# Your Favorite Depressing Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421 "2009-05-23T21:11:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/41 "2009-05-25T00:38:40Z")
CCKMP (Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain) by \*\*Steve Earle \*\*is another for me. I’m linking the lyrics but without the droning backing music, well,… just doesn’t do it justice. There’s a different version on YouTube but just not as sad as the album cut. A sadder ode to heroin addiction I’ve never heard. [CCKMP](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/CCKMP-Cocaine-Cannot-Kill-My-Pain-lyrics-Steve-Earle/F3CD82155234BA3248256AB60038E86F) "(Girl) Don’t come knockin’ on my door Even that won’t work no more Don’t come knockin’ on my door Heroin is the only thing The only gift the darkness brings Heroin is the only thing" SE does a lot of sad songs. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/42 "2009-05-25T00:45:12Z")
River of Deceit – Mad Season (sung by Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, R.I.P.) ---
**Author:** ![Enniaunus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b2d939/32.png) [@Enniaunus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enniaunus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/43 "2009-05-25T00:47:08Z")
[Atmosphere](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSYv6PuiQh8&feature=related) by Joy Division The Johnny Cash cover of [Hurt](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22eIJDtKho) and [Casimir Pulaski Day](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGEMx3TKxNc) by Sufjan Stevens ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/44 "2009-05-25T01:14:22Z")
Albums **Low** by David Bowie **Slow Car to China** by Gary Numan **1984** by Eurythmics Songs **Seasons in the Sun** by Terry Jacks **Cat’s In The Cradle** by Harry Chapin That’s of the top of my (very sleepy) head. Been awake too long now. I’ll post more tomorrow, if someone else doesn’t post them first. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/45 "2009-05-25T01:50:09Z")
[Sound the Bugle](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdG6Js3wFvM) by Bryan Adams. [Bright Eyes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MODq81_cDKI) by Art Garfunkel. [Time and Tide](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj7A9_ckFA8) by Alan Price. [How to Save a Life](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAIs3tUYOi4) by The Fray. [Welcome to the Black Parade](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqUJ8nB18sQ&feature=related) by My Chemical Romance. [Wildwood Flower](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uos3qj0NuYs) by Reese Witherspoon from the _Walk the Line_ soundtrack. [Every Rose Has Its Thorn](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcqWyyHlCDA) by Poison. [Whats Left of Me](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5uBvBNo2eY) by Nick Lachey. [One Song Glory](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kckt1TjwnMI) by Adam Pascal from _Rent_. (skip ahead to about 1:34) [The Dance](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3VppSgF38A) and [The Change](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgdcroEHEJA) by Garth Brooks. Wow, there are more depressing songs in my music library than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/46 "2009-05-25T02:38:01Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > **Seasons in the Sun** by Terry Jacks > **Cat’s In The Cradle** by Harry Chapin > > That’s of the top of my (very sleepy) head. Been awake too long now. I’ll post more tomorrow, if someone else doesn’t post them first. [Morbo from Futurama] Mwahahahaha! [/MfF] I posted Cat’s in the Cradle in the OP. 😃 I was _going_ to post Seasons in the Sun also, but I’ve seen a lot of people here call that song super cheesy and not actually depressing, so I refrained. ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/47 "2009-05-25T02:51:13Z")
_Alexandra Leaving_ by Leonard Cohen Hell, _ANY_ Leonard Cohen… ---
**Author:** ![Jilaad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jilaad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jilaad)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/48 "2009-05-25T03:57:05Z")
“Time” by Pink Floyd ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/49 "2009-05-25T04:00:26Z")
> [@Jilaad](#): > > “Time” by Pink Floyd Yeah, that whole album. Or worse, _The Wall_. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/50 "2009-05-25T04:23:03Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > All By Myself… haven’t got enough caffeine in me to remember the singer, but it’s the story of my life and I cannot listen to it without crying. Eric Carmen. Yeah, that’s a sad one. For me, when I’m in that “wanna wallow in it” frame of mind, I listen to Roy Orbison. His voice is so haunting. In particular, “In the Real World” (from his last album, “Mystery Girl”) really tears my heart out. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/51 "2009-05-25T04:31:17Z")
[Jezebel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfOhvvSiM10&feature=PlayList&p=360008D974519475&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4), by Iron and Wine. [Couches in Alleys](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6H0tRlRb0M&feature=PlayList&p=E74D0EE5F6C9031B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=5), by Styrofoam w/ Ben Gibbard [Twilight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJthA4l8S5U), by Elliott Smith [Last Stop, This Town](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8hyCWH1Ww0), by The Eels [Death Letter Blues](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jN5vqEyV7g), by Son House ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/52 "2009-05-25T04:33:12Z")
