The Saddest Song of All

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: WyoWoman
Date: 28 Jul 99 - 09:06 PM

Mark, thanks. I'd say I'd try to get a CD of Red Allen's recording, but I have decided I have to go on a CD fast, or my credit card is going to singe my billfold.

If you can get it on DT, that would be swell. I'll wait patiently...

ww

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Mark Clark
Date: 28 Jul 99 - 05:53 PM

Kat,

Those poems are both wonderful! If you can set them to music, perhaps we can get Emily Rain to sing them for us.

"Bingen On the Rhine" reminded me of an old bluegrass tune so I check the DT and, sure enough, It's an ancestor to "The Legend Of The Rebel Soldier" --- a modified version of an Irish varient of the same tune. I have to say the original makes much better poetry.

Thanks,

- Mark

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Mark Clark
Date: 28 Jul 99 - 05:35 PM

WyoWoman,

Glad you liked it. I have "There'll Be No Blind Ones There" on a couple of different albums. Once in 3/4 time and once in 2/4 but the melody is the same in each case. I'm thinking it might be on a record by Red Allen and the Kentuckians, probably on the County label. I think J.D. Crowe played banjo. The other might have been by the Pinicale Boys. Now I'll have to go home tonight and dig through records to find them. I might be able to create a MIDI file of the tune but it may take some time. Still I think it would be worth the effort.

- Mark

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Pene Azul
Date: 28 Jul 99 - 01:51 PM

"Death Don't Have No Mercy In This Land" Rev. Gary Davis

It always gets to me, especially when grieving.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: SueH
Date: 28 Jul 99 - 11:55 AM

Good God, Bert C. I haven't heard 'The Blizzard' for about 25 years! Marty Robbins did some real tear-jerkers too, but no titles spring to mind.

A song that used to make me really sad was 'River of No Return' sung by Marilyn Monroe - possibly the theme tune for the film of the same name?

Sue

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: bob schwarer
Date: 28 Jul 99 - 08:59 AM

Those brown eyes I love so well
Those brown eyes I long to see
How I sigh for those brown eyes
Strangers they have turned to me(be?)

Bob S.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Snookadive
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 10:14 PM

Oh Yeah! Kate Wolf doing "Midnight on the Water".

Subject: Lyr Add: ME AND A GUN (Tori Amos)
From: Electra
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 10:01 PM

The saddest song is "Me and a Gun" by Tori Amos

She sings it unaccompanied at every concert, and it is the most hauntingly sad yet beautiful song. Not to depress you, but here are the lyrics:

Me And A Gun 5am Friday morning, Thursday night, far from sleep
I'm still up and driving, can't go home obviously
So I'll just change direction cause they'll soon know where I live
And I wanna live Got a full tank and some chips
It was me and a gun and a man on my back
And I sang "holy holy" as he buttoned down his pants
You can laugh, It's kind of funny the things you think times like these
Like I haven't seen Barbados so I must get out of this
Yes I wore a slinky red thing, does that mean I should spread
For you, your friends, your father, Mr. Ed
It was me and a gun and a man on my back
But I haven't seen Barbados so I must get out of this
And I know what this means, me and Jesus a few years back
Used to hang and he said "It's your choice babe, just remember
I don't think that you'll be back in 3 days time so you choose well.”
Tell me what's right, Is it my right to be on my stomach of Fred's Seville
It was me and a gun and a man on my back
But I haven't seen Barbados so I must get out of this
And do you know Carolina where the biscuits are soft and sweet
These things go through you head when there's a man on your back
And you're pushed flat on your stomach; it's not a classic Cadillac
Me and a gun and a man on my back
But I haven't seen Barbados so I must get out of this
I haven't seen Barbados so I must get out of this

HTML line breaks added --JoeClone, 8-Nov-01.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Mary Kate
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 09:50 PM

"The Youth of the Heart" and "Connemarra by the Lake"...both songs are about a fellow who goes away to work and save money so he can provide for the woman he wants to marry...in song 1 the female tires of waiting and marries someone coincidentally on the same day her former beau returns...in song 2, the female is told her beau had died and thus after 5 years marries someone else only to find that her former beau has returned...

