The 25 Saddest Songs Ever Written

“When all hope is gone,
A sad song says so much.”
–Elton John, “A Sad Song Says So Much”

A year or two ago, Malcolm Gladwell did an episode about the saddest song ever written on his podcast, Revisionist History. In that episode, he went into excruciating detail about the song, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones. For whatever reason, that episode really stuck with me, and ever since then, I’ve been thinking about whether or not “He Stopped Loving Her Today” is actually the saddest song ever written.

Of course, there is no objective way to determine which song is actually the saddest. In fact, there’s not universal agreement on what makes a song sad. Is it the music? The lyrics? The performance? Or is it some combination? For instance, in my research (that sounds more important than “surfing the internet”), I found that a lot of people think Roy Orbison’s song “Crying” is super sad. For me, the lyrics are sad, but the music really isn’t. (NOTE: I went back and listened to “Crying” and I might be wrong. It’s pretty sad.)

Of course, I can’t trot out this list without recognizing that there are a lot of sad songs I’ve never heard. So rather than thinking of this as some sort of authoritative list of the world’s saddest songs, let’s just think of it as my list. Feel free to make your own.

As I dove deeper down the rabbit hole of sad songs, I kept adding more and more songs. So far, my list is 75 songs long, and I continue to add more. I suspect there will be more posts like this one with other worthy sad songs.

In no particular order, here is my (first) list of the twenty-five saddest songs ever written:

1. He Stopped Loving Her Today
   Written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman
   Performed by George Jones

This is the song Malcom Gladwell decided was the saddest song of all time. It tells the story of a man who is separated from the woman he loves and finally finds a way to stop loving her. I was familiar with the song before Gladwell featured it in Revisionist History, but what I didn’t realize (although in hindsight, I should have) was the reason he stopped loving her was because he died. It was only death that could stop his love for her. That’s sad.

He Stopped Loving Her Today

He said, “I’ll love you till I die”
She told him, “You’ll forget in time”
As the years went slowly by
She still preyed upon his mind

He kept her picture on his wall
Went half crazy now and then
But he still loved her through it all
Hoping she’d come back again

Kept some letters by his bed
Dated 1962
He had underlined in red
Every single, I love you

I went to see him just today
Oh, but I didn’t see no tears
All dressed up to go away
First time I’d seen him smile in years

He stopped loving her today
They placed a wreath upon his door
And soon they’ll carry him away
He stopped loving her today

You know, she came to see him one last time (ooh)
Ah, and we all wondered if she would (ooh)
And it kept runnin’ through my mind (ooh)
“This time he’s over her for good”

He stopped loving her today
They placed a wreath upon his door
And soon they’ll carry him away
He stopped loving her today

2. She Thinks I Still Care
Written by Dickey Lee
Performed by James Taylor

“She Still Thinks I Care” was originally performed by George Jones, but I prefer the James Taylor version. The song is sad but it also has a bit of humor to it. It’s a little funny the way the narrator is blind to how he’s still not over his old lover. Of course, by the end of the song, the narrator comes to understand that he’s still in love. Dickey Lee, the man who wrote the song, also wrote the tragic, over-the-top sad ballad, “Patches” (see below), made famous by Clarence Carter in 1970.

She Thinks I Still Care

Just because I asked a friend about her
Just because I spoke her name somewhere
Just because I rang her number by mistake today
She thinks I still care

Just because I haunt the same old places
Where the memory of her lingers everywhere
Just because I’m not the happy guy I used to be
She thinks I still care

But if she’s happy thinking I still need her
Then let that silly notion bring her cheer
But how could she ever be so foolish?
Oh, where would she get such an idea?

Just because I asked a friend about her
Just because I spoke her name somewhere
Just because I saw her then went all to pieces
She thinks I still care
She thinks I still care

3. Patches
Written by Dickey Lee
Performed by Clarence Carter

A little boy is born to a poor family in Alabama. The family can barely make ends meet. They dress the boy in raggedy clothes, and then his father makes fun of him, calling him “Patches.” That’s mean.

As if things were bad enough for the little boy, his father—the one that gave him the nickname “Patches”—takes sick. On his death bed, he tells his son that it’s now up to him to take care of the family. Then he dies, leaving poor Patches to figure things out.

Life is hard for Patches, but things are only going to get worse. After working the fields day and night, a storm comes along and washes the crops away. Patches is just thirteen years old, but it’s up to him to find a way to provide for the family. The poor kid needs a break, but every night he can hear his father’s disembodied voice saying, “Patches, I’m depending on you, son.” My God, can’t this poor kid get some peace? Nope.

