What’s The Saddest Song You Know?

Tim said:



When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli
How well I remember that terrible day
When the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called suvla bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
And a band played waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
And we buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then it started all over again
Now those who were living did their best to survive
In that mad world of blood, death and fire
And for seven long weeks I kept myself alive
While the corpses around me piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tit
And when I awoke in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, Christ I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
And no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
To the green bushes so far and near
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me
So they collected the cripples, the wounded and maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The legless, the armless, the blind and insane
Those proud wounded heroes of suvla
And as our ship pulled into circular quay
I looked at the place where me legs used to be
And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity
And a band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
And they turned all their faces away
And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving their dreams of past glory
I see the old men, all twisted and torn
The forgotten heroes of a forgotten war
And the young people ask me, "what are they Marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men still answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll go a-Waltzing Matilda with me?
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Havent heard that since my days of Rendezvous. Gerald, I cant remember his last name & I should, sang all these old ballads. Always wore a Great Kilt & he & his son were fine with the Long Sword. I bet you know who I'm talking about @Tim I'm sure your Dad would too.
 
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Johnny said:
I went looking for a video last night, tears welled up and got a little quiver in my throat, same thing this morning typing this.
A couple of firefighter funerals really fuc, messed up the pipes for me.
Literally in tears..
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Something would be desparatly Wrong with you if you did Not have this reaction.
 
Chdamn said:
The kind of song that brings a tear to your eye every time you hear it. I have a few but the one that tops the list is Carrie Me Carrie by Dr Hook.

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As a guy who is an absolute VICTIM for lyrics with a hook, I have a whole list. I was going to put them (some of them) in here, but I got such a kick of saying "YES YES YES" to the list that members put that I will limit myself to one. Thanks to all above.

Chris Knight, Rita's Only Fault

 
gunbelt said:
Havent heard that since my days of Rendezvous. Gerald, I cant remember his last name & I should, sang all these old ballads. Always wore a Great Kilt & he & his son were fine with the Long Sword. I bet you know who I'm talking about @Tim I'm sure your Dad would too.
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I DO remember that guy (maybe, I remember an old guy in a kilt that would sing). But, the song I referenced is different. The one I called out, And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, references the original Waltzing Matilda song.
 
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Telephone line, ELO

Hello, how are you?
Have you been alright through all those lonely
Lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely nights?
That's what I'd say, I'd tell you everything
If you pick up that telephone.....


 
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The Lady of Shalott by Loreena McKennett (I'm earning a game misconduct from @Me in this thread):

The last four stanzas:

And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance -
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turn'd to towered Camelot.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.

Who is this? And what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the Knights at Camelot;
But Lancelot mused a little space
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."

 
Tim said:
I DO remember that guy (maybe, I remember an old guy in a kilt that would sing). But, the song I referenced is different. The one I called out, And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, references the original Waltzing Matilda song.
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Yes he was older than me & I think he died a few years back. He was always at the Eastern. Do you still Rendezvous?
 
So, some of you know that Pete lives with us. He is my wife cousin. 42 years old with mental and phyiscal handicaps.

when is dad passed and we were planing his memorial ceremony with the VFW, they needed some songs to play. We came up with some and and asked Pete what he thought were good ones. Only one he picked was "Take me home, country roads" by John Denver.

Now any time it comes on the radio, Pete says "That's my dads song, I miss him.."

F me sideways but it still chokes me up.

 
GreatGazoo said:
The Lady of Shalott by Loreena McKennett (I'm earning a game misconduct from @Me in this thread):

The last four stanzas:

And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance -
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turn'd to towered Camelot.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.

Who is this? And what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the Knights at Camelot;
But Lancelot mused a little space
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."

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Dang, that cost me $70 in new cd's...
 
Almost anything by Slaid Cleaves. Him and Jason Isbell are the damn saddest people I know of I think. Not sure if their lives are miserable or just have an amazing talent for empathy.

I had a boss that made me 2 CDs of music. Before Prozac and After Prozac. We were working with at risk kids. The Before CD has some great depressing tunes, mostly Cleaves. lol Trying to dig one up and can't remember the name.


 
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chiefjason said:
Almost anything by Slaid Cleaves. Him and Jason Isbell are the damn saddest people I know of I think. Not sure if their lives are miserable or just have an amazing talent for empathy.

I had a boss that made me 2 CDs of music. Before Prozac and After Prozac. We were working with at risk kids. The Before CD has some great depressing tunes, mostly Cleaves. lol Trying to dig one up and can't remember the name.


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Isbell has said most of his songs have nothing to do with him, he’s able to summon his inner John Prine and insert himself into other peoples lives.
 
DCGallim said:
Isbell has said most of his songs have nothing to do with him, he’s able to summon his inner John Prine and insert himself into other peoples lives.
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Yeah, heard John Prine say the same. Pretty amazing talent.


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tanstaafl72555 said:
You know he is married to Mel Gibson's daughter, right? I am a huge fan, no matter who he is married to. Also love Derek Trucks, Jimmie Vaughn, and Johnny Lang.
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Nope, I didn’t know.
I’m with you, I’m listening to Tedeschi Trucks now, pretty much my favorite band. Lang is on the bucket list. He was coming nearby and the Cicis’s screwed that up. I struggle listening to Jimmy’s voice.
 
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GreatGazoo said:
The Lady of Shalott by Loreena McKennett (I'm earning a game misconduct from @Me in this thread):

The last four stanzas:

And down the river's dim expanse
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance -
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.

Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darkened wholly,
Turn'd to towered Camelot.
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.

Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and Burgher, Lord and Dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.

Who is this? And what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they crossed themselves for fear,
All the Knights at Camelot;
But Lancelot mused a little space
He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."

Click to expand...

Try this one:

 
Joan Baez was mentioned above by @ButtonPusher so have to mention Diamonds and Rust:

Live version: speaking strictly for me, we both could have died then and there.

 
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Kris Kiristofferson wrote it, and he, Roger Miller, Roy Clark (RIP), and others did dreadfully dreary versions of Darby's Castle. It's a multi-layered woeful tale of avaristic pursuit. ...But Knoxville Grass did a great job of it, and as Steve Martin said, it's hard to make a banjo sound sad. :D

 
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