Most tragic/depressing songs

[chas]

Now that we're out of the Fields of Athenry, etc. I have to add Tom Waits's "Grapefruit Moon" to the list.

Geez, bringing up Tom Waits in a thread about tearjerkers is like dropping blood in a shark tank. Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis may be the saddest song I've ever heard. "Charlie I'm pregnant. . ." is the first line of the song. A soldier's things; Heart of Saturday night; Better off without a wife; the list goes on and on. As one of the kids from Popcorn Behavior said, "Tom Waits has made an art of making beautiful music from ugly parts."

Richard Thompson is another who can pull on the heart strings.

Another song that I can't believe passed me by the first post I made is "The band played Waltzing Matilda." I have an a capella version by June Tabor -- she was born to sing that song.

[BillChin]

Of the songs that I have written, the following one gets the strongest reaction. The story behind the song is my friend adopting a puppy from the shelter. Named him Cosmo. Cosmo grew up to be a big dog and started biting people. Several dog trainers were called in, but his temper grew worse and he had to go. I do not know if Cosmo found a second home. However, the odds for a big dog that bites people are not good. This song is for Cosmo and all other left behind shelter dogs.

No Bones to Find

I work at the dog pound all day,
Dog pound roulette is the game.

Sometimes they sit and they stay
Someone comes in, dogs do their best,
One of them wins, that leaves the rest.

Big dogs, small dogs, all left behind,
No tail wags, no bones to find.

I work at the dog pound all day,
Dog pound roulette is the game.

Sometimes they romp and they play,
Someone comes in, dogs do their best,
One of them wins, that leaves the rest.

I work at the dog pound all day,
It's time for the needle they say.

Sorry my friend, its time to go,
Sad black eyes as if he knows...

Big dogs, small dogs, all left behind,
No tail wags, no bones to find.

Copyright 2002 William Chin

[Darwin]

A web page at http://mccormack.cherrytreewv.com/fire_tragedy.htm has links to a couple of narratives and several versions of a ballad that appears to have been an actual occurence. The versions by the Country Gentlemen and Wash Nelson (the first and second versions from the second link ( http://mccormack.cherrytreewv.com/234.mp3 ) are the best.

Here are the words to the Country Gentlemen's version, which is the version I first heard, back in the '60s.

Come All You Tender Hearted

Come all you tender hearted
Your attention I will call
I'll tell you how it started
Come listen one and all

Last Wednesday night, there was a light
Seen shining on a hill
A mother wept with all her might
While every thing was still

She went into a neighbors house
Some hundred yards away
She sat down and she talked with them
But she did not mean to stay

"Oh Mother, dear, don't stay too long
For we'll be lonesome here"
"I'll go fetch some liniment
Then I'll return to you dear"

But when she started home again
Her house was in a flame
She cried "Oh Lord, my babies are gone
And I'm the one who's to blame"

She cried, "Alas, how sad they sleep
Wrapped up in a red hot flame"
She bursted all asunder then
And o'er her head rolled the flames

Her little ones lay on the ground
They both lay face to face
Each other's arms they did entwine
Each other did enbrace

[rebl_rn]

I promise I'll stop - but I have a thing for sad songs!

The Shortest Story
Harry Chapin

I am born today, the sun burns its promise in my eyes;
Mama strikes me and I draw a breath and cry.
Above me a cloud softly tumbles through the sky;
I am glad to be alive.

It is me seventh day, I taste the hunger and I cry;
my brother and sister cling to Mama's side.
She squeezes her breast, but it has nothing to provide;
someone weeps, I fall asleep.

It is twenty days today, Mama does not hold me anymore;
I open my mouth but I am too weak to cry.
Above me a bird slowly crawls across the sky;
why is there nothing now to do but die?