Subject: Lyr Add: ONE MORE YEAR OF DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL
From: Tiger
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 06:32 PM

This one gets me every time.....Tiger

One More Year Of Daddy's Little Girl
Performed by Dr. Hook
Written by Hazel Smith

She'd snuggle up and talk to me
Each night as I'd watch TV,
I'd teasingly call her chatterbox.
Then one night she said:
"Don't be scared, I see an angel on the stairs.
Daddy, can you hear the angel talk?"

CHORUS
One more year of lollipops,
Ice cream cones and soda pop,
One more year of daddy's little girl.
One more year of crackerjacks,
Bubble gum and sugar smacks,
One more year of daddy's little girl.

I took her in my arms upstairs
And as she said her night-time prayers,
I felt a fever burning in her head.
She gave thanks for Mom and me,
And said "I heard my angel speak,
Daddy, this is what he said:

CHORUS

Her faith grew strong her body weak,
And soon my frightened eyes could see
There was nothing on earth that I could do.
And one year later, to the day,
In her sleep she slipped away,
And I knew what she said and heard was true.

CHORUS

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: The Burren Ranger.
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 01:12 PM

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry.....Hank Williams. Man Of Constant Sorrow..........The Stanley Bros. A Silent Night(Christmas 1915)..Jerry Lynch. He Stopped Loving her Today.....George Jones. are a few that do it for me.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: DougR
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 12:49 PM

Kat, I think those two songs are just about the saddest I've ever read! SOB! SNIFF!

DougR

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: TW
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 12:43 PM

How 'bout... Unwed Fathers - John Prine or... Something in the Rain - Tish Hinojosa

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Dan
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 10:33 AM

Whew. This thread is really getting good.

Subject: Lyr Add: BINGEN ON THE RHINE and NAPOLEON AND...
From: katlaughing
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 10:17 AM

Sheesh, Mark! Talk about oneupmanship! I'm gonna bill you for my hankies!**BG**

Have you ever read a couple of old poems: Bingen on the Rhine and Napoleon and the British Soldier? They'd make great ballads:

Bingen On the Rhine

A soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers
There was lack of woman's nursing, there was dearth of woman's tears;
But a comrade stood besides him, while his life-blood ebbed away,
And bent, with pitying glanced, to hear whathe might say.
The dying soldier faltered, as he took his comrade's hand,
And he said, "I never more shall see my own, my native land;
Take a message, and a token, to some distant friends of mine,
For I was born at Bingen -- at Bingen on the Rhine.
"Tell my brothers and companions, when they meet and crowd around
To hear my mournful story, in the pleasant vintage ground,
That we fought the battle bravely, and when the day was done,
Full many a corse(sic) lay ghastly pale, beneatht eh setting sun.
And 'midst the dead and dying, were some grown old in wars,
The death-wound on their gallant breasts, the last of many scars;
But some were young -- and suddenly beheld life's morn decline,
And one had come from Bingen -- fair Bingen on the Rhine!

"Tell my mother that her other sons shall comfort her old age,
And I was aye a truant bird, that thought his home a cage;
For my father was a soldier, and even as a child
My heart leapt forth to hear him tell of struggoes, fierce and wild;
And when he died, and left us, to divide his scanty hoard,
I let them take what e'er they would, but kept my father's sword,
And with boyish pride I hung it where the bright light used to shine
On the cottage wall at Bingen -- calm Bingen on the Rhine.

"Tell my sister not to weep for me, and sob with drooping head,
When teh troops are amrching home again, with glad and gallant tread;
But to look upon them proudly, wiht a calm and steadfast eye,
For her brother was a soldier, too, and not afraid to die.
And if a comrade seek her love, I ask her in my name,
To listen to him kindly, without regret or shame;
And to hang the old sword in its place (my father's sword and mine),
For the honor of old Bingen -- dear Bingen on the Rhine.

