:49Z")
My favorite’s an attempted suicide song: _Girl of sixteen, whole life ahead of her_ _Slashed her wrists, bored with life_ _Didn’t succeed, thank the Lord_ _For small mercies_ _Fighting back the tears, mother reads the note again_ _Sixteen candles burn in her mind_ _She takes the blame, it’s always the same_ _She goes down on her knees and prays_ _I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumours_ _But I think that God’s got a sick sense of humor_ _And when I die I expect to find Him laughing_ … _Blasphemous Rumors_ by Depeche Mode ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/5 "2009-05-29T14:11:03Z")
_Jump, Jump, Jump_ by Rick Derringer I wonder is anybody here Or is this my private dream I’m gonna pinch myself to see– ‘Cause it’s such a scary, scary, scary dream I might as well jump, jump, jump The water’s cold I think I’m gonna jump, jump, jump The water’s cold Everybody jump, jump, jump I’'ll freeze My very soul ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/6 "2009-05-29T14:21:49Z")
It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day I was out choppin’ cotton and my brother was balin’ hay And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat And Mama hollered out the back door “y’all remember to wipe your feet” And then she said “I got some news this mornin’ from Choctaw Ridge” “Today [Billy Joe](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZt5Q-u4crc) MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge” ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/7 "2009-05-29T14:32:34Z")
Big Fun’s Teenage Suicide (Don’t Do It) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/8 "2009-05-29T15:12:52Z")
Since my actual favorite, “Ode to Billy Joe” has already been mentioned _(darn you, Lute Skywwatcher, darn you to heck!)_ I’ll say “Don’t try Suicide” by Queen is a catchy little number “So you think it’s the easy way out? Think you’re gonna slash your wrists This time Baby when you do it all you do is Get on my tits” ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/9 "2009-05-29T15:14:26Z")
Frank Zappa’s “Suicide Chump” _Go on and get it over with then Find you a bridge and take a jump Just make sure you do it right the first time 'Cuz nothing’s worse than a suicide chump_ ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/10 "2009-05-29T15:18:29Z")
Natalie Merchant, The Living I’ll go off, I’ll make myself scarce Oh, come tomorrow You won’t find me here Because I don’t care to stay with the living I don’t think I’ll remain with the living And I don’t care to stay with the living ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/11 "2009-05-29T15:20:48Z")
Loudon Wainwright III’s “Suicide Song” is another upbeat one: When you get the blues and you wanna shoot yourself in the head. It’s all right. It’s all right. Go ahead. Do the flop, do the monkey, do the bop, do the boogaloo twist. Cut your throat, cut your throat, cut your wrist. When you’re tired of worldly toil, shuffle off this mortal coil, Turn your body back to soil. It’s okay, it’s okay. When you get hung up and you want to hang yourself up by the neck. What the hell. What the hell. What the heck? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/12 "2009-05-29T15:33:28Z")
[Seasons in the Sun](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfm-17pu6SQ) is pretty upbeat, too, but I’m not sure if it’s about suicide or just someone near death. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/13 "2009-05-29T15:44:10Z")
Originally written as Le Moribond by Jacques Brel. [Here’s](http://everything2.com/title/Le%2520Moribond) the original French lyrics and the literal translation. ---
**Author:** ![Mllz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Mllz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mllz)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/14 "2009-05-29T15:52:25Z")
Silver Jews - [How to Rent a Room](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCRjWsBBlB4) (YouTube clip from their recent tour) Many of David Berman’s lyrics reflect depression, but this one is pretty directly about suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/15 "2009-05-29T16:01:36Z")
“I Can’t Stand Losing You” by The Police “I’d guess you’d call it suicide But I’m too full to swallow my pride” ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/16 "2009-05-29T16:05:07Z")
No love for Billy Idol - White Wedding? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/17 "2009-05-29T16:17:56Z")
Just about anything by Joy Division, esp. as said lyrics were written by someone who was in fact suicidal. In particular the entire 2nd half of their album _Closer_ would qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/18 "2009-05-29T16:18:12Z")
Leonard Cohen - “Dress Rehearsal Rag” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/19 "2009-05-29T16:29:23Z")
Smashing Pumpkins’ “Today” is a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Doom\_Slinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Doom\_Slinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doom_Slinger)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019/20 "2009-05-29T16:55:47Z")
I’ve always liked Metallica’s [Fade to Black](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mXBbVc4Df8) ([lyrics](http://www.elyrics.net/read/m/metallica-lyrics/fade-to-black-lyrics.html))-- the line “Growing darkness taking dawn/I was me but now he’s gone” never fails to gives me chills. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-suicide-songs/498019.md?page=2)