# The saddest song in the world



## D.A. Boulter (Jun 11, 2010)

Music can lift us to great heights or send us crashing into despair. Poets-good poets-are, perhaps, the most powerful writers of us all, for they must deliver their message within constraints that the novelist will never know. Throw an evocative voice into the mix and . . . magic!

I've heard it said that the sense of smell can evoke memories more powerfully than any other sense. An odour can take you immediately back to a place and time in a heartbeat. I know that truth resides within that statement, for I've experienced it occasionally, though not often.

Songs can do the same thing for me. Whenever I hear 'San Francisco (Flowers in Your Hair)' I find myself transported to a spring day, with the snow melting and the air fresh and clear in the town where I grew up. Have I the time, I can sink into that memory quite easily. Other songs bring up other memories.

Fifteen months ago, I took my cat, Duke, to the vet for his annual shots. Instead, we discovered that he had a large, inoperable tumor in his chest. The best advice the vet could give: Pamper him. He lasted another three weeks.

When I got back in my vehicle to take us home, the radio came on to a song I'll always relate to 'Duke'. It has the power to devastate me. I heard it again, today, and it caught me by surprise.

music + lyrics + voice = power

This particular offering has no video accompanying it, which, for my purposes, works well. I have my own photos (both actual and in my head) which the song brings up.






Anyone else have a strong relation to a particular song. Is there a reason that you'd like to share?


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)




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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

There's one Christmas song that always gets me. I have no idea why. I'm tearing up just reading these lyrics...

Lyrics to The Christmas Shoes :

It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another line
Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing 'round like little boys do
And in his hands he held a pair of shoes

His clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say

[Chorus:]
Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

He counted pennies for what seemed like years
Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here"
He searched his pockets frantically
Then he turned and he looked at me
He said Mama made Christmas good at our house Though most years she just did without
Tell me Sir, what am I going to do,
Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes

So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said
Mama's gonna look so great

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

[Bridge:]
I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love
As he thanked me and ran out
I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me just what Christmas is all about

[Chorus]
It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another line
Tryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiously
Pacing 'round like little boys do
And in his hands he held a pair of shoes

His clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to pay
I couldn't believe what I heard him say

[Chorus:]
Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

He counted pennies for what seemed like years
Then the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here"
He searched his pockets frantically
Then he turned and he looked at me
He said Mama made Christmas good at our house Though most years she just did without
Tell me Sir, what am I going to do,
Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes

So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said
Mama's gonna look so great

Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

[Bridge:]
I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love
As he thanked me and ran out
I knew that God had sent that little boy
To remind me just what Christmas is all about

[Chorus]


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## Rory Miller (Oct 21, 2010)

The hurt video gets me every time.  It's amazing how Johnny Cash could just make that song his, and even more amazing how Trent Reznor handled that just perfectly.  I heard that when Cash wanted to take the cuss words out of it (only one I think), Reznor said "He's Johnny Cash, he can do whatever he wants to it."

I also love the story of Rick Reubin going down to Nashville in the early 90's when Cash was out of the business and laying out this vision.  I mean, it's the guy that was famous for producing the Beastie Boys and he could have just done Beastie Boys ripoffs for a decade if he wanted to but instead he goes and does something truely great.


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## D.A. Boulter (Jun 11, 2010)

Yes, we owe Rick Reubin a lot.


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## tsilver (Aug 9, 2010)

"I'll be seeing you" was very popular in my young life.  Everytime I hear it I remember a handsome young man and the girl I used to be--how we were so in love, how it became "our song" and even more so after he died.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

A song can be sad even without words. (RIP, Richard Wright.)


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## Dawn McCullough White (Feb 24, 2010)

Layne Staley's other band, Mad Season:

Lyrics~

All alone
We're all alone...
We're all alone...


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)




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## cc84 (Aug 6, 2010)

Ben by the young Michael Jackson always makes me feel sad. And also this...






The lyrics make me think of my dog <<<


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

Dedicated to the memory of my disastrous first marriage


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## Philip Chen (Aug 8, 2010)




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## Sporadic (May 1, 2009)

Even though it is an instrumental, it still has been able to bring me to tears.






Full song title is The Unexclusive Virus_even our invincible religion_"Technology" cannot


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

I have to change the channel when the animal abuse ad with "Arms of an Angel" comes on.

Saddest song I know is "I Must Have Been Blind" by Tim Buckley.  Actually, a lot of Janis Ian music will make you want to jump off a roof.

OP, I am so sorry for the loss of your cat, Duke.  What a very fine handsome cat he was!!!  They take chunks of our hearts with them, don't they?


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

The great Vera Lynn singing of sorrow and loss during wartime.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

There are so many. And because I'm Russian I have some Russian ones too. And Russians can do sad. This song is one of my absolute favorites of all time, by the great pop singer Alla Pugachyova. The song is called "Encore" (Pesnya na bis). It's about a singer who is asking her audience not to leave, to stay with her for just one more song. "Love and life can not be done over. But I am an artist - I will repeat them for you," she sings.

This is one of the earliest performances of the song, from 1981, with the composer of it at the piano.


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

Without fail, "Blackbird" by The Beatles makes me tear up every time I hear it. I don't think it's an inherently sad song, but to me, there is something just so melancholy about the lyrics combined with the melody. Oddly enough, it is one of my favorite Beatles songs. Go figure!


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## thejosh86 (Mar 1, 2011)

This song, as well as anything else on The Antler's album Hospice, always gets to me


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## Mollyb52 (Jan 4, 2009)

Well....my tear ducts are cleaned out now. I had to listen to each song.

One of my favorites is "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley and Alison Krause. I don't know how to post the video. If someone else could post it, it is beautiful. It is like a mini movie.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gV3g9LCvPc


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

For some reason I'm not seeing a lot of these links, so not sure if anyone has mentioned this already...

The one that always makes me tear up is Artificial Flowers by The Beautiful South:

Alone in the world was poor little Anne
As sweet a young child as you'd find
Her parents had gone to their final reward
Leaving their baby behind

Did you hear this poor little child
was only nine years of age
When mother and dad went away
Still she bravely worked
at the one thing she knew
To earn a few pennies a day

She made artificial flowers, artificial flowers
Flowers for ladies of fashion to wear
She made artificial flowers, artificial flowers
Fashioned from Annie's despair

With papers and shears, with wire and wax
She made up each tulip and mum
As snow flakes drifted in to her tenement room
Her baby little fingers grew numb

>From artificial flowers, those artificial flowers
Flowers for ladies of high fashion to wear
She made artificial flowers, artificial flowers
Made from Annie's despair

And they found little Annie all covered with ice
Still clutching her poor frozen shears
Amidst all the blossoms, she had fashioned by hand
And watered with all her young tears

There must be a Heaven where little Annie can play
In heavenly gardens and bowers
And instead of halo, she'll wear round her head
A garland of genuine flowers

No more artificial flowers, artificial flowers
Flowers for ladies of society to wear
Those artificial flowers, artificial flowers
Fashioned from Annie's
Fashioned from Annie's despair


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## Philip Chen (Aug 8, 2010)




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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

'Nuf Said..........


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## ZombieEater (Nov 2, 2010)

"The Dance" by Garth Brooks. No contest.


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## Talia Jager (Sep 22, 2010)

Dave, I agree with "Christmas Shoes".
And for some reason, every time I hear "My Immortal" by Evanesence, I cry.


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

Omg that song about Annie and the artificial flowers is brutal.


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## TheRiddler (Nov 11, 2010)

caseyf6 said:


> Omg that song about Annie and the artificial flowers is brutal.


It's a lovely song though - however it always brings a tear to my eye....


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