8 songs that tell a tragic tale

[pepperbear]

8. Billy Don't Be a Hero-Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods
7. Dead Man's Curve-Jan & Dean
6. Angie Baby-Helen Reddy
5. Teen Angel-Mark Dinning
4. Leader of the Pack-The Shangri-Las
3. The Night the Lights Went Out in GA-Vicky Lawrence
2. Ode to Billy Joe -Bobbie Gentry
1. Run, Joey, Run-David Geddes

[Tom_Foolery]

1. Long Black Veil by Johnny Cash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-AED1BjuJ8

[Richardo]

2. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

[MadMaddie]

7. This one get's me every single time!

[elleng]

17. Heard this on car radio,

as I drove East from Denver, to embark on a new chapter of my life. So memorable for reasons of public and personal history.

[alphafemale]

18. I was thinking of that quite a bit with those "29" lost below ground. nt

[Ishoutandscream2]

3. We Built This City on Rock and Roll -Starship

[The Magistrate]

25. That Is A Tragedy To Hear, Sir, Anyway....

[quickesst]

4. Probably not many Reba fans here...

...but my choice would be "Bobby".

Bobby lyrics(reba mcentire, don schlitz)

Bobby pleaded guilty to the charges that they read
As they led him from the courtroom, a young voice turned his head
A little boy, dressed in blue, was standing at the rail
He said "i hope they kill you, I hope you go to hell"
They put bobby in a jail with forty other men
They all knew what he had done, they were glad to take him in
They’d all seen the headlines about bobby and his wife
How they loved each other, and how he took her life
Day after day, he sat alone
Night after night, they’d hear him sing his song (he’d sing)

Chorus:
Baby, I’ll take care of you, I’ll never let you down
No harm will ever come to you as long as I’m around
I am not afraid of what people say or do
The only thing I fear is being here...without you

The little boy dressed up in blue grew up to be a man
When he fell in love himself, he came to understand
How it was that bobby took the life they both adored
Cause bobby couldn’t stand to see her suffer anymore
He took out the papers from the trunk beneath his bed
And all the years just disappeared as through his tears he read
The stories of the accident that robbed his mama’s mind
And the man who held her in his arms and chose to cut the line
And the one about the man who sits alone
Year after year, singing his song (he’d sing)

Baby, I’ll take care of you, I’ll never let you down
No harm will ever come to you as long as I’m around
I am not afraid of what people say or do
The only thing I fear is being here...without you



The young man drove his car up, and parked outside the gate
They led him to a cold gray room, the guard told him to wait
When the gaurd brought bobby in, the young man finally knew
He still missed his mama, but he’d missed his daddy too
And when the guard left the two of them alone
He took bobby in his arms, and the young man sang the song

Daddy, I’ll take care of you, I’ll never let you down
No harm will ever come to you as long as I’m around
You have taught me not to fear what people say or do
The only thing I fear is being here...without you.

Sorry about printing the lyrics, but given my experience a lot of people here would dismiss it simply because the name Reba is present. thanks.

[Mad_Dem_X]

13. ...

:cry:

[Shell Beau]

20. That was a great song. Sad, but very touching.

[Rhythm]

28. Another Reba song -- "She Thinks His Name Was John"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJT7RKoFN1s

She can account for all of the men in her past
Where they are now, who they married, how many kids they have
She knew their backgrounds, family and friends
A few she even talks to now and then

But there is one she can't put her fingers on
There is one who never leaves her thoughts
And she thinks his name was John

A chance meeting, a party a few years back
Broad shoulders and blue eyes, his hair was so black
He was a friend of friend you could say
She let his smile just sweep her away
And in her heart she knew that it was wrong
But too much wine and she left his bed at dawn
And she thinks his name was John

Now each day is one day that's left in her life
She won't know love, have a marriage or sing lullabies
She lays all alone and cries herself to sleep
'Cause she let a stranger kill her hopes and her dreams

And all her friends say what a pity what a loss
And in the end when she was barely hangin' on
All she could say is she thinks his name was John
She thinks his name was John

[Inspired]

40. I saw her sing this on the old Phil Donahue show. I cried for hours.

[blueamy66]

45. I've got goosebumps.

I gotta hear that song.

[Arugula Latte]

50. Eeew ... Reba

Just seeing that name is tragic enough for me.

:hide:

[quickesst]

51. "Just seeing that name is tragic enough for me."

