# Is there such a thing as a sad polka? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 23, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412 "2009-03-23T02:05:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/1 "2009-03-23T02:05:53Z")
It seems like all polkas are happy! Are there ANY exceptions? ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/2 "2009-03-23T02:26:48Z")
"Roll out the coffins Roll out the coffins of dead people Roll out the coffins Grief, and sorrow, and misery Roll out the coffins Death awaits us all Now’s the time to roll out the coffins And wallow in in despair" Nah, can’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/3 "2009-03-23T02:31:14Z")
They Might Be Giants have “Famous Polka” or something like that, with the following words: > [@](#): > > A famous person wears the same size waterskis as me > She has three cars, as many years I’ve lived in this city > Her hair is blonde and mine is brown, they both start with a “B” > But when the phone inside her ribcage rings, it’s not for me > But when the phone inside her ribcage rings, it’s not for me > Hey! It’s pretty depressing. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/4 "2009-03-23T02:35:44Z")
[Punk Polka](http://www.themadmusicarchive.com/song_details.aspx?SongID=1031) by The Toons ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/5 "2009-03-23T03:37:59Z")
_In Heaven, There Is No Beer_ seems like a grim prospect, but the singers seem pretty happy. The _Too Fat Polka_ is sad for somebody, but not for the singer. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/6 "2009-03-23T15:20:15Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > _In Heaven, There Is No Beer_ seems like a grim prospect, but the singers seem pretty happy. > > The _Too Fat Polka_ is sad for somebody, but not for the singer. I came to post these. The only other depressing polka I can think of is Who Stole the Kishka? Makes me cry everytime when I hear about the plight of the missing kishka. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/7 "2009-03-23T17:05:21Z")
Weird Al’s “Bohemian Polka” has sad lyrics (same as Queen’s Rhapsody…) but the music is uproariously joyful. It’s quite an amusing song! ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/8 "2009-03-23T17:32:32Z")
> [@DaveRaver](#): > > It seems like all polkas are happy! Are there ANY exceptions? Although they’re not technically polkas, Mexican norteno/ranchero music is a direct descendant. There’s plenty of sad norteno songs; they sound like half-speed to one-third speed polkas. A clue if it’s a happy or sad song: if the singer goes “hwah hwah hwah!” at some point, it’s usually happy. “Ay ay ay!” typically means it’s sad. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/9 "2009-03-23T19:42:19Z")
“At six years of age and at his mother’s request, Gustav Mahler presented her with his first written composition. It was a spirited polka to which he then added a funeral march as introduction.” ([cite](http://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=psar.086.0853a)) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/10 "2009-03-23T20:16:53Z")
I don’t know if it qualifies as a polka, but in The Nightmare Before Christmas, there’s a band in Halloween Town that plays everything in a very dreary, depressing fashion. One of the songs they play that serves as kind of background music (like when the Mayor visits Jack’s house) sounds fairly polka-ish to me, but sad. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/11 "2009-03-23T21:52:44Z")
[Cemetery Polka](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrpqWxvCqNA) ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-sad-polka/490412/12 "2009-03-24T03:41:48Z")
Most polkas from Scandinavia are sad, or at least not very happy.