The most depressing songs of all time

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

You know which one is really depressing? Ode to Billy Joe. I get upset just thinking about it. Great song, but depressing beyond depressing.

[Carol C Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Carol C]

"Why'd Ya Do It?" by Marianne Faithfull. Since this is a family website, I think I ought not to paste the entire lyrics here. But here's one of the clean lines, and in fact my fave line of the song: "You just tied me to the mast of the ship of fools."

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

Thanks for the rest of the words to Last Kiss.

What about "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast," by Wayne Newton?

Mike Douglas always sang that song about the little girl growing up that just gets Rick going, especially now that our daughter has a little babe of her own. It was called, "The Men in My Little Girl's Life." I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. All of you daddies of little girls probably get pretty mushy with that one.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

You know which one is really depressing? Ode to Billy Joe. I get upset just thinking about it. Great song, but depressing beyond depressing.

Good one!

and yes, Leader of the Pack,,,,bbut sooooooo cool!

[samsarmy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close samsarmy]

Anything Country & Western. Whether it's trying to be depressing or not.

Mike

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Tears in Heaven

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Johnny Cash often looked on the bright side of liFe:

THE LONG BLACK VEIL

Ten years ago, on a cold dark night
Someone was killed, 'neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene, but they all agreed
That the slayer who ran, looked a lot like me

The judge said son, what is your alibi
If you were somewhere else, then you won't have to die
I spoke not a word, thou it meant my life
For I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife

Chorus
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me

Oh, the scaffold is high and eternity's near
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear
But late at night, when the north wind blows
In a long black veil, she cries ov're my bones

Repeat Chorus

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

Oh, god. Just thought of one. "Sunrise, Sunset." Why do people sing that at weddings? It's so sad.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Steve

Nope sorry.
Hands off my "man in black"

The last 3 years before Johnny died he did some wonderful covers of some surprising bands.

Here is a sample of one of my favorites <a cover of Depeche Mode>
Ignore the video the soundtrack is Johnny.
YouTube - Chaos Pro Wrestling - Personal Jesus

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

This thread just gets me on a roll - probably because I have a melancholy side that often attaches me more strongly to grief than to joy. So here's a couple more.

Start with Ry Cooder (this is much more effective if you actually hear the recording, as it starts out sounding so joyful, then turns sour halfway through):

THAT'S THE WAY LOVE TURNED OUT FOR ME

Brand new day, brave new man
Its a miracle what love can do
All the joys romance can bring
Come smiling down on a heart thats true
When love is real, you cant turn it around
Its like a river running down to the sea
This old world turns around for lovers like you
Its not the way love turned out for me

People in love build a house they can share
Takes a long time to get it just right
But a fire can start in the kitchen somewhere
And burn that little house down over night
That flame burning bright in your heart, I believed that
You turned it on just for me
Another man held that fire, burned our house to the ground
Thats the way love turned out for me

People turn out for the big show
Pretty flowers turn out in the spring
And the light turns out in the kitchen
When somebody pulls on the string
But theres no light burning in my kitchen
And no doors open up with my key
And I aint got no one to turn to
Thats the way love turned out for me

*****

In a different vein, "Strange Fruit" (first recorded by Billie Holliday and covered by many others) is powerful, but the imagery is pretty stark:

STRANGE FRUIT

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves
Blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
The scent of magnolia 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 rot
for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

[samsarmy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close samsarmy]

The drugged-out 60s produced some notables. What was the loooooooong song by The Doors Jim Morrison that just droned on and on about death and madness?

Mike

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

What was the loooooooong song by The Doors Jim Morrison that just droned on and on about death and madness?

Mike

Which one?? when it comes to Morrison and The Doors, you've got to be more specific than that!

But you're probably thinking of the "The End", off of their first album. I thought about that but didn't put it up because the song was so tedious to listen to that it never really got a chance to work up a good depression.

IMHO - to be the "best of depressed" the song has to keep you engaged so that it has a chance to suck that optimism and joy out of you. If you just turn off the song (literally or figuratively), it shouldn't count. It's got to be a song that, when it's over, causes you to say to yourself, "Yeah, life really does suck."

[eal Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close eal]

for the Canadians in the crowd..

Speaking of Country & Western, Blue Rodeo's "Bad Timing" is the saddest love song ever written!

Hey it's me what a big surprise
Calling you up from a restaurant
Around the bend
Just got in from way up North
I'm achy and tired now
And I could use a friend
I'd be a fool
To think that you do
Want to see me again

I Know it's been awhile since I talked to you
Nothing wrong
Just nothing ever goes as planned
Many times I thought I'd call
Didn't have your number in my hand
Oh, I know it's true
You'd never do
The same thing to me

I never meant to make you cry
And though I know I shouldn't call
It just reminds us of the cost
For everything we've lost
Bad timing that's all

And maybe soon there'll come a day
When no more tears will fall
We each forgive a little bit
And we both look back on it
It's just bad timing thats all

Used to have so many plans
Something always seemed to turn out wrong
Never could catch up to you
Moving on and doing all you've done
I don't know why
The harder I try
The harder it comes

I never meant to make you cry
And though I know I shouldn't call
It just reminds us of the cost
For everything we lost
Bad timing that's all

And maybe soon there'll come a day
When no more tears will fall
We each forgive a little bit
And we both look back on it
It's just bad timing that's all

We each forgive a little bit
And we both look back on it
It's just bad timing that's all

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

When I was child. I used to get depressed when I heard a song from Elvis, Love me tender. Elvis died in that movie and they played that song.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

You know them, they come on the radio and you are transfixed by how horribly depressing these songs are. Lock up the razor blades and don't listen to them in a PLOM mood.

Which is your most depressing song?

Seasons in the sun (Terry Jack I think)

Honey (Bobby Goldsboro)

See the tree, how big it's grown
But friend it hasn't been too long
It wasn't big
I laughed at her and she got mad
The first day that she planted it, was just a twig
Then the first snow came
And she ran out to brush the snow away
So it wouldn't die
Came runnin' in all excited
Slipped and almost hurt herself
And I laughed till I cried
She was always young at heart
Kinda dumb and kinda smart and I loved her so
And I surprised her with a puppy
Kept me up all Christmas Eve two years ago
And it would sure embarrass her
When I came in from workin' late
'Cause I would know
That she'd been sittin' there and cryin'
Over some sad and silly late, late show

And honey, I miss you
And I'm bein' good
And I'd love to be with you
If only I could

She wrecked the car and she was sad
And so afraid that I'd be mad
But what the heck
Though I pretended hard to be
Guess you could say she saw through me
And hugged my neck
I came home unexpectedly
And caught her cryin' needlessly
In the middle of the day
And it was in the early Spring
When flowers bloom and robins sing
She went away

And honey, I miss you
And I'm bein' good
And I'd love to be with you
If only I could

One day while I was not at home
While she was there and all alone
The angels came
Now all I have is memories of Honey
And I wake up nights and call her name
Now my life's an empty stage
Where Honey lived and Honey played
And love grew up
And a small cloud passes overhead
And cries down on the flower bed
That Honey loved

And see the tree how big it's grown
But friend it hasn't been too long
It wasn't big
And I laughed at her and she got mad
The first day that she planted it, was just a twig