Next, Patches’ mother dies. Now, in addition to tending the crops, he has to help care for his siblings. Sure, they’re grown, but are they really on their own? Patches needs some rest, but even after all the passing years, Patches is still haunted by his father, saying “Patches, I’m depending on you, son.” Patches could use a vacation and perhaps some mental health counseling.

Patches

I was born and raised down in Alabama
On a farm way back up in the woods
I was so ragged that folks used to call me Patches
Papa used to tease me about it
‘Cause deep down inside he was hurt
‘Cause he’d done all he could

My papa was a great old man
I can see him with a shovel in his hands, see
Education he never had
He did wonders when the times got bad
The little money from the crops he raised
Barely paid the bills we made

For, life had kick him down to the ground
When he tried to get up
Life would kick him back down
One day Papa called me to his dyin’ bed
Put his hands on my shoulders
And in his tears he said

He said, Patches
I’m dependin’ on you, son
To pull the family through
My son, it’s all left up to you

Two days later Papa passed away, and
I became a man that day
So I told Mama I was gonna quit school, but
She said that was Daddy’s strictest rule
So every mornin’ ‘fore I went to school
I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too
Sometimes I felt that I couldn’t go on
I wanted to leave, just run away from home
But I would remember what my daddy said
With tears in his eyes on his dyin’ bed

He said, Patches
I’m dependin’ on you, son
I tried to do my best
It’s up to you to do the rest

Then one day a strong rain came
And washed all the crops away
And at the age of 13 I thought
I was carryin’ the weight of the Whole world on my shoulders
And you know, Mama knew What I was goin’ through, ’cause
Every day I had to work the fields
‘Cause that’s the only way we got our meals
You see, I was the oldest of the family
And everybody else depended on me
Every night I heard my Mama pray
Lord, give him the strength to make another day

So years have passed and all the kids are grown
The angels took Mama to a brand new home
Lord knows, people, I shedded tears
But my daddy’s voice kept me through the years
Saying

Patches, I’m dependin’ on you, son
To pull the family through
My son, it’s all left up to you
Oh, I can still hear Papa’s voice sayin’

Patches, I’m dependin’ on you, son
I’ve tried to do my best
It’s up to you to do the rest
I can still hear Papa, what he said

Patches, I’m dependin’ on you, son
To pull the family through
My son, it’s all left up to you

4. Hallelujah
Written by Leonard Cohen
Performed by Leonard Cohen, Rufus Wainwright, Pentatonix, Bon Jovi, K.D. Lang

It seems like just about everyone has recoded a version of “Hallelujah.” It’s one of the most covered songs ever. I chose five versions of the song for various reasons. Leonard Cohen wrote the song and recorded the original version. Rufus Wainwright brought the song to a new, larger audience when his version was included in the hit animated film, Shrek. I really like acapella music, and Pentatonix does a great acapella version of the song. I’m not the world’s biggest Bon Jovi fan, but I like what he did with his version of “Hallelujah.” Finally, in 2010 at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, the Canadian Olympic Committee wanted to honor native-born songwriter Leonard Cohen during the opening ceremonies. They tapped K.D. Lang to sing Cohen’s most famous song, and she knocked it out of the park.

Hallelujah

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?

It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor falls, the major lifts
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her

She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Well, maybe there’s a God above
As for me all I’ve ever learned from love
Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew you

But it’s not a crime that you’re hear tonight
It’s not some pilgrim who claims to have seen the Light
No, it’s a cold and it’s a very broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Well people I’ve been here before
I know this room and I’ve walked this floor
You see I used to live alone before I knew ya

And I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch
But listen love, love is not some kind of victory march, no
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know
What’s really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?

And I remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove she was moving too
And every single breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Now I’ve done my best, I know it wasn’t much
I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch
I’ve told the truth, I didnt come here to London just to fool you

And even though it all went wrong
I’ll stand right here before the Lord of song
With nothing, nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah

5. Strange Fruit
Written by Abel Meeropol
Performed by Billie Holliday

There’s a lot to say about “Strange Fruit.” The song, which was written after Abel Meeropol, a white, Jewish teacher in the Bronx, saw a photograph of a black man lynched from a tree. The image disturbed him so much that he eventually put his thoughts about the photograph down on paper in the form of a poem. Sometime later, he put the poem to music, and showed the song to a friend who owned a jazz club in New York. The club owner shared the song with his friend, Billie Holliday, and the rest is history. “Strange Fruit” was named the Song of the Century by Time Magazine and it became an anthem of the civil rights movement. The images painted by the song lyrics are graphic, and Billie Holliday’s performance is haunting. Although the song never mentions lynching, it’s obvious what she is singing about.