Finally. The response I was assuming. Thanks for the confirmation.
quickesst

[Arugula Latte]

57. I am to please.

:)

[Arugula Latte]

58. But seriously, that cross-eyed creep McEntire turns my stomach.

Putting aside her music (which is like nails on the chalkboard to me), there is a lot of crap like this one small example:

Mcentire Continues War With Dixie Chicks
LATEST:Country star REBA MCENTIRE has weighed in against the DIXIE CHICKS again, after they criticised fans of her music. The pair first came to blows after the group criticised US President GEORGE W BUSH's - a close friend of Republican MCEntire - decision to go to war in Iraq.

http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/story/mcentire-continues-war-with-dixie-chicks_1000925

[quickesst]

61. You have your opinion..

...which you are entitled to. My opinion is that the song and lyrics are poignant, and tragic. That's what the op asked for. If the op had asked for singers/authors of songs by artists you hate because of their politics, and their vocal ability, your post might have some credence. Thanks.
quickesst

[MiddleFingerMom]

64. There were 4 or 5 positive feedbacks for that song...

.
...along with a couple of neutral ones and the
ONLY post you chose to respond to was the
ONLY negative one?
.
With "The response I was assuming".
.
And THAT was your "confirmation"?
.
Not "I'm surprised, but happy/delighted that it
was received so well when I PRESUMED you'd
all be so judgmental"?
.
Not, "those who also appreciate her seem to
number more than those who don't". Not even
"EVERY artist is going to have a wide variety
of opinions about their talents".
.
Sometimes people identify with an artist a
LITTLE too strongly and take it as a personal
insult if --everyone -- doesn't share their
opinions.
.
Sometimes people HOPE for a negative reaction --
no matter that it might be one among many -- so
that they can ignore the positive and focus on
the negative and ASSUME the role of wounded
victim.
.
I'm not a fan of Reba. I'm not a fan of a lot of
artists -- that doesn't necessarily mean that
they're good or bad.
.
But I'm DEFINITELY not a fan of bullies.
.
And sometimes "victims" are nothing more than
passive/aggressive bullies.
.

[Bluzmann57]

55. That is some heavy shit

Thank you for printing the lyrics.

[quickesst]

62. You're welcome....

I get a little choked up every time I hear it. Thanks.
quickesst

[Lionel Mandrake]

5. I Didn't Know The Gun Was Loaded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGJMtnRMpjM

[av8rdave]

6. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgeralt - Lightfoot

[Xipe Totec]

9. ...

Tragic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgI8bta-7aw

[MadMaddie]

8. David Bowie - Ground Control To Major Tom

This song is haunting to me....but I like it...

[Lionel Mandrake]

10. Mose Allison - Parchman Farm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJvg0ImTdtg

I'm sitting over here on Parchman Farm
I'm sitting over here on Parchman Farm
I'm sitting over here on Parchman Farm
Ain't never done no man no harm

Well I'm throwing that cotton in an eleven foot sack
Well I'm throwing that cotton in an eleven foot sack
Well I'm throwing that cotton in an eleven foot sack
Twelve guage shotgun at my back

Well I'm sitting over here on Number Nine
Well I'm sitting over here on Number Nine
Well I'm sitting over here on Number Nine
And all I did is drink my wine

Well I'm gonna be here for the rest of my life
Well I'm gonna be here for the rest of my life
Well I'm gonna be here for the rest of my life
And all I did was shoot my wife

[Mr. Blonde]

11. Tears In Heaven

I know Clapton is either loved or hated, but that song......damn.

[Shell Beau]

52. Especially the meaning behind it. Too personal and too sad.

And Clapton rocks!

[nuxvomica]

12. For this first day in the merry month of May -- Barbara Allen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPdbHfgM0h0

[PassingFair]

37. Awww. I love that song. It is used throughout the 1951 version of "A Chrismas Carol"...

My dad used to sing it.

[nuxvomica]

43. I didn't know that and I've seen the movie, but a long time ago

There are many versions of the lyric but I think Seeger's is the best. I'm glad it brought back memories for you. :-)

[Biker13]

59. Me Too!

Thanks nuxvomica! That song haunts me! I love it!

Biker's Old Lady

[gemdem]

14. Timothy - The Buoys

Cannibalism is tragic, yes?

[RoyGBiv]

15. One Tin Soldier

The Original Caste

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7jHp7OchP0

[Shell Beau]

16. Not even a George Jones fan, but "He Stopped Loving Her Today"

comes to mind.


