Zsofia - You’re so right - “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” is definitely great, and depressing. I think it has been mentioned upthread (but I’ve lost track). Don’t know if another of Eric Bogle’s great songs has been mentioned, “The Green Fields of France”, which has this verse, which slays me:
“And I can’t help but wonder young Willie McBride
Do all who lie here with you know why they died
Did you really believe it when they told you the cause
Did you honestly think that one war would end wars
Well your suffering, your sorrow, your glory, your shame
Your killing, your dying, it was all done in vain…
'Cos young Willie McBride it all happened again, and again, and again, and again and again.”
just reading that…
Take me out tonight
Where there’s music and there’s people
And they’re young and alive
Driving in your car
I never never want to go home
Because I haven’t got one
Anymore
Yes, very sad indeed. I like the version by Priscilla Herdman. Ties into one of the saddest movies-- Gallipoli. The title song to the album on which you’ll find this is also sad (but very god): The Water Lily. A woman dreams about her dead daughter, who asks her to step out onto the water lilies-- once she does, though, she falls through the lilies into the water and wakes up.
I’ve edited a few posts to avoid any copyright violations. Please remember to only post a few lines of a song or other work of art (usually a short stanza in the case of a song or poem) and link to the rest.
Moxy Fruvous’ The Drinking Song. It’s a tribute song to a buddy of the band who died of alcohol poisoning… gives me shivers just remembering the refrain.
I saw them in concert, when they opened for Jann Arden’s first tour (early 90’s, iirc). I actually asked them if they wrote the song about a friend they lost, and they said it was just fictional… I’d told them that they seemed to put alot of emotion into the song, is why I thought it was a true story.
Maybe they said that to avoid some awkwardness, though…
AHunter3, I spent a lot of the Spring of 1969 listening to that particular Blood Sweat and Tears album. You are right about the Satie piece. But it can be very calming too. It is used as the background music for My Dinner with Andre.
And the Simon and Garfunkle piece that has the words “A time of innocence…a time of confidences…” We are talking about the same piece. It is so delicate and quiet. I liked it so much that when I used to record from vinyl to cassette, I would end each tape with that little piece.
Given all of this, I think you would also find “The Aquarium” from Carnival of the Animals to be a short sadness and catharsis.
Finally, the song 'Oh, Shenandoah" seems to connect to me.
Pearl Jam’s “Better Man”. About a woman who stays in a relationship that she doesn’t like, but she doesn’t think she can find anyone better. It’s very mournful in tone and just sounds like the death of hope.
Although it is hopeful, in some ways, as well as sad, I think Into the West by Annie Lennox (as the closing song to The Return of the King) deserves a spot on the list.
I prefer the Billy Bragg version, but I couldn’t find it on YouTube. Here’s a lyric sample:
My youngest son came home today
His friends marched with him all the way
The fife and drum beat out the time
While in his box of polished pine
Like dead meat on a butchers tray
My youngest son same home today
My vote goes to Gollum’s Song from the end of The Two Towers . My word, talk about sucking all the hope out of you.
Sample lyric:
These tears we cry
Are falling rain
For all the lies you told us
The hurt, the blame!
And we will weep to be so alone
We are lost
We can never go home
This thread pops up every now and then, and I always post the same two songs (among others). I see someone has already beaten me to Assemblage 23’s 30KFT, but the other one is Alan Parsons’ “Oh Life (There Must Be More)”. A sample:
Morning breaks
She’s not there
Who could ever find her?
Who would even care?
No one heard
No one came
No angel of mercy
Appears to know her name
Where is hope
When words fail
All the colours running
Inside when life turns pale
It’s a song about a woman preparing to commit suicide. Depressing, but beautiful.