A different type of sadness maybe, but a great "sad sounding" song also by John Prine is ...Ā
The Lonesome Friends of Science.Ā
He has a bunch that would fit this thread actually.
Playing this one now. āNow Iāve tried drinking rye and gambling / dancing with damnation is a ball / but of all the little ways Iāve found to hurt myself / well, you might be my favorite one of allā hits fucking hard. Perfect recommendation for what I was looking for, thank you!
Man I was really hoping to see all three of these artists here. And amazing choices for all three. I would also add Cannonball andĀ The Professor La Fille Dans by Damien Rice. Both so keeningly sad and regretful.
Sounds like you'd enjoy most of Lord Huron's discography! They're The Band of lost love and wandering. Specific recs:
Twenty Long Years
The Ghost on the Shore
The Night We Met
Wait by the River
Frozen Pines
And my favorite: What Do It Mean
[Hellās Canyon](https://youtu.be/joowhQfTFyo?si=Sjf4F0895vkrimx9) - Lost Dog Street Band
[Manitoba Man](https://youtu.be/SKPMqAqsTO4?si=9RLWcDxkV2G8GfUq) - Colter Wall
[Marie](https://youtu.be/Lk-zKjfO2E8?si=GKwN05H4dXkkV7-6) - Townes Van Zandt
[Fare the well (Dinkās Song)](https://youtu.be/7M8m4LyFSkE?si=f1uiyIHKQm2jKTq0) - Oscar Isaac
Check out Frank Turner! His first several albums fit your description nicely. He leans into punk quite a bit, but songs like Wanderlust, Redemption, St Christopher is Coming Home, Tell Tale Signs, Anymore, and Nights Become Days are folkier and either melancholy or sad.
Some of my favorite songs of all-time:
[John Lennon - Working Class Hero](https://youtu.be/HmhLsE5woRw?si=YptEdXOZmbAgqoad)
[Modest Mouse - Lives](https://youtu.be/mb-t_TegR-Q?si=nQoeCpvrU0-Lfm0r)
[Mitski - Iām Your Man](https://youtu.be/HvgX44ESvHQ?si=7u6B-Au4d3SM2LQK)
[The Mountain Goats - No Children](https://youtu.be/QS27S3mspjU?si=m8DUOV-2FzFz8zSZ)
Enjoy your depression
Cold Missouri Waters. True story about a forest fire jump crew that gets trapped fighting a fire, killing most of them. Itās told from the point of view of their crew chief years later as heās in the hospital dying.
The original by James Keelaghan
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dztj4X3fQps
My favorite version by The Paul McKenna Band
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-fyu0LQS05I
I'm partial to the version by [Cry, Cry, Cry](https://youtu.be/VxDV2nvk9pM), a supergroup composed of Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplan sky, and Richard Shindell. The whole album is absolutely worth a listen!
>Cause I caught you and I
>
>Brought you here
>
>These Hazards of Love
>
>Nevermore will trouble us
I love HOL 4 (The Drowned) so much. KILLER song. And it's so genius at the end of the (overall great) album. Just a perfect closer.
And every song on The King is Dead is a straight-up gem. June Hymn is my favorite, but they're all great.
Great recāIām loving this one. āI only wish my words could convince myself / that it just wasnāt real / but thatās not the way it feels.ā Wow. Thank you!
Evaās voice and playing is incredible. You can hear the sadness in her voice. Her version of Gas Station Mountain Home is so heart felt. It makes you feel that was her life. So many other great choices within here songbook!
Most songs by Lost Dog Street Band, hard luck songs you might say. Then there's a handful by John Prine:Sam Stone being a pretty sad one, Me same Loretta also
John Moreland - Gospel; 3:59 AM; Blues & Kudzu; American Flags in Black and WhiteĀ
Gabe Lee - Lidocaine
Ian Noe - Junk Town
Ryan Culwell - The Last American
John R. Miller - Faustina
Michigan Rattlers - Evergreen
Nathaniel Rateliff - And It's Still Alright
Just saw Nathaniel Rateliff the other night and absolutely sobbed through And Itās Still Alright. Had to sit down for the song after to compose myself. I didnāt expect him to play it and as soon as the first ābackgroundā guitar sound hit my heart sank.