"There's another -- not a sister; in teh happy days gone by
You'd have known her by the merriment that sparkled in her eye;
Too innocent for coquetry, -- to fond for idle scorning, --
O, friend, I fear the lightest heart sometimes makes heaviest mourning;
Tell her the last night of my life (for ere the moon be risen,
My body will be out of pain, my soul be out of prison),
I dreamed I stood with her, and saw the yellow sunlight shine
On the vine-clad hills of Bingen -- fair Bingen on the Rhine.

"I saw the blue Rhine sweep along -- I heard, or seemed to hear,
The German songs we used ot sing in chorus sweet and clear;
And down the pleasant river, and up the slanting hill,
The echoing chorus sounded, through the evening calm and still;
And her glad blue eyes were on me as we passed, with friendly talk,,br> Down many a path beloved of yore, and well-remembered walk,
And her little hand lay lightly, confidingly in mine;
But we'll meet no more at Bingen -- loved Bingen on the Rhine!

"His voice grew faint and hoarser, -- his grasp was childish weak, --
His eyes put on a dying look -- he sighed, and ceased to speak;
His comrade bent to lift him, but the spark of life had fled, --
The soldier of the Legion, in a foreign land -- was dead!
And the soft moon rose up slowly, adn calmly she looked down
On the red sand of the battle-field, with bloody corpses strewn;
Yea, calmly on the dreadful scene her pale light did shine,
As it shone on distant Bingen -- fair Bingen on the Rhine!
- Hon. Mrs. Norton -

NAPOLEON AND THE BRITISH SOLDIER

I love contemplating - apart
From all his homicidal glory
The traits that soften to our heart
Napoleon's story!

"'Twas when his banners at Boulogne
Arm'd in our island every freeman,
His navy chanced to capture one
Poor British seaman.

They suffer'd him, I know not how,
Unprison'd on the shore to roam;
Ad aye was bent his longing brow
On England's home.

His eye, methinks! pursued the flight
Of birds to Britain halfway over;
With envy they could reach the white
Dear cliffs of Dover.

A stormy, midnight watch, he thought,
Than this sojourn would have been dearer
If but the storm his vessel brought
To England nearer.

At last, when care had banished sleep,
He saw one morning - dreaming - doting,
An empty hogshead from the deep
Come shoreward floating.

He hid it in a cave, and wrought
The live-long day laborious; lurking
Until he launched a tiny boat
By mighty working.

Heaven help us! 'twas such a thing beyond
Description wretched; such a wherry
Perhaps ne'er ventured on a pond,
Or crossed a ferry.

Far ploughing in the salt-sea field,
IT would have made the boldest shudder;
Untarr'd, uncompass'd, and unkeel'd,
No sail, - no rudder.

From neighb'ring woods he interlaced
His sorry skiff with wattled willow;
And thus equipped he would have pass'd
The foaming billows.

But Frenchmen caught him on the beach,
His little Argo sorely jeering;
Tidings of him chanced to reach,
Napoleon's hearing.

With folded arms Napoleon stood,
Serene alike in peace and danger;
And, in his wonted attitude,
Addressed the stranger:-,br>

"Rash man, that would'st yon Channle pass,br> On twigs and staves so rudely fashion'd;
Thy heart with some sweet British lass
Must be impassion'd."

"I have no sweetheart," said the lad;
"But absent long from one another -
Great was my longing that I had
To see my motehr."

"And so thou shalt," Napoleon said;
"Ye've both my favor fairly won;
A noble mother must have bred
So brave a son.

He gave the tar a piece of gold,
And, with a flag of truce commanded,
He should be shipped to Engladn old,
And safely landed.

Our sailor oft could scantly shift
To find a dinner, plain and hearty;
But never changed the coin and gift,
of Bonaparte.
- Thomas Campbell -

Both poems copied from my great-great aunt's book, "Home Book of Poetry" given to her for Christmas in 1882.

kat

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: WyoWoman
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 01:10 AM

OMIGOD!!! Mark, you absolutely got me. I'm simply bereft. What's the tune?