> [@Baggins111](#): > > Yeah, that whole album. > > Or worse, _The Wall_. I’m a big Floyd fan so don’t go and think this song or The Wall escaped my notice. I just felt that mentioning them in the OP would immediately render the rest of the thread moot. If I’m feeling down and don’t have time to listen to the whole album, sometimes I just put on [Another Brick in the Wall part 3](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0DngoNAk60). On a somewhat related note, does anyone know how to combine two songs on Windows Media Player ver. 10? Specifically, Goodbye Blue Sky and Empty Spaces. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/53 "2009-05-25T04:58:24Z")
**Something I Can Never Have** -Nine Inch Nails **Where Does Love Go When It Dies?** and\*\* Love\*\* from Def Leppard **Hurt** -Johnny Cash’s version \*\*Wish You Were Here-\*\*Pink Floyd \*\*The Dance-\*\*Garth Brooks ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2009, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/54 "2009-05-25T06:55:23Z")
I just listened to most of the songs on the first page and all I can say is that none of them made me as sad as my mom did a few minutes ago. I was having a snack to recuperate from all those songs and she was telling me her hands hurt and “… I’m getting old.” And it broke my heart. All I can think of is that at one point in time she was my age. Young, energetic, healthy and so many years ahead of her. Now it’s all the opposite. She’s not energetic, not as heathy as before and she’s been alive for longer than the amount of time she has left, likely. And what’s killing me is that I’ll be there too some day, telling my offspring that my hands hurt and they didn’t used to when I was young and healthy. Shit. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/55 "2009-05-26T00:42:13Z")
Hoyt Axton guest starred on Bonanza and sang a song called “Dead and Gone.” Will absolutely break your heart. Seems most of his stuff was heart breaking. (I can’t find a video of the particular song) Helen Reddy has a lot of songs of broken women. “Delta Dawn”, “Angie Baby”, “Peaceful” Elton John “Daniel” and “Grey Seal” get me every time. Regina Spektor “Fidelity” ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/56 "2009-05-26T04:08:12Z")
Some of these have already been mentioned, so count them as seconded. [Needle in the Hay](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfWxa-FN8X4), Elliott Smith [And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lE-YjjZhwc) performed by The Pogues [Green Fields Of France](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PdiMlk4iOs) performed by Clancy Brothers & Robbie O’Connell [These Exiled Years](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wP3yzbGd4M), Flogging Molly [The Freshmen](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvZjSxat0Ak), The Verve Pipe [Sunflowers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZEnI9PTPTs), Everclear [Wish you were here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdNnw99-Ic), Pink Floyd [Killing me softly](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ighu4gGlaUE) performed by the FUGEES ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/57 "2009-05-26T04:11:58Z")
One more, [Operator](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2iS8XctJKo) Jim Croce ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/58 "2009-05-26T06:52:53Z")
\*Day after day, my love turns gray, like the skin of a dying man. and night after night, we pretend it’s alright, but I have grown older, and you have grown colder, and nothing is very much fun, anymore.\* ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/59 "2009-05-26T07:52:31Z")
Going beyond the English language, the saddest song I know in \*any \*language is probably “Yossi the Parrot”, [sung here](http://www.esnips.com/doc/629869fa-b8f8-49dc-9764-1c290d3e503d/%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%A7-%D7%90%D7%99%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%A9%D7%98%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9F---%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A1%D7%99)by Arik Einstein. Here’s my translation of the first few verses (Mods, feel free to delete if it’s too much): \*I’ll buy myself a parrot and his name will be Yossi I’ll talk to him when there’s no-one around And then I’ll tell him, I’ll say: Sadness is like a cup Filled with bitter wine From the grapes of the soul Do you know, parrot Yossi, you’re a lyrical child You’ll die a quiet death So quiet And them I, filled with sadness Will whisper to the walls: Yossi’s dead, Yossi’s dead. And your ashes shall return from your cage to your homeland From white cage to yellow dust Alone, with no parrot wife and children A parrot like you isn’t allowed to love.\* There are plenty of other sad Hebrew songs (it’s sort of a speciality of ours), but that’s probably the saddest of the lot. ---
**Author:** ![Evily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Evily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evily)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421/60 "2009-05-26T11:06:46Z")
Nothing Else matters - Metallica Like you - Evanescence Pieces of a dream - Anastasia [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-depressing-songs/497421.md?page=4)