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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Dagmar Date: 03 Aug 02 - 04:25 PM "only 19" from australian group redgum..about a soldier dying, and there is a german song from the war sung in the concentration camps "wir sind die moorsoldaten" happy... hm..have to turn to instrumental there...and its not folk+blues but "new flamenco jazz world music sort of thing" : "Barcelona nights " and "Santa Fe" from Ottmar Liebert. Dagmar |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Lynn Date: 03 Aug 02 - 04:35 PM White Squall ranks right up there (down there???), as does Bogle's Green Fields of France (No Man's Land; William McBride), and of a similar ilk, Christmas in the Trenches (John McCutheon). And Mary Black does a song...I don't know the title...of a woman who is forced to marry for station rather than love, and her love is forced to go to sea or something. She dies (The day that M--- married was the day that M--- died). He returns (her real love) just in time for the funeral. Help me with that please! I'm in agreement with Mary Ellen Carter and Give Yourself to Love as most uplifting. Some great old gospel tunes fit into that category too, like "Take your burden to the Lord" - learned from the singing of Jean Redpath on PHC nearly two decades ago. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: kendall Date: 03 Aug 02 - 05:13 PM uplifting; Morning has broken. sad, Utah Phillips' Ashes on the sea. (He told me he cried when he heard my recording of it) |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: 12-stringer Date: 03 Aug 02 - 06:08 PM Brownie McGhee, "Sporting Life Blues." That's the one that does it for me. Gram Parsons, "Wheels," is a very close second. I think it's the progression to the tonic 7th chord in both of these. The theme music for Kevin Brownlow's tv series "Hollywood: The Pioneers", also, the passage that's playing when you see the shot of Clara Bow and the dog. Happiest? Anything by the Skillet Lickers or the Allen Brothers. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: michaelr Date: 03 Aug 02 - 06:16 PM Lynn -- that Mary Black song is "Anachie Gordon", which I nominated in my previous post. He does not only "arrive just in time for the funeral": The day Jeannie married was the day that Jeannie died And the day that young Anachie came home on the tide ... And he's kissed her cold lips and his heart has turned to stone And he's died in the chamber that his love she lies in. Doesn't get much sadder than that. My band's lead singer really loves this song, but we've had to cease performing it because it's such a downer for the audience! Cheers, Michael |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Littleme Date: 04 Aug 02 - 03:33 AM I always cry when I hear about the fishing-boat, her name is Bluebird of Hull, which came home from the storm. All the sailors saved themselfs except one who was lashed and forgotten.The saved crew had to tell the boy´s father. Oh, I am starting to cry.
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Gurney Date: 04 Aug 02 - 05:04 AM For human pathos, 'Jesse, come home,' as sung by Linda (nee)Wheeler in Auckland. I think few could think of departed friends and listen to the Eng. Trad. 'What's the life of a Man' without a tear. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Huggy Date: 04 Aug 02 - 10:46 AM The saddest song by far has got to be "Whaur Dae Ye Lie", by Malinky. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Amergin Date: 04 Aug 02 - 02:33 PM West Coast of Clare by Andy Irvine pretty much does it for me.....another one I like is Meg Davis' Captain Jack and the Mermaid....and yes another vote for White Squall...and Tommy Makem's Curlew Song....
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Zany Mouse Date: 04 Aug 02 - 06:48 PM I think the saddest songs for me have to be those about the war. I studied WWI in some detail, particularly the Ypres Salient and have spent many hours in Flanders. I tried to go through No Mans Land in my mind whilst stood in Tyne Cot Cementry and couldn't get through it. I defy anyone to stand in a Flanders trench and try to get through Christmas in the Trenches or similar.
Bob Hambilton's song "Don't Let the Music Die"; Les Sullivan's "Roses of No Man's Land" all rank as WWI tear jerkers.