WW

Subject: Lyr Add: THERE'LL BE NO BLIND ONES THERE (Roberts)
From: Mark Clark
Date: 27 Jul 99 - 12:40 AM

Kat,

That was wonderful. Now I'm going to have to learn "Utah Carroll" and sing that one for my daughters (and granddaughters).

Do you know "There'll Be No Blind Ones There" by Pete Roberts (AKA Pete Kuykendall)? There is another really sad song.

They tell me, Father, again tonight,
You'll wed another bride,
And you will hold her in your arms,
Where my poor mother died.

They say her name is Mary too,
The name my mother wore,
And do you think she'll love me too,
Like the one you loved before.

And is her footstep soft and light,
Her voice so soft and mild,
And do you think she'll love me too,
Your blind and helpless child.

Now Father let us kneel down here,
And to our Savior pray,
That God's right hand will lead you both,
Down life's long weary way.

The prayer was ended, and a song,
I'm weary now, she said,
He picked her up into his arms,
And put her into bed.

And as he turned to leave the room,
A mournful cry was given,
He turned to catch her last sweet smile,
His blind child was in Heaven.

They burried her by her mother's side,
And raised a marble fair,
And on it were these simple words,
There'll be no blind ones there.

Now tell me you can sing that one with dry eyes.

Thanks,

- Mark

Subject: Lyr Add: UTAH CARROLL
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Jul 99 - 08:49 PM

Mark-Clark,

Sheesh! Ya sure know how ta make a gyrl cry! Such sweet sentiments, I am sure your daughters will choke up, just like me! I didn't come along until 53, so the first radio I remember listening to was Gunsmoke, on Saturday nights. The first song I remember learning off the radio was Catch A Falling Star.

We had everything in our house, from opera, classical, folk, cowboy, Girl Scouts, campy/camp, WWII popular, etc. you name, our family was pretty much exposed to it. we all had classical training, mostly in piano & violin. Mom and Dad played for dances and they had an extensive collection of popular sheet music. My sister, bet, is in the process of alphabetising it right now. Somehow, at 82, Dad still remembers more songs than most and I marvel at him still going to entertain the "old folks" at the nursing homes.

Now, to get that bit o'thread creep back in line: two more sad songs runing through my mind are Freddie Fender's "Before the next teardrop falls" and Hank Williams' "House Upon the Hill".

And, what about Utah Carroll:

And as, my friend, you ask me what makes me sad and still
And why my brow is darkened like the clouds upon the hill
Run in your pony closer and I'll tell to you the tale
Of Utah Carroll, my pardner, and his last ride on the trail

then....

As the girl fell from her pony she had dragged the blanket down
And it lay there close beside her as she lay upon the ground.
Utah picked up the blanket, "Lie still," again he said,
Then he raced across the prairie and waved the blanket o'er his head.
(it was red & he was turning the stampede away from her)

and....

When we broke into the circle, upon the ground my pardner lay;
Nevermore to cinch a bronco, nor to give a cattle call.
There he died upon the ranges, though it seemed most awful hard
That I could not make the distance in time to save my pard.

and there's more!

katwhocan'tsinganysadsongswithcowboys,horses,orothercrittersinthem!

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Bert
Date: 26 Jul 99 - 05:42 PM

Ah yes Rita, 'The heart of the Appaloosa' I've got a recording of Allen Damron singing that but I'm not allowed to play it at home so I won't ever get the chance to learn it.

Bert.

Subject: Lyr Add: BLOOD ON THE SADDLE (from Tex Ritter)
From: DougR
Date: 26 Jul 99 - 04:48 PM

Emily:

Great voice, beautiful voice!

I do believe one of the saddest of all cowboy songs has not been mentioned: "BLOOD ON THE SADDLE." I think part of the words are:

There was blood on the saddle, and blood all around,
And a great big puddle of blood on the ground.

