I need some miserable songs.

[WaryEri]

Sinead O’Conner- The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance might fit the bill.

[Windwalker]

My stock answer to this is Elliott Smith’s “Waltz #2” and “Miss Misery”.“Southern Belle” is a more angry approach.

Also, The Strokes “The Break-Up Song” is sung from the perspective of the dumpee.

[Gail]

Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Something’s Always Wrong and

Good Riddance by Greenday

both good breakup songs…kind of sad and introspective, not angry.

[Zebra]

David Allen Coe You never even called me by my Name.

Charlie Daniels Band Drinking my Baby Good-bye

Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places and Dixie Chicken
I swear these are the only country songs I own. Swear to God.

[Zebra]

OH and don’t forget Meatloaf
2 out 3 aint Bad
Paradise by the Dashboard Lights.

[uglybeech]

@Windwalker

My stock answer to this is Elliott Smith’s “Waltz #2” and “Miss Misery”.“Southern Belle” is a more angry approach.

Good choices. I also think of “Pitseleh.” Practically anything from Elvis Costello will do. You can follow Miss Misery with Elvis’s song about Mr. Misery, “Home is Anywhere You Hang Your Head:”

Here comes Mr. Misery
He’s tearing out his hair again
He’s crying over her again
He’s standing in the super-market shouting at the customers

Here comes Mr. Misery
He’ll never be any good with a mouth full of gold and blood
He’s contemplating murder again
He must be in love

But you know she doesn’t want you
But you can’t seem to get it in your head
Oh and you can’t sleep at night
And she haunts you when you go to bed
When you’re tired of talking and you can’t drink it down
So you hang around and drown instead
Home isn’t where it used to be
Home is anywhere you hang your head…

Actually, the whole album “Blood and Chocolate” is a great break-up album.

[InternetLegend]

There’s Warren Zevon’s “For My Next Trick, I’ll Need a Volunteer,” off Life’ll Kill Ya.

I can saw a woman in two,
but you won’t want to look in the box when I’m through
I can make love disappear
For my next trick, I’ll need a volunteer

It’s very peppy, and completely pessimistic.

[Talon_Karrde]

You need to listen to The Smiths.

The song that first springs to mind is “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour, but heaven knows I’m miserable now
I was looking for a job and then I found a job, and heaven knows I’m miserable now
In my life why do I give valuable time
To people who don’t care if I live or I die

“Unhappy Birthday”

I’ve come to wish you an unhappy birthday
(because you’re evil and you lie)
…
And if you should die
I may be a little sad but I won’t cry

“Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me”
I don’t remember enough of the lyrics to quote them.

[Talon_Karrde]

Damn, sorry, in my enthusiasm to post about The Smiths, I see you already have Unhappy Birthday. Well, they have plenty more songs…

A solo Morrissey song that would fit is “Suedehead” It starts out with him apologetic, then he finds out she’s been reading his diary and is sickened instead. He ends the song repeating “It was a good lay”

Speaking of finding diaries, “Love Detective” by Arab Strap should work. The song is a narrative that I can’t really pull any quotes from- it really works best all together.

“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division- I’ve heard it described as the best breakup song. I don’t get how that works myself, but the guy who said it is a lot older and wiser than I am.

“Blue Monday” by New Order- Pretty much a classic breakup song

Someone earlier mentioned Toad the Wet Sprocket. The singer did a solo song that might work, the song’s called Easier. A free (legal) mp3 is here: [url[http://www.comebackdownload.com/Bleeding%20Cuts/BleedingCuts.mp3f/07%20-%20Easier.mp3

[Talon_Karrde]

I guess I should fix the coding:

[kaylasdad99]

“One More Minute,” by Weird Al Yankovich

Well, I heard the you’re leavin’
Gonna leave me far behind
Since you found your brand new lover
You’ve decided that I’m not your kind
So I pulled your name out of my Rolodex
And I tore all your pictures in two
And I burned down the malt shop where we used to go
Just because it reminds me of you.

[SusanStoHelit]

“Song for the Dumped” by Ben Folds Five

So you wanted
to take a break
Slow it down some and
have some space

Chorus: Well f**k you too
Give me my money back
Give me my money back
you bitch
I want my money back
(And don’t forget to give
me back my black T-Shirt)

Wish I hadn’t bought you
dinner
Right before you dumped me
on your front porch
Give me my money back
Give me my money back
You bitch
I want my money back
and don’t forget

And don’t forget.

[SusanStoHelit]

I know it was in the OP, but I thought everyone would appreciate the lyrics.

[Talon_Karrde]

SusanStoHelit, for future reference: I think it’s against the rules to post the entire lyrics to a song here.

[williamweigand]

The song I’m thinking of may be called “The Salt in My Tears” and the line in it that I related to when going through a break-up is “You’re not worth the salt in my tears”. I thought that was so clever, at the time.

And by the way… As nasty as Nilsson’s “You’re Breaking My Heart” might sound, don’t forget - he ends it with “But I Loove You!”.

(I didn’t mean to put two Os in “love” but left the extra one since it seems to illustrate how Harry emphasized the word.)

[Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor]

Check any Celtic collection.

Also, Heartbreak Hotel and Blue Christmas by Elvis.

[Foolonthehill]

Sing Along with Los Straightjackets has some excellent tunes:
“I ain’t the one” with Allison Moorer & Lonesome Bob
“I’ll go down swingin’” with Exene.

Others;

“With an old friend by my side” by Lyle Lovett

“Blade” by the Bastard sons of Johnny Cash

[D.E.S.K.Top668]

Quite a few by The Flatlanders, but especially “I Thought the Wreck was Over”:

@The Flatlanders

At first I thought I’d died and gone to heaven
In fact I had lived and gone to hell

and

@The Flatlanders

I can’t tell you how many times she left me
I lost count the very first time that she did

Peace - DESK