Impressive list, Pete--but I'd have a hard time keeping a straight face rhyming mercy with nursery. Another George Jones tearjerker is "He Stopped Loving Her Today." Reba McIntire's "Somebody Must Leave" is one that always gets me:

It sure gets quiet when the kids go to bed;
We sit here in the silence putting off what must be said.
I read a book, you watch TV, as our love dies quietly:
I'm so sad I don't know what I just read.
(chorus)
Somebody should leave, but which one should it be?
You need the kids, and they need me.
Somebody should leave, but we hate to give in;--
We keep hopin' somehow we might need each other again.

You say goodnight and turn and face the wall;
We lie here in the darkness and the tears start to fall.
If it was only you and me, goodbye might come more easily,
But what about those babies down the hall?

chorus, chorus repeated with "We just keep hopin' we might need each other again," spoken.

Of course, Reba is a great interpreter of sad songs.

--seed