Strange Fruit

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

Pastor scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouths
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rut, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

6. Broken Vow
Written by Laura Fabian and Walter Afanasieff
Performed by Josh Groban

“Broken Vow” was originally performed by Laura Fabian, but was made popular by Josh Groban on his album, Closer. The song is about a guy (in Groban’s version) who loses his significant other to another man. He tells her that he wants to know who this other man is, and says that he’ll find a way to let her go if she’ll just explain to him who this other guy is.

The story the song tells is sad enough, but when combined with the sorrowful music and Groban’s excellent performance, it takes on a new, sadder dimension. The album Closer was my initial introduction to Josh Groban. It has several great songs, but “Broken Vow” became my favorite.

Broken Vow

Tell me her name
I want to know
The way she looks
And where you go
I need to see her face
I need to understand
Why you and I came to an end

Tell me again
I want to hear
Who broke my faith in all these years
Who lays with you at night
When I’m here all alone
Remembering when I was your own

I’ll let you go
I’ll let you fly
Why do I keep on asking why
I’ll let you go
Now that I found
A way to keep somehow
More than a broken vow

Tell me the words I never said
Show me the tears you never shed
Give me the touch
That one you promised to be mine
Or has it vanished for all time

I’ll let you go
I’ll let you fly
Why do I keep on asking why
I’ll let you go
Now that I found
A way to keep somehow
More than a broken vow

I close my eyes
And dream of you and I
And then I realize
There’s more to life than only bitterness and lies

I close my eyes
I’d give away my soul
To hold you once again
And never let this promise end

I’ll let you go
I’ll let you fly
Why do I keep on asking why
I’ll let you go
Now that I found
A way to keep somehow
More than a broken vow

7. Nessun Dorma
Written by Giancomo Puccini
Performed by Luciano Pavarotti

Until recently, I didn’t know what the English translation of Puccini’s lyrics were. The song itself is excruciating in the way it is performed by Pavarotti (or pretty much anyone that has performed it), but I didn’t know what the performer was singing about. Of course, that didn’t stop me from getting chocked up every time I’d hear it. At the end of the song when Pavarotti sings Vincero! Vincero! (I will win! I will win!), I want to cry. It’s just such an emotionally charged song.

Nessun Dorma (English)

None shall sleep,
None shall sleep!
Even you, oh Princess,
In your cold room,
Watch the stars,
That tremble with love
And with hope.

But my secret is hidden within me,
My name no one shall know,
No… no…
On your mouth, I will tell it,
When the light shines.

And my kiss will dissolve
the silence that makes you mine!

(No one will know his name
and we must, alas, die.)

Vanish, o night!
Set, stars! Set, stars!
At dawn, I will win!
I will win!
I will win!

Nessun Dorma (Italian)

Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma!
Tu pure, o Principessa
Nella tua fredda stanza
Guardi le stelle che tremano
D’amore e di speranza!

Ma il mio mistero è chiuso in me
Il nome mio nessun saprà!
No, no, sulla tua bocca lo dirò
Quando la luce splenderà!

Ed il mio bacio scioglierà
Il silenzio che ti fa mia!

(ll nome suo nessun saprà
E noi dovrem, ahimè! Morir! Morir!)

Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle! All’alba vincerò!
Vincerò! Vincerò!

8. Me and Little Andy
Written and performed by Dolly Parton

I love Dolly Parton, although I have to admit that I am more a fan of her as a person than as a performer. Musically, she’s not my cup of tea. But more than most of her songs, I really dislike “Me and Little Andy.” It’s so ridiculously sad and designed to draw tears from the listener. There’s little nuance or subtlety in what she’s doing.

Spoiler Alert: The young girl, Sandy, and her dog, Little Andy die. That’s right, they both die AT THE SAME TIME. That’s a little too on the nose for me, but I can’t deny that it’s a sad song. Of course it’s a sad song. A little girl and her dog die! (Does anyone think that Dolly Parton should be investigated for this? I mean, a little girl and her dog show up at Dolly’s house one night, and the next morning they’re both found dead. Isn’t anyone else suspicious?)