You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive(Darrel Scott)

In the deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
That's the place where I traced my bloodline
And it's there I read on a hillside gravestone
"You'll never leave Harlan alive"

Oh my grandfather's dad crossed the Cumberland Mountains
Where he took a pretty girl to be his bride
Said "Won't you walk with me out the mouth of this holler
Or we'll never leave Harlan alive"

Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin'
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you'll fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life just thinkin' of how to get away

No one ever knew there was coal in them mountains
Till a man from the northeast arrived
Waving hundred dollar bills
Said "I'll pay you for your minerals"
But he never left Harlan alive

Grandma sold out cheap and they moved out west of Pikeville
To a farm where Big Richland River winds
And I bet they danced them a jig
And they laughted and sang a new song
"Who said we'd never leave Harlan alive"

But the times got hard and tobacco wasn't selling
And old grandad knew what he'd do to survive
He went and dug for Harlan coal
And sent the money back to grandma
But he never left Harlan alive

Where the sun comes up about ten in the mornin'
And the sun goes down about three in the day
And you'll fill your cup with whatever bitter brew you're drinkin'
And you spend your life digging coal from the bottom of your grave

You'll never leave Harlan alive

[Wombat]

Another song that I can't believe passed me by the first post I made is "The band played Waltzing Matilda." I have an a capella version by June Tabor -- she was born to sing that song.

Yeah that one occurred to me too. Except that he had family to come home to, the character in that song could have been one of my uncles. (If you're wondering how ancient I am, there's more than a 70 year age difference between me and my oldest uncle.)

It's soul music which, for the prposes of this exercise I can regard as folk, but Delia Gartrell's 'See What You Done Done (To My Only Son)' is up there with the best. It's not well known but I'll try to find the lyrics. If I have to dig out the single to get them, I don't like my chances.

[oleorezinator]

June Tabor sang the role of The Mother in Peter Bellamy's ballad opera The Transports.

Lyrics
Oh the grass in the meadow, the reeds by the mere,
The sad boom of the bittern is all that I hear.
And the leaves in the woodland and the gulls by the shore cry.
You never shall sit by your loved-ones no more.
You never shall sit by your loved-ones no more.


When I was a young girl the world did seem gay,
But these cruel hard times do drive comfort away.
And the leaves in the woodland and the gulls by the shore cry.
You never shall dance with your sweetheart no more.
You never shall dance with your sweetheart no more.


Once I gathered wild flowers in the sweet countryside,
But my garlands have withered, my posies have died.
And the leaves in the woodland and the gulls by the shore cry.
You never shall lie with your husband no more.
You never shall lie with your husband no more.


Once I went a-courting, but now my man's gone,
Once I was a mother, but now I'm alone.
And the leaves in the woodland and the gulls by the shore cry.
You never shall walk with your men-folk no more.
You never shall walk with your men-folk no more.

Come all you young women that's free from all care,
Don't you never get married, all sorrows lies there.
For the leaves in the woodland and the gulls by the shore cry. The heart that is given no man may restore.
The heart that is given no man may restore

Now the fields are all empty, the hedgerows are bare,
Only wild desolation is all I find there.
I'll go down to the river to ease all my pain
And who knows, but I might find my dear ones again. Who knows, but I might find my dear ones again.

[blackhawk]

The Mention of Your Name, by Chris Rea, from the CD named Auberge. Don't listen to it if you are at all prone to suicide over lost love. Seriously.

[Wombat]

Not really a contender I think, but when you hear Linda Thompson sing it, you'll probably think that it is.

Richard Thompson
» Withered And Died
This cruel country has driven me down
Teased me and lied, teased me and lied
I've only sad stories to tell to this town
My dreams have withered and died
Once I was bending the tops of the trees
Kind words in my ear, kind faces to see
Then I struck up with a boy from the West,
Played run and hide, played run and hide.
Count one to ten and he's gone with the rest
My dreams have withered and died
Silver moon sail up and silver moon shine
On the waters so wide, waters so wide
Steal from the bed of some good friend of mine
My dreams are withered and died
If I was a butterfly, live for a day,
I could be free just blowing away
This cruel country has driven me down
Teased me and lied, teased me and lied
I've only sad stories to tell to this town
My dreams have withered and died
-------------------------------------------
That sense of desperate helplessness always moves me.