He said Ill love you til I die
She told him youll forget in time
As the years went slowly by
She still prayed upon his mind
He kept her picture on his wall
Went half crazy now and then
He still loved her through it all
Hoping shed come back again
Kept some letters by his bed
Dated 1962
He had underlined in red
Every single I love you
I went to see him just today
Oh but I didnt see no tears
All dressed up to go away
First time Id seen him smile in years
He stopped loving her today
They placed a wreath upon his door
And soon theyll carry him away
He stopped loving her today
Ya know she came to see him one last time
Oh, we all wondered if she would
And it kept running through my mind
This time hes over her for good
He stopped loving her today
They placed a wreath upon his door
And soon theyll carry him away
He stopped loving her today

[quickesst]

63. I am...

..a Possum fan, and that song is one of his best. Thanks.
quickesst

[Dr Morbius]

19. Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?

Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good die young.
Seems I just turned around, and he's gone.

Also:

Neil Young: Tonight's the Night
Neil Young: The Needle and the Damage Done

Blue Oyster Cult: The Last Days of May

J. Frank Wilson: Last Kiss

I am sure I could come up with more in time.

[Touchdown]

21. Texas Annie-The Wet Spots

:D

[abq e streeter]

22. Down to Seeds and Stems Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEg9FbuaSCk

[abq e streeter]

23. The Fugs-I Couldn't Get High

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNbU8WCyVe8



:cry:

[apex3350]

24. masters of war

[BlooInBloo]

26. "It was long ago, it was far away. And it was so much better than it is today". Nuff said.

[AwakeAtLast]

27. "Last Kiss"

Here's the original

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh4se9YMV3A&feature=related

Here's the most excellent cover by Pearl Jam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvjTo-hRD5c&feature=related

[tblue]

29. Pretty Polly, I'm Living in Shame, Honey

[sarge43]

30. Daniel, Elton John n/t

[KG]

31. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lCH5JgWCZY

[burrfoot]

32. Sonora's Death Row.

The version I know is by Leo Kottke, but there are many of them out there.

[MiddleFingerMom]

66. Probably my favorite Kottke song...

.
...and my favorite version of the half-dozen artists'
versions that I've probably heard.
.
Leo Kottke wasn't more than about 28 or so when I first
heard "Sonora's Death Row" but, until I saw a picture
of him, I assumed he was this exceptionally OLD man with
an incredible voice.
.

[MrScorpio]

33. Frankie and Johnny

Frankie and Johnny were lovers
Oh lordy, how they could love
Swore to be true to each other
Just as true as the stars above
He was her man, but he done her wrong

Well, Frankie went down to the corner
To get a bucket of beer
She said to the fat bartender
"Has my lovin' Johnny been here?
He was my man, I think he's doing me wrong"

"Well, I don't want to cause you no trouble
And I don't want to tell you no lies
But I seen your man about an hour ago
With that high-browed Nellie Bly
He was your man, I think he's doing you wrong"

She took a cab at the corner
And said "Driver step on this can
For you're looking at a desperate gal
Been two-timed by her man
He was my man, but he done me wrong"

Then Frankie went home in a hurry
She didn't go there for fun
Frankie went home to get a-hold
Of Johnny's shooting gun
He was her man, but he done her wrong

Frankie peeked over the transom
And there to her surprise
She saw her lovin-man Johnny
With that high-browed Nellie Bly
He was her man, and he was doing her wrong

Then Frankie pulled back her kimono
And she pulled out a small .44
And root-e-toot-toot three times she shot
Right through that hardwood door
He was her man, but he done her wrong

"Well roll me over on my left side
Roll me over so slow,
Roll me over on my left hand side, Frankie,
Them bullets hurt me so,
I was your man, but I done you wrong"

Now, bring round your ruber-tired buggy
And bring round your rubber-tired hack
I'm taking my man to the graveyward
I ain't gonna bring him back
He was my man, but he done me wrong

Well this story has no moral
And this story has got no end
Well the story just goes to show you women
That there ain’t no good in men
He was her man, but he done her wrong

[rucky]

34. Bohemian Rhaposdy

[alphafemale]

35. The Bravest - and - On The Road From Srebrenica - both by Tom Paxton

http://www.mydfz.com/Paxton/lyrics/tb.htm

http://www.mydfz.com/Paxton/lyrics/otrfs.htm

[alphafemale]

36. Another. "The Ballad of Willie McBride"

<snip>

Well the sun's shining now on these green fields of France,
The warm wind blows gently and the red poppies dance.
The trenches are vanished long under the plough
No gas, and no barbed wire, no guns firing now.
But here in this graveyard it's still No Man's Land
The countless white crosses in mute witness stand.
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man
And a whole generation who were butchered and damned.