Me and Little Andy

Late one cold and stormy night I heard a dog a’barkin’
Then I thought I heard somebody at my door a’ knockin’
I wondered who could be outside in such an awful storm
Then I saw a little girl with a puppy in her arms

Before I could say a word she said, ‘My name is Sandy
And this here is my puppy dog, it’s name is little Andy’
Standing in the bitter cold in just a ragged dress
Then I asked her to come in and this is what she said

Ain’t ya got no gingerbread
Ain’t ya got no candy
Ain’t ya got an extra bed for me and little Andy

Patty cake and bakers man
My mommy ran away again
And we was all alone and didn’t know what else to do
I wonder if you’ll let us stay with you

Giddy up trotty horse, going to the mill
Can we stay all night
If you don’t love us no one will
I promise we won’t cry

London bridge is fallin’ down
My daddy’s drunk again in town
And we was all alone and didn’t what we could do
I wonder if you’ll let us stay with you

She was just a little girl, not more than six or seven
But that night as they slept the angels took them both to heaven
God knew little Andy would be lonesome with her gone
Now Sandy and her puppy dog won’t ever be alone

Ain’t ya got no gingerbread
Ain’t ya got no candy
Ain’t ya got an extra bed for me and little (whispers) Andy

9. Waiting Around to Die
Written and performed by Townes Van Zandt

“Waiting around to Die?” Of course it’s sad.

Waiting Around to Die

Sometimes I don’t know where
This dirty road is taking me
Sometimes I can’t even see the reason why
I guess I keep a-gamblin’
Lots of booze and lots of ramblin’
It’s easier than just waitin’ around to die

One time, friends, I had a ma
I even had a pa
He beat her with a belt once ’cause she cried
She told him to take care of me
Headed down to Tennessee
It’s easier than just waitin’ around to die

I came of age and I found a girl
In a Tuscaloosa bar
She cleaned me out and hit in on the sly
I tried to kill the pain, bought some wine
And hopped a train
Seemed easier than just waitin’ around to die

A friend said he knew
Where some easy money was
We robbed a man, and brother did we fly
The posse caught up with me
And drug me back to Muskogee
It’s two long years I’ve been waitin’ around to die

Now I’m out of prison
I got me a friend at last
He don’t drink or steal or cheat or lie
His name’s Codeine
He’s the nicest thing I’ve seen
Together we’re gonna wait around and die
Together we’re gonna wait around and die

10. A Change is Gonna Come
Written by Sam Cooke
Performed by Otis Redding and Jennifer Hudson

Sam Cooke wrote and recorded “A Change is Gonna Come,” making it a hit in 1964. A year later, Otis Redding re-recorded the song and gave it a more mournful feel. I read that Sam Cooke sang “A Change is Gonna Come” from the heart, but Otis Redding sang it from his soul. Cooke’s song has been recorded more than 500 times since it’s release in 1964 and it is another anthem of the civil rights movement. One of those re-recordings was done by Jennifer Hudson for the film Malcolm X. I didn’t need to include Hudson’s version, but she’s so good, why not?

A Change is Gonna Come

I was born by the river
In a little tent
Oh, and just like the river, I’ve been running
Ever since
It’s been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon’ come
Oh yes, it will

It’s been too hard living
But I’m afraid to die
‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there
Beyond the sky
It’s been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon’ come
Oh yes, it will

I go to the movie
And I go downtown
And somebody keep telling me
“Don’t hang around”
It’s been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon’ come
Oh yes, it will

Then, I go to my brother
And I say, “Brother, help me, please”
But he winds up knockin’ me
Back down on my knees, oh
There been times that I thought
I couldn’t last for long
But now, I think I’m able
To carry on
It’s been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon’ come
Oh yes, it will

11. Keep Me in Your Heart
Written by Warren Zevon and Jorge Calderon
Performed by Warren Zevon and Eddie Vetter

In 2002, Warren Zevon was dying of cancer. He was frail and weak, and he knew there was no hope for his recovery. Even so, he insisted on continuing to work. On October 30, 2022, Zevon appeared, for the final time, on Late Night with David Letterman. Letterman was a fan of Zevon’s and the two had been friends for twenty years. That night, Letterman dedicated the entire show to Zevon, who played three songs, something previously unheard of. Less than a year later, Zevon was dead.

“Keep Me in Your Heart”—which Zevon did not play during his final appearance on Letterman’s show–is a musical love letter to his wife, who he knew he would soon be leaving. It was the last song Zevon ever wrote and recorded.

In 2017, Letterman received the Mark Twain Award for Comedy. At the award ceremony, Eddie Vetter, having seen Zevon’s appearances on Letterman’s show, sang “Keep Me in Your Heart” for Dave. I’m not a big fan of Eddie Vetter, but there’s no denying he did a great job with Zevon’s song.