[Loren]

And here's another depressing song, though I don't imagine it quite qualifies under "folk tradition" it seems to qualify under "depressing":

Dust in the Wind

Sara

Hmm, interesting. I've been learning to play the (acoustic fingerstyle) guitar part for this song. I've never found the song to be particularly depressing, and I suspect it wasn't meant to be, although I could be wrong. It sort of strikes me the way blues tunes do: Blues, by it's nature is not meant to make people feel down, rather the opposite is true, the blues is meant to make you feel better.

This is one of the things that I find interesting about the really tragic/depressing songs, the fact they are NOT meant to make you feel better, which is somewhat unusual, a bit of a minority in terms of a tradition.

Loren

[Loren]

I'd also say that, for the most part, love songs don't really qualify (for me at least): I mean, sure, love songs are sad and all, but we all experience heartbreak, and then move on. To me, the really tragic topics are the one's dealing with issues that are much more difficult, or impossible to overcome, issues that not everyone will face in their lifetime. (Sure, everyone faces death and dying, but not all will suffer in particularly cruel ways, as an example)

Interesting posts so far.

Loren

[Wombat]

I mentioned a soul song by Delia Gartrell. I found a copy of the record and transcribed the lyrics. A couple of comments first. Gartrell is one of the great (almost) unknown soul singers. This is the only single I know of, even though she has a better voice than many well-known singers. 60s soul is a rather optimistic music so this record is unusual in having no truck with that. If it were meant as a prediction about where things were headed, it couldn't be more accurate. Finally, as with other soul songs, the lyrics alone don't do justice to the overall effect of the song. Her phrasing in crucial places, and the backing are crucial to making this record utterly harrowing.

Refrain:
Can't you see what you done done to my only son,
My only son, my only son,
Can't you see what you done done to my only son,
While he was fighting in your war

America, I gave you my only son,
Right away, you sent him off to fight in Vietnam,
He was a good soldier and he really did his part,
And I was so proud when he won that medal, the one they call the purple heart,
But I didn't know, when he went off to serve his country,
I didn't know you'd send him back to me, a stoned junky

[Repeat refrain]

You see I watched him one day, take some money from my purse,
And that's when I knew, I knew that boy's habit had gotten worse,
To protect his country, well I think that's a terrible price to pay,
And you let his real enemy, teh pusher, get away,
But, like most mothers, I still get on my knees to pray,
But my son died from an overdose, last Mother's Day

[Repeat refrain]

[Wombat]

Ex-Bodysnatchers singer Rhoda Dakar with the Special AKA.

The Boiler
I went out shopping last saturday
I was getting some gear, and this guy offered to pay
Who's the hunk? I think to myself
For so many years I've been left on the shelf
An old boiler

Then we went walking back down the high street
And I felt so proud because he looked so neat
He was a real hard man, tough as they come
He said I was cool but I still felt like
An old boiler

He bid me "Come out", how could I say no?
He said "Meet me at eight round my place, you know"
With my new gear on, and a blow dried hair-do
But in my mind I knew I was sill
An old boiler

We danced all night long to a nice steady beat
But my hair went to frizz in the terrible heat
My mascara ran, and so did my tights
Confirming in my sight, I must be
An old boiler

So we came out this club, hot and sweaty
Because we'd been dancing all night
And he says to me "Well babe, what you doing then?"
"Well I think I might get a cab" I said casually
"Nah nah, come back to my place, I only live just round the corner
You can go home in the morning, yeah?"
"Well I don't think so, I've only known you a day, It' a bit soon innit
Give me a ring sometime yeah?"
But then he starts to get mad
"Listen here girl, I bought that gear you got on, I paid you in here tonight
I bought you all them drinks and you wanna go home, I should bleedin coco"
And then he stormed off

Well, I felt a right mug, well you would wouldn't you
So I ran after him, caught him up
And here we are walking down this street about a hundred miles per hour
Arm in arm, no talking, atmosphere you could have cut with a knife

