# 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:** 7
**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, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/122 "2014-03-14T10:19:07Z")
REM, [The Wrong Child](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RJflQnMDTcs&feature=kp). Sung from perspective of a child who can’t go out and play due to some illness or disability. Oh, and another vote for “Kilkelly, Ireland.” ---
**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, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/123 "2014-03-14T10:24:39Z")
[Al Vaiven de Mi Carreta](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Irgnw9oxw), by lots of Cubans over the years, in this case Eliades Ochoa. About a man who works to the bone (“carreta” is “wheelbarrow,” I think) for a supervisor (“the Englishman”) and hardly earns a penny. Also, I don’t understand much Portuguese, but the entire genre called _fado_ sounds so sad, they must be singing about something awful. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/124 "2014-03-14T11:59:43Z")
_Grateful Dead_’s “[Black Peter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_vM9TLDCyI)” is pretty brutal. ---
**Author:** ![ralfy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ralfy/32/600_2.png) [@ralfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralfy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/125 "2014-03-14T12:43:47Z")
Marty Robbins, “They’re Hanging Me Tonight” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IuFWKbFiQ1A/hqdefault.jpg "Marty Robbins - They're Hanging Me Tonight") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuFWKbFiQ1A) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/126 "2014-03-14T13:17:19Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Maybe not the saddest song per se, but I’ve seen it described as the saddest of all love songs, and I concur: > > [Bob Dylan - If you see her, say hello](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXtj51pAxkA) When a girl I was crazy about broke up with me in college, ‘Blood on the Tracks’ was my soundtrack for the post break-up moping period, especially that song. I don’t think you’ll get the full impact of the song from that link, though (no sound). [‘Brick’ by Ben Folds Five](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt5EHAqhR1c) always gets to me when I hear it. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/127 "2014-03-14T13:25:31Z")
Perhaps it’s been mentioned above (not in text but some people just tossed up links with generic “here’s a real sad one” comments as description)… [Teddy Bear](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zoTLwrm9QE) by Red Sovine is a trucker sharing a story about a little kid who connects with him over the CB and shares that he’s only looking to chat because he’s crippled, and his dad died. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/128 "2014-03-14T15:38:00Z")
> [@solost](#): > > When a girl I was crazy about broke up with me in college, ‘Blood on the Tracks’ was my soundtrack for the post break-up moping period, especially that song. I don’t think you’ll get the full impact of the song from that link, though (no sound). Oops, I posted it from a machine without sound and didn’t notice, sorry for that. Here’s a working link: [http://vimeo.com/56724107](http://vimeo.com/56724107) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/129 "2014-03-14T16:04:19Z")
Mentions of _Teddy Bear_ and the earlier _Christmas Shoes_ remind me of Oscar Wilde’s line about Dickens’ _The Old Curiosity Shop_. > [@](#): > > It would take a heart of stone to read of the death of Little Nell without laughing. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/130 "2014-03-14T16:59:03Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > _Fast Car_ by Tracy Chapman. A girl starts out enabling a drunk father, and escapes to a better life, which turns out to be enabling a drunk husband, raising their kids in poverty-level existence. No hope for a better future, and her kids will probably end up like their parents. > > StG I always thought that “Fast Car” was a sequel to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” That is, it tells exactly what Wendy’s life would have been like if she’d been foolish enough to run off with the young rebel in Bruce’s song. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/131 "2014-03-15T04:33:03Z")
> [@Athabasca](#): > > Damn you. I can’t take any song about suffering animals, especially cats. I couldn’t even listen to,the whole thing. I agree, but at least it has both a sad yet also kind of a happy ending. Nowhere near as soul-crushing as\* Allegro Non Troppo\* (I’m not going to add a link, if you haven’t seen it consider yourself lucky…) ---
**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:** [March 15, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/132 "2014-03-15T04:43:35Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I agree, but at least it has both a sad yet also kind of a happy ending. Nowhere near as soul-crushing as\* Allegro Non Troppo\* (I’m not going to add a link, if you haven’t seen it consider yourself lucky…) Yeah, seconded. I can’t even watch that anymore (and I didn’t make it through “The Cat Carol,” either.) ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/133 "2014-03-15T04:47:13Z")
“Seasons In The Sun” by Terry Jacks ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/134 "2014-03-15T04:59:26Z")
[Forever Autumn](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsCdlX-5UjE&feature=kp), from\* Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds\* ETA: _[If I could change Your Mind](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co4Co3dRBLg&feature=kp)_, from The Alan Parson’s Project _Eve_ ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/135 "2014-03-15T05:23:47Z")
Al Green’s cover of [“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgAFcvIw8J4) is my pick. Not so much for the song itself but for Green’s performance of it. ---
**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 15, 2014, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/136 "2014-03-15T05:50:16Z")
> [@Fleetwood](#): > > That’s what I thought of when I read the thread title. I’ll go with that or Danny Boy. I researched “Danny Boy”/“Eily Dear” before I sang it as an assignment in a college voice class. The background just makes it all the sadder. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/137 "2014-03-15T14:18:56Z")
[Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym_mJokfTQg) So please play for me a sad melody So sad that it makes everybody cry-y-y-y A real hurtin’ song about a love that’s gone wrong 'cause I don’t want to cry all alone ---
**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 15, 2014, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/138 "2014-03-15T15:19:45Z")
> [@GreenElf](#): > > “Seasons In The Sun” by Terry Jacks Sad only because the mere thought of that dreck makes me want to shoot myself, and I feel sad for what my loved ones would go through after my suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/139 "2014-03-15T15:25:11Z")
[Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sarahbrightman/wishingyouweresomehowhereagain.html) Too many years fighting back tears. Why can’t the past just die? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/140 "2014-03-15T15:58:48Z")
I’ll put in an nth vote for both “Kilkelly Ireland” and “Willy McBride” (AKA “The Green Fields of France” or “No Man’s Land”). ---
**Author:** ![Phrozen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@Phrozen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phrozen)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461/141 "2014-03-17T01:23:45Z")
_The Band Played Waltzing Matilda_ and _Cat’s in the Cradle_ having alreafy been mentioned, I have to add _I Will Wait For You_ by Connie Francis as featured on the Futurama dog episode. That one just murders me. And I suppose _The Springhill Mining Disaster_ by the Dubliners et al as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saddest-song-you-know/683461.md?page=8)