# Songs About Mortality **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462 "2012-02-10T21:58:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![missinformation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@missinformation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missinformation)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/41 "2012-02-11T21:19:04Z")
Bruce Springsteen - Into the Fire (about 9/11 rescue workers who gave their lives) Tim McGraw - Don’t Take the Girl I know there are plenty more, but my brain has taken leave… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/42 "2012-02-11T21:45:07Z")
[Faraway, So Close](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmgZp8OZUZU)–Nick Cave ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/43 "2012-02-12T02:36:04Z")
“A Brother Slips Away” by Richard Thompson ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/44 "2012-02-12T02:56:39Z")
“I’ll be seeing you”, as sung by Billie Holiday: [- YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXLB32n6lq8) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/45 "2012-02-12T03:13:32Z")
[Ballad of the Green Berets](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y5GDvN9_OE) Almost anything by Marty Robbins ---
**Author:** ![YoDoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e68b1a/32.png) [@YoDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoDoc)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/46 "2012-02-12T03:16:31Z")
Gory Glory - the 82nd airborne choir ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/47 "2012-02-12T05:17:32Z")
Puff The Magic Dragon ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/48 "2012-02-12T05:31:43Z")
> [@Harvey\_Ferguson](#): > > 1952 Vincent Black Lightning > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fpwlae4ZYc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fpwlae4ZYc) One of my favourite songs of all time. I prefer [the original](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zjFdDXauuA) though. There are lots of live versions out there but this one’s the best. ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/49 "2012-02-12T06:13:18Z")
Within And Without You - Beatles (George Harrison) Beware of Darkness - George Harrison Another One Bites The Dust - Queen A Day In The Life Of A Tree/'Til I Die/Surf’s Up - Beach Boys Break On Through To The Other Side - the Doors Dead Flowers - Rolling Stones Sugar Mountain - Neil Young ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/50 "2012-02-12T13:02:01Z")
Pretty much all of\*\* Townes Van Zandt’s\*\* songs fit this, but\* Pancho And Lefty\*, _Waiting Around To Die_, and _Marie_ spring to mind. There’s plenty of folk songs on this theme. A couple I can think of are _Dublin In The Rare Old Times_, about an old man looking back at the changes to his city, and how it’s no longer his home, and _Killkelly, Ireland_, a series of letters from a man to his son as he gets older. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/51 "2012-02-12T13:43:47Z")
_Waiting for the End_ - Linkin Park ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/52 "2012-02-12T14:11:36Z")
Bowie - Five Years ---
**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:** [February 12, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/53 "2012-02-12T15:46:30Z")
Ah, if we’re doing “mass mortality” (the world ending, and things like that), how about: “1999” - Prince ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/54 "2012-02-12T15:57:57Z")
“These Days” – Foo Fighters “Naked As We Came” – Iron and Wine ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/55 "2012-02-12T15:58:12Z")
The greatest song in human history – “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/56 "2012-02-12T17:00:56Z")
For time passing faster than you’d like, specifically from a father’s perspective Don’t Blink (Kenny Chesney) and In Pictures (Alabama). And could please one of our armchair psychologists explain to me why I always feel vaguely guilty about mentioning country songs here? ---
**Author:** ![coolbyrne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@coolbyrne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coolbyrne)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/57 "2012-02-12T17:30:26Z")
Changes- David Bowie These are the Days of Our Lives- Queen It’s a Fire- Portishead (that one’s a bit vaguer in what you might be looking for) ---
**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:** [February 12, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/58 "2012-02-12T17:54:22Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > And could please one of our armchair psychologists explain to me why I always feel vaguely guilty about mentioning country songs here? If all the songs you mention in a “Songs About…” thread are country songs, you just might be a redneck. [/Jeff Foxworthy] 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/59 "2012-02-12T22:11:10Z")
Who Wants to Live Forever - Queen ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462/60 "2012-02-12T22:25:30Z")
Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462.md?page=4)