# Saddest song you know **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461 "2014-03-11T17:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/102 "2014-03-12T21:37:39Z")
I finally found a clip of Townes Van Zandt perfoming [“Marie”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk-zKjfO2E8&list=RDLk-zKjfO2E8#t=77). ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/103 "2014-03-12T21:40:19Z")
Frank Turner’s [Long Live The Queen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdqQRFhmFSA), which he wrote after the death of his friend from breast cancer. Her family, including her children, appear in the video. - You’ll get to dance another day. Now you’ll have to dance, for one more of us. \* ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/104 "2014-03-12T21:50:57Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > “The Mule, Old Rivers and Me.” Not exactly sung…It was one of those spoken songs that came out about once a year in the '60s. I think it was Walter Brennan who did the narration. That’s who it was, all right. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/105 "2014-03-12T21:52:28Z")
I don’t know, but it’s not Stairway to Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/106 "2014-03-12T22:15:35Z")
Until Keep Me In Your Heart, I always thought this classic Latin salsa tune, [El dia de me suerte](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDTkzhvUhwM), was pretty sad. It is autobiographical and pretty upbeat music wise but the lyrics. . … The chorus translates into something like: Soon my lucky day will come I know before I die My luck will change The first verse traslates to When I was a little kid my mother died Left me alone with dad. Dad always told me I’d never be alone Because he never expected disease When I was ten, dad died He went with mom to a better place When the people saw me cry they’d say “Don’t cry. Your luck will change.” Yeah? When? It goes on like that for, like, 5 verses. As a total aside, I just found out that Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez made a biopic of Hector’s life. I’m gonna try to find it,. ---
**Author:** ![dataguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eada6e/32.png) [@dataguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dataguy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/107 "2014-03-12T23:18:19Z")
There were a few posts earlier about sad Christmas songs. For that, I nominate Luther Vandross, [Every Year, Every Christmas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73oZyC6Jc30). ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/108 "2014-03-13T02:56:35Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Beat me to it. Am I the only one who finds that song bathetic? ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/109 "2014-03-13T04:53:37Z")
Nick Drake’s [Black Eyed Dog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJSC25Ue8Gg). Mister Drake suffered from depression for most of his life and this was one of his last recorded songs. Winston Churchill referred to his own depression as his “black dog”. > [@](#): > > A black eyed dog he called at my door > The black eyed dog he called for more > … > I’m growing old and I wanna go home > I’m growing old and I don’t wanna know > I’m growing old and I wanna go home. Producer John Wood on the 1974 recording session: “It was chilling. It was really scary. He was so…he was in such bad shape he couldn’t sing and play the guitar at the same time. We put down the guitars and overdubbed the voice.” I can’t find the SDMB post that brought this song to my attention, but the poster described it as the voice of someone who is obviously staring into the void and has reached his limit. Drake died of “Acute amitriptyline poisoning - self-administered when suffering from a depressive illness” in November of that year, aged 26. This song isn’t sad in a comforting, maudlin way. It’s goddamn brutal, especially in the light of his other wonderful songs like [Pink Moon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXnfhnCoOyo). ---
**Author:** ![Trick\_Rider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Trick\_Rider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trick_Rider)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/110 "2014-03-13T06:13:47Z")
There are a lot of songs on Lou Reed’s **New York** that could qualify, but “Xmas in February” is especially bleak. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC7iq9qhgds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC7iq9qhgds) ---
**Author:** ![Future\_Londonite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Future\_Londonite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Londonite)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/111 "2014-03-13T08:56:22Z")
For me it’s **Rabbit in your headlights** by UNKLE and Thom Yorke - it’s not the lyrics specifically or the music or the video but a combination of all three ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2014, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/112 "2014-03-13T10:43:48Z")
> [@williamweigand](#): > > Not familiar with that one, but another that fits the thread’s title - and your description of “The Kids” - is Lou Reed’s “Street Hassle”. Just _thinking_ of the strings music opening the song is enough to raise the pollen count in the room … if you catch my drift. The whole song kills. Lou Reed, “Street Hassle”: Spacemen 3, “Ode to Street Hassle”: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qSrLlhLJ-eA/hqdefault.jpg "Ode to Street Hassle") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSrLlhLJ-eA) Mokira, “Ode to the Ode to the Street Hassle”: [http://open.spotify.com/track/7Glx4PF6wQ0PErcjmNoZdW](http://open.spotify.com/track/7Glx4PF6wQ0PErcjmNoZdW) (sorry, wasn’t on Youtube) Clearly someone needs to do a fourth. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/113 "2014-03-14T01:26:06Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Puff the Magic Dragon. That’s what I thought of when I read the thread title. I’ll go with that or Danny Boy. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/114 "2014-03-14T01:33:29Z")
Taps ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/115 "2014-03-14T01:42:30Z")
[The Magdalene Laundries](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwgTSC-stIM). Haunting music recounting real atrocities to women and children that only ended in 1996. ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/116 "2014-03-14T01:49:56Z")
Champagne High – Sister Hazel It's about a man watching his ex get married. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/117 "2014-03-14T01:57:18Z")
[Akron/Family - love is simple](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBy1NUHi1I8) I don’t know what this song is, but the song when [Homer’s mom leaves him](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phE8HifoQ-8) for a second time. Also maybe [Mazzy Star](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwVXkM_YxMg). I think the song is about suicide, it sounds like it. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/118 "2014-03-14T02:50:39Z")
Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, [Hard Times](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3sL6OWZSNuI). The lyric theme is actually hopeful, but not the delivery. ---
**Author:** ![zoog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7ea924/32.png) [@zoog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoog)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/119 "2014-03-14T03:31:29Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > [Sam Stone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl9ZkYViEIs) by John Prine Every time this topic comes up, this is my response. “There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes” just cuts clean through. Another good sad song - Chris Knight’s [Hard Edges](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sTj_PQfDLQ). ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/120 "2014-03-14T03:38:39Z")
_Somewhere Over the Rainbow_. ---
**Author:** ![Athabasca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Athabasca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athabasca)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/121 "2014-03-14T04:27:19Z")
> [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](#): > > [break out the tissues](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ2sa3tyvkI) Damn you. I can’t take any song about suffering animals, especially cats. I couldn’t even listen to,the whole thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461.md?page=7)