“You are my Sunshine”.
A friend used to sing it to her son. He died at age 4.5 months of SIDS.
Google the lyrics for the second verse.
I want to howl every time I hear the tune 
Don’t turn me home again
I just can’t face myself alone again
and I’m left with the feeling he’ll never really “pull out of here to win”
And Downbound Train:
In the moonlight, our wedding house shone
I rushed through the yard, I burst through the front door
My head pounding hard, up the stairs I climbed
The room was dark, our bed was empty
Then I heard that long whistle whine
And I dropped to my knees, hung my head and cried
Now I swing a sledge hammer on a railroad gang
Knocking down them cross ties, working in the rain
Now don’t it feel like you’re a rider on a downbound train
This may sound corny, but the Harry Chapin song that gets to me the most is WOLD.
“OK honey, I see.
I guess he’s better than me.
Sure old girl, I understand.
There’s no need to worry; I’m such a happy man.”
Talk about a kick in the gut.
I can’t believe I forgot He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother, by The Hollies:
And the load…
doesn’t way me down at all…
he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
When it gets to the “doesn’t way me down,” pounded out in triplets, it always gets a tear as I belt along to the radio in the car (if I haven’t been gotten earlier in the song already).
I’ve got more:
There’s a steel drum version of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” that was so beautiful I was moved nearly to tears. While driving! I heard it as an piece of background music between stories on NPR. I emailed the station and got the info to buy the CD. I’m pretty sure it’s by Andy Narel, and was on a compilation album of christmas music. The CD is at home, I’m not, and my search-fu is failing me. But it was
AMAZING!
I’m not a country music fan, but Dolly Parton’s song “Coat of Many Colors”, well, you’d have to be made of stone not to be moved by that one! Just hearing that song took my respect for her as an artist through the stratosphere.
Did anyone else mention Springsteen’s “Reason to Believe”?
Already mentioned:
Silent All These Years - Tori Amos
This Woman’s Work - Kate Bush
**The Promise ** - Tracy Chapman
Joey - Concrete Blonde
Not sure if it was mentioned but:
Call and Answer - Barenaked Ladies
Congratulations - Blue October
You Didn’t Kiss Me - Marry Me Jane (off the soundtrack of If Lucy Fell - an old Sarah Jessica Parker movie)
Darn you, Eonwe, I was just walking in the door with “He Ain’t Heavy!” I have plenty more, though, like:
**
Needle And The Damage Done** – Neil Young, so simple, so heartbreaking.
**
Celluloid Heroes** – The Kinks, don’t know why but it always gets a tug on the old heartstring.
Hello, It’s Me – Todd Rundgren, don’t ask–it’s a high school romance thing.
Touch Me In The Morning – Diana Ross, see above.
To The West – Annwn, has always made me choke up, but even more so now that the singer, a friend, is dead. Since “to the west” is the path the dead follow to Summerland it’s become even more poignant and it’s really hard for me to listen to. Go ahead and download the .mp3s, they’re there as a tribute.
Fair Mistland – recorded by Annwn, but with vocals by the original writer. It’s an SCA thing…
Good call on Lather, whoever brought that one up–it’s sad and disturbing at once.
Without a single doubt in my mind, the most moving song is probably one of the lesser known songs of Billy Joel (yes, I admit it, I am a Joel addict).
I am of course talking about “Until the Night”.
I’d ask some of you to download this song, it isn’t very popular in Limewire, or other downloading programs, but it is a great song.
Just listen to it once, I bet you’ll agree it’s a fabulous song.
I’m not trying to insult you (I don’t even know the song, though I admit Harry Chapin’s not my cup of tea), but your post reminded me of what I thought was one of the funniest album reviews Robert Christgau ever did:
“Harry had a problem. He wanted to write a song about a DJ, kind of a follow-up to “Taxi,” just to prove it wasn’t a fluke. Harry doesn’t meet many real people, so cabbies and DJs provide that touch of social realism. He wanted to set the song in Boise, Idaho, not because he had anything to say about Boise, but because “Idaho” rhymed with “late night talk show.” Unfortunately, call letters that far west start with K rather than W, which messed up his rhythm. Akron, Ohio? Wrong rhythm again. Denver, Colorado? Nope. So he called it “WOLD” and hoped no one would notice. Note: this analysis is nowhere near as longwinded as Harry’s stories.”