There's no-one about, nothing to take your mind off it you know
No cars, not even the occasional stray animal
It was cold and the wind's whistling through the tree's
Blowing newspapers accross my legs so I tripped as I tried to keep up with him
And there was all these alleyways and railway bridges, the stink of piss

The all of a sudden he grabbed hold of my arm
And he starts to drag me up one of these alleyways
Then he starts to hit me really hard across the face, you know
He was hitting me and grabbing at me
It was awful because he was, like, so big
Hitting me he was, and tearing at my clothes
There was nothing I could do honest, I was helpless
And then he tried to rape me, and there was nothing I could do, honest
All I could do was scream, no...


[The record finishes with about a minute of screaming which goes on, and on and on ...... and on.]

[s1m0n]

One of the saddest I know is Stan Rogers' First Christmas Away from Home

This day, a year ago, he was rolling in the snow
With a younger brother in his father's yard.
Christmas break - a time for touching home
The heart of all he'd known, and leaving was so hard -
Three thousand miles away, now he's working Christmas Day
Making double time for "the minding of the store"...
Well, he'd always said he'd make it on his own
He's spending Christmas Eve alone.
First Christmas away from home.


She's standing by the train station, panhandling for change
Four more dollars buys a decent meal and a room.
Looks like the Sally Ann place after all,
In a crowded sleeping hall that echoes like a tomb
But it's warm and clean and free and there are worse places to be,
And at least it means no beating from her Dad
And if she cries because it's Christmas Day
She hopes that it won't show...
First Christmas away from home.


In the apartment stands a tree, and it looks so small and bare
Not like it was meant to be
The Golden Angel on the top, it's not that same old silver star
You wanted for your own
First Christmas away from home.


In the morning, they get prayers, then it's Crafts and tea downstairs
Then another meal back in his little room
Hoping maybe that "the boys" will think to phone before the day is gone
Well, it's best they do it soon.
When the "old girl" passed away, he fell more apart each day
Each had always kept the other pretty well
But the kids all said the nursing home was best
'Cause he couldn't live alone...
First Christmas away from home.


In the Common Room they've got the biggest tree
And it's huge and cold and lifeless,
Not like it ought to be
And the lit-up flashing Santa Claus on top
It's not that same old silver star you once made for your own
First Christmas away from home.

[rebl_rn]

Here's another one.

Mick Ryan's Lament

Well my name is Mick Ryan, I'm lyin still
In a lonely spot near where I was killed
By a red man defending his native land
In the place that they call Little Big Horn

And I swear I did not see the irony
When I rode with the Seventh Cavalry
I thought that we fought for the land of the free
When we rode from Fort Lincoln that morning

And the band they played the Garryowen
Brass was shining, flags a flowin
I swear if I had only known
I'd have wished that I'd died back at Vicksburg

For my brother and me, we had barely escaped
From the hell that was Ireland in forty eight
Two angry young lads who had learned how to hate
But we loved the idea of Amerikay

And we cursed our cousins who fought and bled
In their bloody coats of bloody red
The sun never sets on the bloody dead
Of those who have chosen an empire

But we'd find a better life somehow
In the land where no man has to bow
It seemed right then and it seems right now
That Paddy he died for the union

Ah, but Michael he somehow got turned around
He had stolen the dream that he thought he'd found
Now I never will see that holy ground
For I turned into something I hated

And I'm haunted by the Garryowen
Drums a beating, bugles blowin'
I swear if I had only known
I'd lie with my brother in Vicksburg

And the band they played that Garryowen
Brass was shin, flags a flowin'
I swear if I had only known, I'd lie with
my brother at Vicksburg

[anniemcu]

A lot of old ballads are depressing... and perhaps especially the Child Ballads, as I recall.

OK, here're some goodies... er... downers...

The Butcher Boy (AKA the Railroad Boy, and some others)
Oh, The Wind and Rain
Matty Groves


can't think of any more right now... but I used to sing a lot of them...