Saddest Song in all Genres of Music?

Huck Finn wrote:

My personal choices: Hurt - Johnny Cash

Pre Officer wrote:

Cash's cover was good, but doesn't come close to the despair of Trent Reznor's original.

Reznor's original was good, but doesn't come close to the despair of Cash's cover. Cash wasn't just singing a song. He actually lived that life. That's why he could use his own home movies in the video.

Tryon Creek wrote:

Didn't we do this already? Anyway, my choice would be Stella Blue, by the Grateful Dead.

EVERYTHING has already been done on this message board.

It may not be the best song, but I would have to say the country song "The Baby" by Blake Shelton is the saddest song ever. Give it a listen and see if you don't think so.

Most of them have already been said, but I'd have to go with

"Cat's in the Cradle," "Tears in Heaven", or "Mad World" (no so much because of the song itself, but because of "Requiem for a Dream"). "The Freshmen," by Verve Pipe, is also up there.

wolb wrote:

Cat's in the Cradle --- Harry Chapin

I can't believe it took three pages until this was listed. If you're a male and these words don't strike a chord with you, you must be hollow.

Cat's in the Cradle

A child arrived just the other day,

He came to the world in the usual way.

But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.

He learned to walk while I was away.

And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,

He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.

You know I'm gonna be like you."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

My son turned ten just the other day.

He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.

Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,

I got a lot to do." He said, "That's ok."

And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed,

Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.

You know I'm gonna be like him."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

Well, he came from college just the other day,

So much like a man I just had to say,

"Son, I'm proud of you. Can you sit for a while?"

He shook his head, and he said with a smile,

"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys.

See you later. Can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then, dad.

You know we'll have a good time then."

I've long since retired and my son's moved away.

I called him up just the other day.

I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind."

He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.

You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu,

But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.

It's been sure nice talking to you."

And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,

He'd grown up just like me.

My boy was just like me.

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,

Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then, dad.

You know we'll have a good time then."

Cat's in the Cradle is definitely up there, but I still go with "In the Ghetto" by Elvis about the cycle of inner city violence long before anything resembling gangster rap.

As the snow flies,

On a cold and grey Chicago mornin'

A poor little baby child is born in the ghetto

And his mama cries

'Cause if there's one thing that she don't need

It's another hungry mouth to feed in the ghetto

People, don't you understand

The child needs a helping hand

Or he'll grow to be an angry young man some day

Take a look at you and me,

Are we too blind to see,

Or do we simply turn our heads and look the other way?

Well the world turns

And a hungry little boy with the runny nose

Plays in the street as the cold wind blows in the ghetto

And his hunger burns

So he starts to roam the streets at night

And he learns how to steal

And he learns how to fight in the ghetto

Then one night in desperation

The young man breaks away

He buys a gun, steals a car, tries to run,

But he don't get far

And his mama cries

As a crowd gathers round an angry young man

Face down in the street with a gun in his hand in the ghetto

And as her young man dies,

On a cold and grey Chicago mornin'

Another little baby child is born in the ghetto

And his mama cries

In the ghetto

In the ghetto

the entire Sea Change album by Beck. He made it after his relationship with his long time girlfriend ended. The album is just pure sadness.

a few that come to mind:

"seven curses" bob dylan

"with god on our side" bob dylan

"sunday morning coming down" kris kristofferson (johnny cash)

by the way, if you can, definitely check out the "seven curses" song...very sad tale

Crosby Stills & Nash - Just a song before I go

Never thought of Cat's in the cradle as overly sad, but definitely one of the few songs out there whos lyrics strike a chord with me.

"last night I dreamt that somebody loved me" -the smiths

goodnight, and thank you

Old Reilly stole a stallion

But they caught him and they brought him back

And they laid him down in the jailhouse ground

With an iron chain around his neck.

When Reilly's daughter got a message

That her father was goin' to hang.

She rode by night and came by morning

With gold and silver in her hand.

When the judge saw Reilly's daughter

His old eyes deepened in his head,

Sayin', "Gold will never free your father,

The price, my dear, is you instead."