A cowboy lay in it, all covered with gore,
And he never will ride any broncos no more.

Oh pity the cowboy, all bloody and red,
For the bronco fell on him, and mashed in his head.

Repeat: First verse.

Recorded by Tex Ritter.

DougR

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Bert C.
Date: 26 Jul 99 - 04:40 PM

I cast my votes for "Love, Me" by Colin Raye, about a boy and his grandfather dealing with the loss of a beloved grandmother.

If you get there before I do,
Don't give up on me.
I'll meet you when my chores are through,
I don't know how long I'll be,
But I'm not gonna let you down --
Darlin' wait and see;
But between now and then
'Til I see you again
I'll be lovin' you

-- Love, me

Also "The Blizzard" by Jim Reeves.

Late that night the storm was gone
And they found him there at dawn.
He'd a made it, but he just couldn't leave ol' Dan.
Yes, they found him there on the plains,
His hands froze to the reins.
He was just 100 yards from Maryann

Geez, I can't even type these out without coming unglued.

Bert C.
 [e-mail]

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Mark Clark
Date: 26 Jul 99 - 03:18 PM

Kat,

I sometimes wish there had been someone to sing me cowboy songs. My dad collected Harry Lauder records and had me trying to sing from "Carmen" by the time I was three.

Well, I guess I did have someone to sing me cowboy songs. It was Gene Autry. I'd turn on the old wooden Zenith radio after I was supposed to be asleep and listen to Melody Ranch circa 1950. I loved the music even then though it was wasn't considered "real" music at our house.

Needless to say, my own daughters grew up on sad songs, cowboy songs, wobbly songs, and lots of other folk material. I hope someday they will have trouble getting through "Little Joe The Wrangler" for the same reason you have trouble.

- Mark

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: catspaw49
Date: 26 Jul 99 - 11:36 AM

Hey there--JackwhobeJack,

I was reading this long thread when I came across your song/Emmylou request. The song is "Calling My Children Home." You can find the lyrics at Josef Somers Emmylou Harris Dutch Homepage along with about 200 others. I saw her do this onstage with her daughters at one of her "Lilith Fair" appearances. Beautiful and a real tearjerker.

catspaw

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ENIGMA (Eric Bogle)
From: Bugsy
Date: 26 Jul 99 - 01:01 AM

Sorry PattyG for not getting back sooner, but I've been away for a few days. I don't know if you are familiar with the song "The Enigma" by Eric Bogle, but it concerns a young man who, at a high point of his life, drove his car to the top of a multistory carpark, locked his car, put the keys in his pocket and walked off the edge. The words to it are as follows:

Andrew had a smile on his face
The day that he resigned from the human race.
The arguments had all been heard. The verdict had been reached.
He turned his back upon his cage and leapt to his release.
Spinning like a carousel,
Andrew made no sound as he fell.

"It's hard to believe," said Andrew's friends,
"We won't be seeing Andy again.
He'd achieved most of the goals that men keep striving for:
Big house, good job, expensive car, a wife that he adored.
He had it made as far as we could tell.
We were his friends, we knew him well."

"I can't believe it's true," said Andrew's wife.
"I can't believe that Andy took his life.
I can't believe the man I love won't be coming home.
I can't believe the man I love would leave me here alone,
Without a word of love or of farewell.
He was my man. I knew him well.

"I don't believe it," Andrew's father said.
"I don't believe my little Andy's dead.
Perhaps we never were what a father and son should be,
But I always loved him - and hoped that he loved me.
Where did I go wrong? Where did I fail?
He was my son. I knew him well."

"I won't believe it," Andrew's mother cried.
"I won't believe that it was suicide.
In the last few years, I know, he may have strayed from the fold,
But he'd never put in jeopardy his own immortal soul.
He must have lost his balance, slipped and fell.
He was my son. I knew him too well."

But Andrew had a smile on his face,
As he tumbled through the fragile space
That links the known with the unknown that bridges life and death.
Time before he crossed the bridge for one final breath.
Time for one last defiant yell.
But Andrew made no sound as he fell.

