# Most depressing songs that aren't about love? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2003, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301 "2003-04-26T11:53:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Protesilaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Protesilaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Protesilaus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/81 "2003-09-16T08:14:09Z")
_Paint it Black_ - The Rolling Stones ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/82 "2003-09-16T10:10:02Z")
Frank Zappa’s “Watermelon in Easter Hay,” which is merely the greatest guitar solo of all time. ---
**Author:** ![boy\_willie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47774/32.png) [@boy\_willie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boy_willie)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/83 "2003-09-16T11:41:30Z")
‘Shelter for my Soul’ by Bernard Fanning of Powderfinger fame. (You know the one - it plays over the end credits of the movie ‘Ned Kelly’. Or was I the only person to watch it?) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/84 "2003-09-16T11:56:25Z")
Many by Steve Earle. [_ **Billy Austin** _](http://www.steveearle.net/lyrics/ly-hard.php#BillyAustin) and [_ **Ellis Unit One** _](http://www.steveearle.net/lyrics/ly-sidetracks.php#EllisUnitOne) in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/85 "2003-09-16T12:12:03Z")
Anything from Pink Floyd’s **The Final Cut**. ---
**Author:** ![acrossthesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@acrossthesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acrossthesea)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/86 "2003-09-16T13:56:00Z")
Most of Radiohead’s Kid A. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/87 "2003-09-16T14:01:09Z")
_St James Infirmary_ - old blues standard _And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda_ - song about WWI Aussies _The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down_ - Joan Baez _City of Ruins, You’re Missing, Into the Fire_ - Bruce Springstein ---
**Author:** ![acrossthesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@acrossthesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acrossthesea)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/88 "2003-09-16T14:14:24Z")
Ooh, I forgot to finish my post. Also: “Baby Mine” or whatever it’s called, from Dumbo. It’s about child love though so it may not count. “Over Now” Alice in Chains. Possibly about love but could also be taken as any sort of relationship/friendship/band/business deal or even life being over. “Me and a Gun” Tori Amos “You know you’re right” Nirvana the already menioned “Something in the way” Nirvana My husband owns a collection of orchestrated music from the various Final Fantasy games. I have no clue what any of these pieces are called but a great deal of them will make you very depressed to hear. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/89 "2003-09-16T14:47:23Z")
A couple more by Harry Chapin would be “Bummer” and “Flowers are Red.” And if parental love is okay, then there’s Michelle Wright’s “He Would Be Sixteen.” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/90 "2003-09-16T15:23:30Z")
How about the banjo riff Steve Martin does in _Let’s Get Small_? You know, the one that goes: “Oh, death, and grief, and sorrow, and murder.” ---
**Author:** ![Milum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Milum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milum)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/91 "2003-09-16T16:34:35Z")
While most of the gut-rot Blues that have been recorded are about the vagaries of love and romance, a small number were about the irony and inequities of segregation. For example Big Bill Broonzy recorded “Get Back” with the refrain… - If you’re white, you all right If you brown, stick around but if you’re black, Oh brother! Get back get back get back!\* Another brilliant ditty was by the great Sonny Boy Williamson entitled "The Goat. One verse goes… - The judge gives the billy goat five hours to get outa town He gets five miles down the road ands commits another crime 'Bout that time the High Sheriff happens to be camming along And catches the billy goat eating up the old farmers corn The High Sheriff carries the billy goat to the county jail But the desk Sargent says “I’ll go his bail”! So let him go "Cause he’s worked so hard we can’t use him in our court no mo’\* And many songs were recorded about needing a drink, such as Piano Red’s “Ten Cent shot”. And Cars, like Lightnin’ Hopkins “Black Cadilac (with those white wall tires.)”. And about broke down cars, like Lightning Slim singing “My Starter Won’t Start”, with the lyric… - My starter won’t start this morning No my machine won’t do a thing I must be got some kinda bad disconection somewhere in my piston ring.\* ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/92 "2003-09-16T16:49:04Z")
Another Gordon Lightfoot, “Black Day in July,” about Detroit’s race riots in 1967: \*“Motor city madness has touched the countryside And the people rise in anger And the streets begin to fill And there’s gunfire from the rooftops And the blood begins to spill” … “The streets of motor city now are quiet and serene But the shapes of gutted buildings Strike terror to the heart And you say how did it happen And you say how did it start Why can’t we all be brothers Why can’t we live in peace But the hands of the have-nots Keep falling out of reach”\* ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/93 "2003-09-16T16:54:40Z")
Robert Earl Keen’s _Not a Drop of Rain_ perfectly catches the soul-killing ennui of a long drought. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/94 "2003-09-16T17:00:25Z")
Bruce Springsteen _The River_ ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/95 "2003-09-16T17:58:31Z")
[Kilkelly](http://n.ethz.ch/student/fischerk/kilkelly.html) is probably the saddest song I know. It speaks of the immigrant experience as one sided letters written to “John” who had came from Ireland to the States. It is implied that he works on the railroads for a time and never comes back home. I play a version of it and can’t get through it without crying. I wonder if it is copywrited? There are more than enough versions out there of various styles to supply anyone. ---
**Author:** ![dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorkusmalorkusmafia/32/7266_2.png) [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/96 "2003-09-16T18:09:31Z")
Arg, [copyrighted.](http://www.telecom.at/zahnarzt/glosse/loser_a/nazi.jpg)No, I don’t proofread. Link for the grammarians. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/97 "2003-09-16T18:43:14Z")
Another one: [Skellig](http://www.lyricsmp3.net/D19000/kk18272.htm) by Loreena McKennitt. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/98 "2003-09-16T18:51:39Z")
And while I’m at it, the entire album [Harbour of Tears, by Camel](http://www.magenta.co.il/camel/lyrics/hotlrc.htm) is sad, especially if your family came over from Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/99 "2003-09-16T19:03:21Z")
“Time in a Bottle”. ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301/100 "2003-09-16T19:22:32Z")
_The Decline_ by NOFX. It depresses me. _Suburbia, Strange Days, Apparitions, Weapon_ and many others by Matthew Good. _Under The Bridge_ by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Or is that about love? Tool, _Aenima_. Too angry? _Talk Show Host_ by Radiohead. My biggest one though: _That’s When I’ll Reach for My Revolver_ by Mission of Burma. Depressing and entirely too pertinent to my life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-depressing-songs-that-arent-about-love/171301.md?page=6)