Keep Me in Your Heart

Shadows are fallin’ and I’m runnin’ out of breath
Keep me in your heart for a while
If I leave you it doesn’t mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for a while

When you get up in the mornin’ and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for a while
There’s a train leavin’ nightly called “When All is Said and Done”
Keep me in your heart for a while

Keep me in your heart for a while
Keep me in your heart for a while

Sometimes when you’re doin’ simple things around the house
Maybe you’ll think of me and smile
You know I’m tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for a while

Hold me in your thoughts
Take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view

When the winter comes
Keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you

Engine driver’s headed north up to Pleasant Stream
Keep me in your heart for a while
These wheels keep turnin’ but they’re runnin’ out of steam
Keep me in your heart for a while
Keep me in your heart for a while
Keep me in your heart for a while
Keep me in your heart for a while

12. The River
Written and performed by Bruce Springsteen

Almost every article I consulted while putting this list together included Bruce Springsteen’s song “The River” as one of the saddest ever written. It’s sad, to be sure, but if you read the lyrics of “Dancing in the Dark,” you might come to the conclusion that it is even sadder. The problem with “Dancing in the Dark” (if it is a problem) is that, while the lyrics are sad, the music is upbeat. For the longest time, the lyrics didn’t really penetrate my thick skull because the music made me think it was a happy song. However, when I heard a slowed-down version of the song, I finally heard the lyrics.

Of course, that has nothing to do with The River, which is awfully sad on its own merits.

The River

I come from down in the valley
Where Mister, when you’re young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just seventeen
We’d ride out of this valley
Down to where the fields were green

We’d go down to the river
And into the river we’d dive
Oh, down to the river, we’d ride

Then I got Mary pregnant
And man, that was all she wrote
For my nineteenth birthday
I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles
No walk down the aisle
No flowers, no wedding dress

That night we went down to the river
And into the river, we’d dive
Oh, down to the river
We did ride, ahi, ahi, ahi

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain’t been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well Mister, they vanished right into the air

Now I just act like I don’t remember
Mary acts like she don’t care
But I remember us riding in my brother’s car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I’d lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she’d take
Now that memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true
Or is it something worse?

That sends me down to the river
Though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight, ahi, ahi, ahi

Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh, down to the river, we ride

13. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
Written by Hank Williams
Performed by Johnny Cash

I was driving out of the panhandle of Texas heading toward Oklahoma City. It was one o’clock in the morning. I was still more than an hour from Oklahoma City, where a thunderstorm was brewing. It wasn’t raining where I was, but every time there was a lightning strike, I could see OKC’s skyline. It was beautiful and devastating, kind of like witnessing the end of the world.

I couldn’t get anything on the radio but country music, and the station I landed on was playing the old timey stuff, all of it sad. When “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams came on the radio, I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They rolled down my face like raindrops on a window. There was no sobbing. Just teardrops. I wasn’t sad. There was nothing wrong. But the music got to me.

My preferred version of the song was done by Johnny Cash, so I decided to include it here. I hope Hank Williams understands.

I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I’m so lonesome, I could cry

I’ve never seen a night so long
And time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind the clouds
To hide its face and cry

Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves begin to die?
Like me, he’s lost the will to live
I’m so lonesome, I could cry

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I’m so lonesome, I could cry

14. Hurt
Written by Trent Reznor
Performed by Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash could really sing a sad song. On his brilliant album, American IV: The Man Comes Around, he sang “Hurt,” originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails. The fact that Johnny Cash covered a Nine Inch Nails song is crazy. The fact that the song came out so great is amazing.

Hurt

I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that’s real

The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything

What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end

And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar’s chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair

Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I’m still right here

What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end

And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way

15. Everybody Hurts
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Stipes, Mike Mills
Performed by R.E.M.

Isn’t R.E.M. great? They have so many great songs. This one might be the saddest. But unlike some of the other sad songs on this list, “Everybody Hurts” gives the listener hope. Sure, things suck sometimes. You’re going to fall down, suffer hardships, be treated unfairly. That’s life, and everybody goes through it. So, don’t give up. When things get tough, hold on. Things will get better. I like that message.