No insult at all. It is an amusing story.
The video to Joe Strummer’s cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.”
“My Mother’s Eyes” by Bette Midler
The guitar solo in “Hotel California”. Sometimes makes me cry. I have no idea why, but once while I was driving I had to pull over and stop.
“Hate Me” Blue October".
Peace,
mangeorge
Two songs I cannot bear, as in I REFUSE TO LISTEN 90% of the time:
Madonna’s “Oh Father”
Funny that way
You can get used to the tears and the pain
What a child will believe
You never loved me.
You can’t hurt me now
I got away from you
I never thought I would
You can’t make me cry
You once had the power
I never felt so good about myself…
and “Janie’s Got a Gun” by Aerosmith.
Regarding just emotionally moving songs…
Madonna’s “In this Life” about the deaths of her friends from AIDS, early 90’s:
In this life
I loved you most of all
What for?
…People pass by and I wonder who’s next
Who determines who knows best?
Is there a lesson we’re supposed to learn in this?
These days, ignorance is not bliss…
Another one is Weezer’s “Butterfly,” especially the end:
I told you I would return
When the robin builds his nest
But I ain’t ever comin’ back… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…
It’s so haunting.
I am also irrationally emotionally connected to “Tennessee Flattop Box” by Roseanne Cash and some other old country song called “Cathy’s Clown” that just breaks my heart.
Finally, anything off Live’s album “Throwing Copper” makes me feel like I’m touching the face of God.
Oh my god, I almost forgot one of the saddest songs in existence. “Hush, Hush, Hush” by Paula Cole. It’s about a man comforting his son as he dies of AIDS:
long white arms
losing their strength and form
sixty year man in twenty year old skin
skeleton your eyes have lost their warmth
look to your father for some support
hush hush hush
says your daddy’s touch
sleep sleep sleep
says the hundredth sheep
peace peace peace
may you go in peace
cruel joke you waited so long to show
the one that you wanted wasn’t a girl
all your life you kept it hidden inside
now when you step
you stumble
you die
I was thinking the exact same thing myself.
Better still maybe would be a boxed collection with all these songs just for the weepy buggers among us
The video adds so much to the song. People holding each other, parents with babes in arms…aw, geez, there I go again.
A clip of some of the lyrics:
I still imagine your touch
It’s beautiful missing something that much
But sometimes love needs a fighting chance
So I’ll wait my turn until it’s our turn to dance
I sleep alone
I cry alone
Without you this house is not a home
So please, come home soon
I walk alone
I try alone
I’ll wait for you, don’t want to die alone
So please, come home soon.
I never imagined I’d see a Tanglefoot reference in this thread - I went to school with one of the members’ daughters! Holy blast from the past.
My noms are Mad World from the “Donnie Darko” soundtrack… “The dreams in which I’m dying/are the best I’ve ever had”.
It’s so cheesy and fangirly but I cannot handle Tori Amos’ Me And A Gun, I always skip it, especially since the backstory is so very creepy.
Obligatory Madonna reference: I often skip Promise To Try from the “Like A Prayer” album.
The last few lines always get me: “Can’t kiss her goodbye/but I promise to try…”
It just captures the loneliness, helplessness and regret of grief so well.
I can’t listen to the follow-up song, Inside Of Me either, because she sings “I just think of your smiling face/And I’m flying” ; and I lose it.
In the Arms of the Angel — Sarah McLachlan, because it was played at our grandson’s funeral. It’s also played in tributes, like this one.
Alyssa Lies by Jason Michael Carroll
The Little Girl by John Michael Montgomery
Independence Day by Martina McBride
I know, I know there’s a trend.