Happiest? LOADS. Up there amongst the top must rank the good lung-bursting songs such as Old Dun Cow. Rhiannon |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Stephen L. Rich Date: 04 Aug 02 - 07:04 PM It's a toss up between Tom Dundee's song "These Cowboys" and a song recorded by George Jones called "He Stopped Loving Her Today". |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Yorkshire Tony Date: 04 Aug 02 - 07:17 PM In the traditional, lost love category 'I once loved a lass' and 'Butcher boy' must both be in the running. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: khandu Date: 04 Aug 02 - 10:41 PM A song that causes confusing emotions in me is "Broken Wing", sung by Martina McBride. I do not know exactly what it is that I feel whenever I hear the song, but the emotions are almost overwhelming, and are a mixture of some kind of sadness and some kind of joy. Great song. khandu |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Deda Date: 04 Aug 02 - 11:21 PM "Time to Learn" by Tim O'Brian, on the CD Tim O'Brian and the O!Boys. It really evokes the loss and grief of the death of someone you love. The first time I heard it on the radio I found myself crying, and feeling how much I missed and still longed for my mother, who had died over a decade earlier. It's one of those rare songs that creates a direct line to some buried emotional well, for me.
It takes time to learn It's a disservice to post the lyrics, though, because without the music they just don't convey what the song does. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Boris T Date: 05 Aug 02 - 12:02 AM I think Personaly that one of the saddest songs is Something Inside Of Me by Elmore James, the heart renching vocals are sang as though he felt that way when he sang it Boris T |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: thehiker Date: 05 Aug 02 - 06:23 AM San Carlos Water by Thom Moore (Pumpkinhead,Midnight Well) about a young sailor and his girlfriend he goes off to the Falklands conflict and dosent return. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Hrothgar Date: 05 Aug 02 - 07:57 AM If you want a sad Stan Rogers song, "First Christmas" has to be way up there. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Counterfit Date: 05 Aug 02 - 09:49 AM "Flash Company" I find rather sad; and "Now I'm Easy" sung by Ronnie Drew, and "Wilderness Road" by Vin Garbutt. Talking of Mr Garbutt makes me think of "Philippino Maid" as something that could fall into both camps. Leonard Cohen isn't sad, just depressing.
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Little Hawk Date: 05 Aug 02 - 10:42 AM Yes, but he is also quite witty, as Alanabit pointed out. - LH |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: EBarnacle1 Date: 05 Aug 02 - 01:34 PM I recently listened to some tapes I once did with Harry Chapin. Without his aura and presence, his stuff is downright depressing. In the sets we worked, there was not a single positive song. To paraphrase Bobby Burns: "The saddest words of tongue and pen Are when we say "I might have been." |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Kevin Date: 05 Aug 02 - 04:20 PM There is a song John Prine wrote, can't remenber the name but it has the line "there's a hole in Daddy's arm, where all the money goes.." very sad |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Firecat Date: 05 Aug 02 - 06:27 PM I can't listen to "Will You Wait For Me?" by Kavana or "On My Own" from Les Miserables because I always end up crying. I've only just managed to desensitise (hope that's spelt right!) myself to "Bring Him Home" from Les Mis as well. AND I've never seen the last quarter of an hour or so of the film version of Evita cos I start crying at "You Must Love Me". George Michael's "You Have Been Loved" sets me off as well. I also heard a song by Keith Donnelly at Warwick called "Two Tall Trees" about September 11. I managed not to cry but it was a VERY close thing. My eyes definitely filled up then. On a brighter note, for happiest songs, I can't believe noone's mentioned "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" by the Monty Python lot!!!! I listen to a lot of upbeat music. George Michael's "Faith" has GOT to be up there! |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Firecat Date: 05 Aug 02 - 06:29 PM OOOOPS!! I forgot Bohemian Rhapsody! The first bit "Mama, just killed a man...." sets me off but the middle bit "So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye...." perks me up again! |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Catherine Jayne Date: 05 Aug 02 - 06:37 PM Good choice Kat!!! I like "In just 7 days......I can make you a man!" From the Rocky Horror Picture Show.....just makes me chuckle!!! cat |
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Subject: ADD: I Wish You Were Here (Malvina Reynolds) From: Joe_F Date: 05 Aug 02 - 07:02 PM I WISH YOU WERE HERE (Malvina Reynolds) I wish you were here to be underfoot, I wish you were here to get in my way, To call me from work, to call me to play -- I wish you were here again. Oh, what did I do that had to be done, And what did I read that had to be read, When I could have turned to watch you instead? I wish you were here again. The monuments rise, the monuments fall, The papers are signed and turn into chaff, But I can recall the sound of your laugh, I wish you were here again. I wish you were here, etc. -- Malvina Reynolds Not in the database, it seems. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: RoyH (Burl) Date: 06 Aug 02 - 06:30 PM When I ran a folk show on my local radio I received the McColl/Seeger album that carried his song 'The Joy of Living'. Listening to it as it went on air I realised that Ewan, knowing how ill he was, was saying goodbye. Not just to his family, but to all of us. Nevertheless his words also urged us to taste the joy of living. When that track ended I was too choked up to announce the next one. In addition I find Ewan's 'My Old Man' very moving because the story of his father, told in the song, so closely mirrors my own father whom I still miss twenty years after his death. I love these two songs even though I can't listen to them without tears. Burl. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Little Hawk Date: 06 Aug 02 - 07:00 PM Come to think of it, Jackson Browne wrote a lot of really melancholy stuff in the 70's...all kinds of possibilities in his catalog. - LH |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,julia Date: 06 Aug 02 - 07:46 PM "There were Roses"by Tommy Sands is the one that really does it for me... |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Just Amy Date: 06 Aug 02 - 08:53 PM I am getting so misty. Someone mentioned Harry Chapin and one of the saddest songs I know is His "Mr. Tanner" which is all about lost dreams. Also, "Mail Order Annie" from the same album always makes me cry but I don't really know why. I originally saw him in concert at University of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana in 1970-71 and we paid 50 cents. Best money I ever spent! |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Opelia Date: 06 Aug 02 - 11:31 PM There is a song John Prine wrote, can't remenber the name but it has the line "there's a hole in Daddy's arm, where all the money goes.." Guest, Kevin - That John Prine song is called Sam Stone, and I agree, very sad. My sad vote goes to "He Fades Away" written by Alastair Hulett whilst he was in Australia from a women's p.o.v. about her husband dying from exposure to asbestos: v.There's a man in my bed, I used to love him His kisses used to take my breath away There's a man in my bed, I hardly know him I wipe his face and hold his hand And watch him as he slowly fades away. And he fades away, Not like leaves that fall in autumn turning gold against the grey, He fades away Like the bloodstains on his pillow case that I wash every day, he fades away. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 06 Aug 02 - 11:40 PM SADDEST SONG
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=61
One of the earliest in the DT collection (based on the number 61) and therefore, I guess it to be one Dick and Susan's original favorites.
It is one of mine also.
However, I know it as a Hoyt Paxton signature piece.
Sincerely, |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: alanabit Date: 07 Aug 02 - 06:26 AM "For a Dancer" on Jackson Browne's "Late for the Sky" album comes to mind. I think that it's about trying to make sense of his first wife's suicide. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,fran Date: 07 Aug 02 - 02:15 PM "The Mary Stanford of Rye" a tale of a lifeboat disaster in which all 17 hands were lost written by allen maslen of meet on the ledge, I cannot listen to this song without crying! "It was almost noon on that terrible morn And the families and launch crew had waited since dawn When suddenly somebody pointed and cried And there in the surf and the spray The Mary Stanford she lay Her body was battered Her keel was upright No close-reefed mainsail No crewman in sight They hauled her ashore and they knelt round and prayed Then gazed out again at the main And the tears they ran like the rain Then one by one the sea gave up her dead First Willie Clark, then young Jimmy Head Then Albert and Rob, the two Cutting boys And three from the Pope family And nine more sons of the sea"
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy Date: 07 Aug 02 - 02:32 PM a work of great sadness and joy is Tom Waits' 'Black Ryder' cd The Black Rider (1993 Studio Cast) [CAST RECORDING] Tom Waits, William Burroughs especially hearbreaking are cuts:
3. November
especially joyous is cut: I would vote for 'Luck Day' or 'November' as saddest
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Keital Date: 07 Aug 02 - 05:43 PM Well it doesn't surprise me that Andy M. Stewart gets mentioned so much on this topic! Off the top of my head I thought of "Bridget O'Malley". However, my overall vote goes to the song "Kilkelly, Ireland". When my group used to perform this at the Bristol Faire (albeit a slightly modified version) it was sure to catch a few wet eyes. It has the added attraction of being mostly made up of minor chords, which as Nigel Tufnel said are "the saddest chords". |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Glade Date: 07 Aug 02 - 08:25 PM A quiet, gentle, devastating song about a Vietnamese mother sending her beloved child off with the boat people to find a better life with his American father. It always leaves me gasping with tears. The child is not accepted in Vietnam and she believes he will be welcomed by his father. I think it's by Judy Small and I can't remember the title. Can anyone help? Even after a decade, I'm incapable of listening to Bob Franke's 'Holy Ground' and 'A Velveteen Love Song' without becoming sodden. They are beautifully constructed songs and actually are uplifting, as are most of the songs on the CD, 'In This Night.' John McCutcheon's 'The Great Storm is Over' is always a reason for gladness, as are Gordon Bok's versions of 'My Images Come' and 'All Shall Be Well Again.' |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Ian Darby Date: 07 Aug 02 - 10:53 PM 'We'll Meet Again Sometime' by Dave Cousins. 'From Galway To Graceland', by Richard (Laughing Boy) Thompson. 'Bellman'. Sung by the Watersons. 'Part Of The Room', Sun Also Rises. 'Donald & Lydia', 'Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone', 'The Torch Singer', 'The Late John Garfield Blues', 'Clocks And Spoons', from John Prine. 'Have You Ever Loved A Woman' by old 'Slowhand'.