Ani DiFranco has many, I think two of her saddest are "School Night" (the second verse is a Sophie's Choice theme) and "Letting the Telephone Ring" (she's bi for context). For a sad addiction song - about someone else - she has "Come Away from It".
"Stay Down" by boygenius. If you want songs about drinking and addiction check out Julien Baker's music (a member of boygenius, the one singing that song).Ā
"Getting Over You" by Melissa Ferrick. It's not her saddest song but I love her playing in it. She has songs about letting go of drinking too - "Bad Habit".
"Simple Together" by Alanis is a devastating break up song.
"Jackson" by Lucinda Williams, about travelling and missing someone.
Revelling/Reckoning just destroys me. And especially School Night.
What kind of scale, compares the weight of two beauties?
The gravity of duties, or the ground speed of joy?
Tell me, what kind of gauge can quantify elation?
What kind of equation could I possibly employ?
A girl I was friends with in high school loved Ani DiFranco. Never really got into her but maybe I should check her out again.
Boygenius is really good and Julien Baker is a stud. I like her solo stuff a lot too.
Disc 2 of the Tom Waits album Orphans is called āBawlersā and features a bunch of his downbeat stuff. I like to play the whole album but if I had to pick one Iād say maybe You Can Never Hold Back Spring.
First Townes song I ever heard. Came up in my Spotify shuffle and immediately changed my life. I became obsessed with Townes there and then. Great fucking song.
He's a contemporary artist, but I would highly recommend Amigo the Devil. His new album just dropped yesterday, and it's fantastic. It sounds like Cocaine and Abel, Another Man's Grave, or Different Anymore would be the kind of stuff you're looking for. His music ranges from straight depressing, to hilarious. Bonus points if you're into serial killers. He has a LOT of serial killer themed tracks.
So glad to see Amigo mentioned. I was gonna recommend everything is fine. I've been following him since he played sets between sets at metal festivals. First time I saw him he was playing in a venue bathroom.
Lots of older Beck stuff.
Hard to Compete
https://youtu.be/MJWmG9Ns4XE?si=ju98tUqN_00TGTAr
The Way it Seems
https://youtu.be/E17ETCHfmy8?si=MUbiZS2ipjGRd6ul
Spirits
https://youtu.be/wOtnFevcPLU?si=8D5ZeTcntOxhkoCH
Curses
https://youtu.be/SON8XEv3q0M?si=uz81_NcFI1q5rMAw
The Land Beyond
https://youtu.be/OagErWacL0E?si=a145Wq1e-iupGQQY
I used to listed to him a lot, and he just started reappearing on my Apple Music station over the last week.
I met him a few years ago and he was a very kind guy. I had a pass to a film festival and noticed that he was the lead in one of the movies. I went to see it and he was there! He played a few songs after the screening and it was lovely.
Not sure if these count lol
āBottom of The Bottleā by Jack Kays,
āBoiled Frogs - Live @ The Vergeā by City and Colour,
āStick Seasonā by Noah Kahan,
āObligatory Folk Punk Songā by Pancciās Pizza
Idk if I can comment my own track but I write sad folk music! I have one track on Spotify itās called:
pillow marks on your face - Jose Daniel
Itās the first song I released and I really draw from Simon & Garfunkel, Sufjan Stevens etc. just trynna make lonely music for lonely hearts
I recommend this album by Hayden. If it doesn't get you by the first song then you're not looking for sad folk music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3cr9Pwuwq0
Beeswing by Richard Thompson
> Oh, she was a rare thing, fine as a beeswing
> And I miss her more than ever words can say
> If I could just taste all of her wildness now
> If I could hold her in my arms today
> I wouldn't want her any other way
Soon This Space Will Be Too Small, Lhasa de Sela
Nick Drake, Black Eyed Dog
Jamie Commons, Lead Me Home
Down The Line, Jose Gonzalez
Words, Gregory Alan Isakov
Words https://g.co/kgs/cwGmx1F
Song for Sid Langhorne Slim was at a small concert of his ,he started this song every guy around me " that song is about my father or that song is about my grandfather " they were all wrong it was about my grandfather
Iāve got this little lovely list I made a few years ago. I expand on it from time to time but I find all these songs fit your bill.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5WYdasH9ob8wxYOMXIUJYe?si=moULoJWVTjCBIM5yy-SOwg&pi=u-bv0mEts5SYeY
Many many versions of this traditional song, The Loverās Ghost,
[but I love this version by Alasdair Roberts the most.](https://youtu.be/k-H2rOGgtBc?feature=shared)
You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive - Darrell Scott (or the Patty Loveless version is good too and arguably more folky-sounding)
Jason Isbell - Elephant, If We Were Vampires, Traveling Alone
Josh Ritter - All Some Kind of Dream, Girl in the War, maybe Thin Blue Flame (side note, he's one of my favorites ever and I wish he were more well-known!)