Chorus
Did they beat the drum slowly?
Did they sound the fife lowly?
Did the rifles fire o'er ye as they lowered you down?
Did the bugles sing 'The Last Post' in chorus?
Did the pipes play 'The Flowers o' the Forest'?


And I can't help but wonder now Willie McBride
Do all those who lie here know why they died?
Did you really believe them when they told you the cause?
You really believed that this war would end war?
But the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame -
The killing and dying - it was all done in vain.
For Willie McBride, it's all happened again
And again, and again, and again, and again.

http://www.aftermathww1.com/mcbride.asp

[PassingFair]

38. "In the Ghetto"....

Not an Elvis fan, but this song makes pictures
appear in my brain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ox1Tore9nw

[tigereye]

39. Last Kiss

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

41. The Highwayman -- Loreena McKennitt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2CFM4ev-g8

[slay]

42. "El Paso" and "Wondring Again"

not sure who originally did El Paso - i like the Grateful Dead version. Wondring Again is by the great Jethro Tull and is sadly quite topical in it's tale of how we will/are destroy(ing) the environment.

Wondring Again - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0mxuJiOEaQ

El Paso - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz4PfIIfI2c

[Z_I_Peevey]

44. Green, Green Grass of Home

and

Honey

(sob!)

[MiddleFingerMom]

65. Roy Clark had a great...

.
...parody version of "Green, Green Grass of Home" on
his live album "Under the Double Eagle (1972).
.
That whole album was a remarkable showcase for an
exceptionally talented musician.
.
But I can't agree with you about "Honey" -- a more
manipulative sappy song I just can't think of.
.

[Swede]

46. Madonna - Live To Tell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGU7MJboaws

I have a tale to tell
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
I was not ready for the fall
Too blind to see the writing on the wall

Chorus:

A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me

I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warm she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can't take that from me

(chorus)

2nd Chorus:

The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again

If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
To go very far
How could they hear the beating of my heart
Will it grow cold
The secret that I hide, will I grow old
How would they hear
When would they learn
How would they know

(chorus)
(2nd chorus)

[blueamy66]

47. Seasons in the Sun?

Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we're nine or ten.
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.
Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me,
I was the black sheep of the family.
You tried to teach me right from wrong.
Too much wine and too much song,
wonder how I get along.
Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Little children everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the seasons, all have gone.
Goodbye, Michelle, my little one.
You gave me love and helped me find the sun.
And every time that I was down
you would always come around
and get my feet back on the ground.
Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
when all the bird are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
With the flowers ev'rywhere.
I whish that we could both be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the stars we could reach
were just starfishs on the beach

[ornotna]

48. Knoxville Girl - Wilburn Brothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwXa1owy58o

[Faygo Kid]

49. Father and Son, Cat Stevens

It's also a great tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q29YR5-t3gg

[Shell Beau]

53. Yeah, and it happens too often I think.

[Bluzmann57]

54. "Post Toastee" by Tommy Bolin

"Don't let your mind Post Toastee, like a lot of my friends did."
And then he did the same damn thing. Tragic waste of talent.

[Tikki]

56. "People Who Died".....Jim Carroll

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAKoU_W_mf8

Tikki

[jotsy]

60. Fire and Rain, Starry Starry Night.

My older sister's high school choir sang these songs at a performance I attending. She's been gone since '94 but still whenever I hear one of these my thoughts on her are more front and center for awhile.

[Sebastian Doyle]

67. This one was pretty tragic even when Hank sang it

but in this version, it's even more so, with a bunch of drunken Brits singing it. (which is why it didn't make it onto the record)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY66vR9JA_Q

[Frank Cannon]

68. El Paso by Marty Robbins

One of the few songs that makes me weep.

[cherish44]

69. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot

One of those songs that gets in your head and stays there for the whole day!

[cherish44]

70. MacArthur's Park

Someone left the cake out in the rain!

[CBGLuthier]

71. Powderfinger Neil Young

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Yviw0MkCI

[PRETZEL]

72. Couple I haven't seen on the list

Last Resort and New York Minute by the Eagles

Needle and the Damage Done by Neil Young

[Brewman_Jax]

73. "Cat's In The Cradle" by Harry Chapin

and "Excitable Boy" by Warren Zevon, in a rather disturbed way. :scared:

[Coventina]

74. Here's a few I thought of:

Sam Stone

Ruben James

Ballad of Ira Hayes

Tom Dooley

Let the Eagle Soar (sorry, couldn't resist)

[TheMightyFavog]

75. Eli The Barrow Boy by The Decemberists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz7wKhVa_VE