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Genie Date: 07 Aug 02 - 11:38 PM Dunno if there's one "saddest" or one "happiest," but in addition to some that have been nominated here, I'd add: Really sad: "Un Canadien Errant" Really happy: "Oh, What A Beautiful Morning!" And one that just plain makes me feel good: "In Spite Of Ourselves" (John Prine) BTW, Barnacle, I thought that line was from "Maude Mullins." "The saddest words of tongue or pen, The saddest of these: "It might have been." (Whittier? Wordsworth? I can't remember for sure.) |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Genie Date: 08 Aug 02 - 12:35 AM Correction: The poem is "Maud Mullins" (no final "e"), and I made a typo. It's "...the saddest are these..." (not "...of these...". And my initial recollection was correct: it's by John Greenleaf Whittier. But maybe Burns used a similar phrase in one of his works. Genie |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Strollin' Johnny Date: 08 Aug 02 - 07:37 AM Sad - The Rose and The Briar (Allan Taylor) Happy - don't know any |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,busker joe Date: 23 Sep 18 - 02:20 AM 1) little joe the wrangler's sister nell 2) a picture from life's other side 3) men with broken hearts, by luke the drifter (aka hank williams) 4) kilkelly ireland 5) patrick sheehan |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Ged Fox Date: 23 Sep 18 - 05:27 AM "The Flowers of the Forest," with Jeannie Elliot's words, is probably the queen of laments. But, for both categories, "Morning has Broken." |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: GUEST,Henry Piper (of Ottery) Date: 23 Sep 18 - 05:52 AM Saddest song:- Country Joe McDonalds Here I Go Again. forget the '60's Psychedelic imagery the two verses about a father not returning from a foreign war and a relationship broken by infidelity are just heart rending and must be two of the most universal themes in all song since time began,. the poignancy is all the more as the whole thing is wrapped up in a jolly country style waltz with some gorgeous rippling guitar playing by Barry Melton. Happiest song:- Fortunately far too many to name. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Senoufou Date: 23 Sep 18 - 08:11 AM Saddest songs:- 'Na Laetha Geal M'Oige' by Enya. (I've decided on this for my funeral) The words in Gaelic are to the effect that 'when we were young we never thought our lives would end up as they have. Now I'm old, I see that those brighter days only led to sorrow' and 'Justju Jis Ki Thi' sung by Asha Bosle in the film Umrao Jahn. The words (in Hindi) mean 'I never found what I was looking for, but during the search I have learned much about the world.' Both songs mean a lot to me and bring a tear to my eye every time I hear them. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Jim Carroll Date: 23 Sep 18 - 08:45 AM THIS HAS TO BE A CONTENDER Jim Carroll |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: gillymor Date: 23 Sep 18 - 08:56 AM Victor Jara always makes me cry. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Elmore Date: 23 Sep 18 - 09:59 AM California Snow by Tom Russell. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: Andy7 Date: 23 Sep 18 - 12:06 PM A friend maintains that the saddest song ever is 'Puff the Magic Dragon'. Difficult to disagree with that! |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: David C. Carter Date: 23 Sep 18 - 01:10 PM Strange Fruit.Billie Holiday. Heart Like a Wheel.Kate & Anna McGarrigle. |
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Subject: RE: What is the saddest song? From: robomatic Date: 23 Sep 18 - 01:41 PM Gordon Bok from the Bay of Fundy Album |
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