I have been singing this song for about 10 years and still find it hard to sing. Eric only sings it occasionally when specially requested.

I will get back with the words of "Absent Friends" as soon as I can fish out the Album.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 6-Oct-02.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Jul 99 - 12:24 AM

Mark,

I STILL can't sing it in public! Too many tears. My mom and dad raised us on it and other cowboy "laments", as well as much other music.

Ditto on paying to hear, Emily!

kat

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Mark Clark
Date: 25 Jul 99 - 11:18 PM

Katlaughing,

I sure agree with your assessment of Emily's tracks. I'd pay to hear more of that any time. I also agree with your choice of "Little Joe The Wrangler." Getting squashed to a pulp is sad in anyone's book.

- Mark

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: WyoWoman
Date: 25 Jul 99 - 07:57 PM

Oh, Emily. That was great! Our voices would work beautifully together. Let's do a duet over at the campfire or the tavern.

Any ideas?

WW

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Jul 99 - 06:51 PM

Emily,

You have an absolutely stunning voice! I just listened to all three of your samples and loved them. Thanks so much for the link. Hope you get over to the Mudcat tavern to give them a sample, too.:-)

katlaughing

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: emily rain
Date: 25 Jul 99 - 06:06 PM

WyoWoman,

hope you're still interested in "ya viene el cativo"... my webhost was bought up by yahoo and i had to go in and re-set my account. therefore, posting the song to my page took considerably longer than a minute! it's there now, at
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/5476/index.html

hope that link works.

happy (sad) singin'
emily

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Snookadive
Date: 25 Jul 99 - 11:11 AM

If you want to squeeze out a few listen to "Bees Wing" by Richard Thompson, "West Coast of Clare" Andy Irvine (Planxtys' first album) or Arlos' rendtion of " Victor Jara" . They always get to me.

Snookadive

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: DonMeixner
Date: 25 Jul 99 - 10:05 AM

Eric Bogle's "The Leaving of Nancy" Ralph McTell's(?) "The Setting" Bill Destler's Song, the title I don't know. ."Maybe you'll know when you see my shuttered windows, May be you'll know when no one takes the mail, Come along spring Lord and I'll be in the country, Come along fall and this house will be for sale."

Stan Roger's "Last Watch on The Midlands"

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Pete Curry
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 08:40 PM

For Cairo Waltz: The actual title of the Reba McEntire song you mentioned is "The Greatest Man I Never Knew."

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Legal Eagle
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 06:54 PM

Richard Cory

Annie McElvie

Graveyard Blues

Laszlo Feyer

forgotten name - lament of the woman married to the drinking man she still loves had a heart so warm - ended his days in a rented flat

My youngest son

Close the coal house door

The miner's lament

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Peter T.
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 05:01 PM

"Kennesaw Line" is by Don Oja-Dunaway, Floridian.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 02:58 PM

Ferrera--I was going to mention "Faded Coat of Blue" and "The Vacant Chair". Much of my solo show includes those great old 1860-era sobbers. I also thought of "Little Joe," "The Orphan Child" and "That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine." My friend Bobby Horton performs "Kennesaw Line" on one of his albums, and it is practically the only non-traditional song he does. I can't remember who wrote it, but it is a powerful (and sad) song based on the experiences of a young Tennesseean in the War Between the States as related in a personal memoir titled *Company Aytch.*

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Peter T.
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 02:43 PM

"through the War's great curse, Stands the Red Cross nurse -- She's the Rose of No Man's Land!"(my father used to sing this when tipsy)
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Walrus
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 02:32 PM

GeorgeH,

Do you have any details of the CD "We Died in Hell..."?

It sounds interesting, is it still available?

By the bye,"Roses of No-Man's-Land" is by Lyn McDonald I have vague memories of my Mother singing the song, "Roses of No Man's Land", I presume that she'd learned it from her father, a Great War veteran.

