Saddest Songs of All Time

[Glacier]

Sam Stone by John Prine



Sam Stone came home
To his wife and family
After serving in the conflict overseas
And the time that he served
Had shattered all his nerves
And left a little shrapnel in his knees
But the morphine eased the pain
And the grass grew round his brain
And gave him all the confidence he lacked
With a purple heart and a monkey on his back

There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose
Little pitchers have big ears
Don't stop to count the years
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios

Sam Stone's welcome home
Didn't last too long
He went to work when he'd spent his last dime
And Sam, he took to stealing
When he got that empty feeling
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime
And the gold roared through his veins
Like a thousand railroad trains
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose
While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothes

There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose
Little pitchers have big ears
Don't stop to count the years
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios

Sam Stone was alone
When he popped his last balloon
Climbing walls while sitting in a chair
Well, he played his last request
While the room smelled just like death
With an overdose hovering in the air
But life had lost its fun
There was nothing to be done
But trade his house that he bought on the GI bill
For a flag-draped casket on a local hero's hill

There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose
Little pitchers have big ears
Don't stop to count the years
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios

[Babba_not_Gump]

It was as sad as I could go without going to "Amazing Grace" Which was played at my fathers funeral as well as my grandfathers funeral which was a military funeral.

This one's for you, oldtrucker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP9CPMsJN7Y

Amazing Grace is brutal. When it's played there's seldom a dry eye in the house.
Since the above version was blocked, here's another.
Get the kleenex out.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M8AeV8Jbx6M

[ferri]

[Babba_not_Gump]

A song that brings back memories for me.

Angie, by the Rolling Stones.

[normaM]

[Glacier]

I was talking about the expression "little pictures have big ears" with my wife, so pulled my phone and started playing Sam Stone for her. She started crying and begged me to turn it off before the first verse was done. I HATE making a woman cry! Stupid me, I should have thought of this beforehand!

She grew up with a man who had a hole in his arm to ease the pain of what he saw in Vietnam.... https://youtu.be/OLVWEYUqGew?si=ZVNAZPohS53fJIoI

[normaM]

I always thought it was " little pitchers have big ears"

[seewood]

haven't read the previous posts but " Cats in the Cradle" Harry Chapin.

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away…

Dad too busy for his son.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cats+cr ... e&ie=UTF-8#

[lesliepaul]

haven't read the previous posts but " Cats in the Cradle" Harry Chapin.

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away…

Dad too busy for his son.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cats+cr ... e&ie=UTF-8#

...........add to that "The Living Years" from Mike and The Mechanics"....................

[lesliepaul]

Melissa Etheridge............."This War Is Over" from the Harrison Ford/Brad Pitt movie "Devils Own".




Not just about war............but a "personnel" war.............hard to keep it together after listening to this song. If you have ever had someone close to you commit suicide this song hits home. I had a very good long time friend commit suicide a few years ago..........this was absolutely unbeknownst to virtually everyone who knew him. No drugs or alcohol, good job, divorced with 2 young girls who he did everything for, a long term girlfriend who was perfect for him and so many likes and hobbies that he excelled at.

What was he holding inside and for how long...........how did this go unnoticed?

RIP Marty...........how you are missed.

[Nooby]

I've been watching reruns of Cold Case (I love how they play music to fit the era of the story throughout each episode). This one played at the end the other day, had me in tears. I hadn't heard this one for a long time:

[Babba_not_Gump]

haven't read the previous posts but " Cats in the Cradle" Harry Chapin.



Dad too busy for his son.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cats+cr ... e&ie=UTF-8#

...........add to that "The Living Years" from Mike and The Mechanics"....................

Two songs with so much in common.

[Glacier]

I always thought it was " little pitchers have big ears"

Correct... I think it auto corrected to pictures.

[GordonH]

Knowing shortly after doing this cover of a Nine Inch Nails song (2002) his wife passed away (May 2003) and not to terribly long after that he did as well (September 2003), kinda prophetic.