Everybody Hurts

When your day is long
And the night, the night is yours alone
When you’re sure you’ve had enough
Of this life, well hang on

Don’t let yourself go
‘Cause everybody cries
Everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong
Now it’s time to sing along

When your day is night alone (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go (hold on)
If you think you’ve had too much
Of this life, well hang on

‘Cause everybody hurts
Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts

Don’t throw your hand, oh no
Don’t throw your hand
If you feel like you’re alone
No, no, no, you are not alone

If you’re on your own in this life
The days and nights are long
When you think you’ve had too much
Of this life to hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes
Everybody cries
Everybody hurts, sometimes

And everybody hurts sometimes
So hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts

16. All By Myself
Written by Eric Carmen and Sergei Rachmaninoff
Performed by Eric Carmen and Celine Dion

When I was young, I loved this song. It wasn’t cool to admit it then, but I’m admitting it now. I used to listen to the lyrics and feel a lump growing in my throat. I was too cool to cry, but sometimes I wanted to. I always felt that this song was underrated. I wanted more people to appreciate it. Then Celine Dion came along.

Dion’s version became much more popular than Carmen’s, giving the song new life and a new audience. I like Carmen’s version better, but Dion’s does the original proud. And the notes she hits in that song. OMG!

Side note: I think Celine Dion is kind of strange.

All By Myself

When I was young
I never needed anyone
And making love was just for fun
Those days are gone

Livin’ alone
I think of all the friends I’ve known
But when I dial the telephone
Nobody’s home

All by myself
Don’t wanna be
All by myself
Anymore

Hard to be sure
Sometimes, I feel so insecure
And love’s so distant and obscure
Remains the cure

All by myself
Don’t wanna be
All by myself
Anymore

All by myself
Don’t wanna live
All by myself
Anymore

When I was young
I never needed anyone
And making love was just for fun
Those days are gone

All by myself
Don’t wanna be
All by myself
Anymore

All by myself
Don’t wanna live
Oh, oh, no
Don’t wanna live by myself, by myself anymore
By myself anymore

Oh, oh, oh
All by myself
Don’t wanna live
I never, never, never
Needed anyone

17. Yesterday, When I Was Young
Written by Charles Aznavour
Performed by Willie Nelson

“Yesterday, When I Was Young” has special meaning to me now that I am entering middle age (assuming I live to be 126 years old). The lyrics tell the tale of a man realizing that youth has passed him by. He’s regretting how he spent his younger days, living only for the moment and being self-centered. I especially like the Willie Nelson version of this song. I’m familiar with versions done by Glen Campbell and Roy Clark, but there’s something about the quality of Willie’s Nelson’s voice and the way he presents the song that makes it real.

Yesterday, When I Was Young

Yesterday, when I was young
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame

The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
I always built to last on weak and shifting sand
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
And only now I see how the years ran away

Yesterday, when I was young
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung
So many wild pleasures lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see

I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think what life was all about
And every conversation I can now recall
Concerned itself with me, and nothing else at all

Yesterday, the moon was blue
And every crazy day brought something new to do
I used my magic age as if it were a wand
I never saw the waste and emptiness beyond

The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
And every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died
The friends I made all seemed, somehow, to drift away
And only I am left on stage to end the play

There are so many songs in me that won’t be sung
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue
The time has come for me to pay for yesterday

22. Stay
Written by Matt Rollings, Alisan Porter, and Drew McKeon
Performed by Alison Kraus (feat, Vince Gill)

To be honest, I’m not sure this song should be on the list. Matt Rollins said he wrote it “thinking of the deep love that parents have for their children, and the courage it takes to love at all, knowing the inevitability of loss.” A parents love for their children is not sad. In fact, it’s hopeful. Yet, if you listen to the song you may find yourself getting chocked up. Because all parents know their child is going to grow up and eventually leave them. And when that child is young and you’re holding them in your arms, feeling that incredible love, you never want them to go.

The music is slow–the piano and strings create an atmosphere conducive to crying–and Alison Krauss’ voice is gorgeous (as always). Overall, it’s just a beautiful song.

Stay

Oh, my love
Stay, stay here in my arms
So fast these moments fade
Stay, stay
Never go away

Oh, your eyes
Telling me what words can’t say
I wish that you’d never change
Stay, stay
Never go away

I am yours
And you are mine
Bound together for all time
I will carry you until it’s time to go
And I will always be the home
You’ll come back to in your heart
Oh, stay, stay, stay, stay

My only
So much that we could say
You were made just for me
Stay, stay
Never go away

I am yours and you are mine
Bound together from the start
I will carry you until it’s time to go
And I’ll always be the home
You come back to in your heart
I will stay, stay, stay
Oh, my love
Stay, stay
Never go away