Regards

Walrus

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Peter T.
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 01:45 PM

Another Art T. candidate for saddest song might be "Our Hour (The Puppy Love Song)" or "Laura", both by Spike Jones and His Musical Depreciation Revue. "Our Hour" will bring tears to the eyes, and howls from the family, pooch and all.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Ferrara
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 01:35 PM

Wow, a fine thread. I sang "The Faded Coat of Blue" at the Washington Folk Festival. I followed a gut-wrenching song by Joe Hickerson about a guy who was wrongfully hanged, so I introduced it with "This is the LEAST depressing of the songs I have prepared." (I had already done "Tenting Tonight," and had also prepared "All Quiet Along the Potomac Tonight," which is a tear-jerker but doesn't really move me, and "The Vacant Chair.") I love "The Vacant Chair," especially because it was written for the family of the boy who was killed.

No one has mentioned "The Heart of the Appaloosa," by ?Frank Small?. I know a woman who said it took her 6 months to learn: 1 month to get the words and tune right, another 5 to get through it without breaking down.

I love "The Death of Queen Jane." To me it's one of the most personal and moving Child ballads. Every time I finish singing it, it takes me about a minute to come out of Queen Jane's funeral procession, with Henry the Eighth walking behind wringing his hands, and back to the 20th century.

Also love the ballad "Sheath and Knife," which is like Queen Jane in that it's a personal tragedy as well as a royal one. ALso love but can hardly bear, "Bonnie Susy Clelie." There, the pride and stubborness of Susy and her parents just tears me up.

Art, I rolled on the floor cackling at your nomination of "Waltzing with Bears" as the saddest song you know. Bill thinks it's pretty sad, too; he made it known, about 6 months after our crowd took it up, that he felt it suffered from over exposure and should be retired until about Y2K.

Darn it, people, I have just got to spend less time on Mudcat, and what happens? I ended up reading every darned post on this thread (and enjoyed every ill-spent minute). - Rita F

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 12:36 PM

Little Joe the Wrangler & When the Work's All Done This Fall, esp. when my dad sings them.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Jack (who is called Jack)
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 12:18 PM

There is a song on Emmy Lou Harris' Live at the Ryman album

I can't remember it all, theres a part that goes....

I'm lonesome for my precious children, they are so far away.

Does anyone know it?

We ought to post the lyrics here.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Shimbo
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 11:24 AM

Yes, there is some great stuff listed here. (I get picked on for singing sad songs!) Can't understand the inclusion of "Carrickfergus" - great song, but not a tear-jerker. Guess this shows that sadness is in the ear of the listener.

Now, my second pick for sad would be "Two Brothers", about the American Civil War.

My top pick would be Kris Kristoffersen's "Jody and the Kid".

This is all without going through the long list of songs I know. When I think of the oldies like "I Want a Pardon for Daddy", "Old Faithful", "Bridle on the Wall", "It's Been Lonesome in the Saddle since my Horse Died" (sorry, that last one is a cynical invention of a friend who disliked C&W)I wonder if any new songs can match the oldies for sadness. And what about some of the old English folk songs ( a few already mentioned) "The Four Marys", "The Unquiet Grave". AND I fully agree with the inclusion of Irish songs, particularly several from the various Irish uprisings eg "Kevin Barry".

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: dwditty
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 09:20 AM

First of all, I would like to thank all the previous posters to this thread for not naming I Am..I Said. Frankly, when Neil starts chatting with the Barcalounger, I just crack up.

The Dave Van Ronk choices are high on my list. Here are two by Oscar Brown, Jr. One is Rags and Old Iron in which the singer is offering to sell his broken heart to the ragman - of course, the ragman declines. The other is A Young Girl - the tragic story of a 15 year old runaway.