"Oh I'm as good as dead," cried Reilly,

"It's only you that he does crave

And my skin will surely crawl if he touches you at all.

Get on your horse and ride away."

"Oh father you will surely die

If I don't take the chance to try

And pay the price and not take your advice.

For that reason I will have to stay."

The gallows shadows shook the evening,

In the night a hound dog bayed,

In the night the grounds were groanin',

In the night the price was paid.

The next mornin' she had awoken

To find that the judge had never spoken.

She saw that hangin' branch a-bendin',

She saw her father's body broken.

These be seven curses on a judge so cruel:

That one doctor will not save him,

That two healers will not heal him,

That three eyes will not see him.

That four ears will not hear him,

That five walls will not hide him,

That six diggers will not bury him

And that seven deaths shall never kill him.

Copyright © 1963; Bob Dylan

sorry, but "that joke isn't funny anymore" is sadder.

The poem, "the Highwayman" written by Alfred Noyes and sung by Phil Ochs.

has anyone heard the songs "dance with the devil" or "you never know" before Immortal Technique????

Great songs that really give you that "wow..." feeling.

some of my favorite songs are also classic sad songs.

the sounds of silence - simon and garfunkel

mad world - gary jules

karma police - radiohead

the scientist - coldplay

yesterday - the beatles

only time - enya

chasing cars - snow patrol

across the universe - fiona apple (cover of the beatles song written by john lennon)

imagine - john lennon

not quite in the same 'sadness' league, but sad nonetheless:

let it be - the beatles

bridge over troubled water - simon and garfunkel

wouldn't it be nice - the beach boys

overall, the sounds of silence by simon and garfunkel, is, in my opinion, not only the saddest but one of the greatest songs in all genres of music.

reading the above posts, cats in the cradle is excellent. its not only sad but true. you'd be hard pressed to find someone who that wasn't meaningful for.

i also forgot 'bittersweet symphony' by the verve:

You're a slave to money and then you die...

listen to sounds of silence by simon and garfunkel though. very dark and sad but very resonant as well. it depends on how you interpret the lyrics. but the sound of the song is also very meaningful as to its message.

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a street lamp

I turn my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light

That split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never shared

No one dared

Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools," said I, "you do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you"

But my words like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign flashed out its warning

In the words that it was forming

And the sign said "The words of the prophets are written on the

subway walls

And tenement halls

And whispered in the sound of silence

America the Beautiful -

Because it's being used to whip up 'patriotism' in people being used as cattle, as fodder in a criminal war in the Middle East to benefit a state that is sucking us dry. A state that uses technology given them as an 'ally', a state that takes that technology and sells it to our enemies. What an ally. What evil. Wake up.

They laugh when they see the rubes singing any patriotic tune, or their kids hypnotized by thugs on MTV. Thugs they've been trained to worship. That you've been trained to worship, or feel sorry for.

Yes, they laugh especially hard when America the Beautiful is played, because they made sure that was one of their own have a song used - they insisted on it.

How about "Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam?

Oh, where oh where can my baby be?

The Lord took her away from me

She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good

So I can see my baby when I leave this world.

We were out on a date in my daddy's car

We hadn't driven very far

There in the road, up straight ahead

A car was stalled, the engine was dead

I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right

I'll never forget the sound that night

The screamin' tires, the bustin' glass

The painful scream that I heard last.

Oh, where oh where can my baby be?

The Lord took her away from me

She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good

So I can see my baby when I leave this world.

When I woke up, the rain was pourin' down

There were people standing all around

Something warm rollin' through my eyes

But somehow I found my baby that night

I lifted her head, she looked at me and said

"Hold me darling just a little while."

I held her close, I kissed her our last kiss

I found the love that I knew I would miss

But now she's gone, even though I hold her tight

I lost my love, my life that night.

Oh, where oh where can my baby be?

The Lord took her away from me

She's gone to heaven, so I got to be good

So I can see my baby when I leave this world.

girls are better at being emotional

don't speak - no doubt