Keep your chin down,

DW

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Peter T.
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 09:00 AM

The most ridiculous sad song I know is "After The Ball Is Over" which used to send me into a tailspin when I was 12, until one day I heard the lyrics to the verse. If you have never heard it, the guy rejects his beloved because he sees her kissing another man at the ball. He would not listen to her explanations, and many years later he gets a letter from the man, who was her brother! Only two reactions, really: why didn't she just yell out, he's my brother, you jerk! or was she French kissing her own brother, in which case...? Crushed my adolescent wallowing then and there. The famous chorus is still moving, but the rest, ridiculous!! And this is generally regarded as the first modern hit song.
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: GeorgeH
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 08:18 AM

A thread about sad songs and not a single mention of June Tabor; do you guys have no taste in melancholy and depression? At least Tim Jaques mentions Kate Rusby, who shows signs of following the same path. (Don't worry, Tim, they're both great fun in real life . . )

Also it strikes me that one or two nominations are "sad by association" . . .

Anyway; saddest song - June's (never recorded) rendition of the McGarrigles' "Heart like a wheel" - perhaps because that's a sadness most of us know. [Hearing the McGarrigles sing it was a distinct anti-climax.] Followed by the Australian song which starts "There's a man in my bed / I used to love him" but whose title I can't remember.

Saddest performance - again from June - is from the hard-to-find recording of the first of the Paschendaele Peace Concerts (a recording of which is still used at the Paschendaele museum); the narative of "Nurse Dorothy Nicol" intercut with "It's a long way to Tipparary" (the first is taken from one of Lynn Gregory (?)'s wonderful "oral history" books of the first world war, "The Roses of No Man's Land"). Indeed, if you want a recording of deeply powerful sad songs which is still uplifting and optimistic then I'd heartily recommend that whole CD. ("We died in hell . . they called it Paschendaele"). It - CD and concert - is about war and armed conflict generally, rather than just the first world war, and its performers and content are international.

George

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 07:59 AM

Roger--

Old Shep always does it for me, too. As a boy, I used to ask Dad to sing it, knowing that I would be in tears well before the end. I still experience tightness in the chest when I perform it; partly because of the content, and partly because it makes me think of Dad and his great tenor voice--now silent for me.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Cairo Waltz
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 06:50 AM

The Cairo Waltz, a triple fiddle tune, made me cry the first several times I heard it. The greatest Man I Ever Knew by Reba used to do me in much more than any George Jones song ever did. My grandson cries when I play fiddle, but that's a different kind of sad.

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: Roger the zimmer
Date: 23 Jul 99 - 06:15 AM

I always used to cry as a child when my mother sang "Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown". Whether it was the words of the song, her smokers' husky baritone or the clip round the ear she gave me I don't know!
Although it is terribly corny, I , cynic, that I am, always choke when singing "Old Shep" when he has to be (sniff) put down (gulp), and goes to doggy heaven (boo hoo).

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: WyoWoman
Date: 22 Jul 99 - 11:24 PM

I adore "Famous Blue Raincoat." It always just splays my little ol' heart. The line that brings me to tears is, "Thanks for the sorrow you took from her eyes. I thought it was there for good, so I never really tried."

The idea that we can take sorrow from each other's eyes... mmmm ... The idea that we take each other's sorrow so much for granted, or fail to notice it altogether.

God, I"m feelin' melancholy right now. (And I mean that in the best possible way... Interesting, isn't it, how we have these feelings that are "good" -- happiness, laughter, joy, etc. -- and all these other feelings that are "bad" -- anger, melancholy, sadness -- and we can't seem to just hang out with them and even indulge them from time to time without someone thinking we need "cheering up," or maybe medication (at least in the U.S.).

I think allowing yourself a good, deep melancholy wallow occasionally is quite healthy.

Ok. Now for a little joke:

What do you get when you breed Lassie with a cantaloupe?

(That's a Melon-collie baby...)

(sorry)

WW

Subject: RE: The Saddest Song of All
From: katlaughing
Date: 22 Jul 99 - 09:38 PM

Thanks, Pete. They used to play it on KVOC Am,, here in Casper, where I used to work. I started there in '79, so was guessing on the date. Really a beautiful song.