"golden Embers" by watchhouse
"stone walls" by three tall pines
"St Thomas" by Ben Heckler
"sorry for the things" by Benjamin tod
'hell and you" amigo the devil
casimir pulaski day - sufjan stevens
this artist is a whole ass rabbit hole iām currently too tired to walk you through but at least listen to this song, and/or look up his saddest songs
OP, if you haven't ever listened to Joan Baez, she covered a *ton* of Dylan's songs as he was releasing them and, in my humble opinion, improves upon most of them just by the sound of her voice. She also has lots of self-written folk from the 60s and most of it is sad.
āComin Homeā by City and Colour. It was the old gateway song into his work way back when he wasnāt known quite as well. Fits your travel theme idea.
If you're looking for sad folk-adjacent songs, ain't nothing better than OG delta blues.
[Mississippi John Hurt](https://youtu.be/w24DE1Egp1Q), [Lead Belly](https://youtu.be/xn50JSI0W-E), [Blind Reverend Gary Davis](https://youtu.be/CGDZdy8lDmc), [Robert Johnson ](https://youtu.be/YYsnRc09csQ), [Muddy Waters](https://youtu.be/3INGas43OF0), ...
Gotta live the blues if you wanna sing the blues
For more modern ones I'd recommend a bunch by First Aid Kit, in part their album Ruins which was written after a break up. Songs in particular are -
"To Live a Life"
"Fireworks"
"Hem of Her Dress"
"Postcard"
"Nothing Has To Be True"
Also their song "Ghost Town" from their first album is beautiful and sad
You might already know this one because Dylan covered it.
But moonshiner, a traditional Appalachian tuneā¦ so somber and yet so upbeat at the same time. Makes me wonder who wrote it and what they were going through at the time. Somehow truly timeless and at the same time relatable to the modern man.
There is a reason this song persisted through time.
Justin Townes Earle - Slippin' and Slidin', Lone Pine Hill, Yuma, Appalachian Nightmare, and Mama's Eyes.
Magnolia Electric Co. / Songs: Ohia - What Comes After the Blues, Farewell Transmission, The Dark Don't Hide It, I've Been Riding With The Ghost, The Night Shift Lullaby, Little Sad Eyes, and Just Be Simple.
Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Elliott Smith - A Fond Farewell, Needle in the Hay, Somebody That I Used to Know, and Angeles.
Bright Eyes - Haligh Haligh A Lie Haligh, Flirted With You All My Life (Vic Chestnut cover), We Are Nowhere and It's Now, Sunrise Sunset, Something Vague, and Poison Oak.
Tim Buckley - I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain, and Grief in my Soul.
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers - Heal Me
Bon Iver's debut album.
Nick Drake - Pink Moon (album).
Beck - Nobody's Fault But My Own
Graham Nash - Better Days, Sleep Song, and Wounded Bird.
Uncle Tupelo - Moonshiner
Lucinda Williams - Drunken Angel (Hurray for the Riff Raff do a great cover).
Neil Young - Needle and the Damage Done, Old Man
Sharon Van Etten - Every Time the Sun Comes Up
Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky, Before the Deluge, Fountain of Sorrow, and For a Dancer.
Gillian Welch - Strange Isabella, Everything is Free
Bonnie Raitt - I Can't Make You Love Me
Tom Waits - Martha
Red House Painters - Have You Forgotten? (original version, not from Vanilla Sky)
Jason Isbell - Cast Iron Skillet, also Elephant
John Moreland - Break My Heart Sweetly
Joni Mitchell - The Last Time I Saw Richard
Some sad/melancholy older stuff:
Aināt Life a Brook - Ferron
Inches and Miles - David Mallett
Love at the Five and Dime - Nanci Griffith
Caledonia - Dougie MacLean
Lord, I Have Made You a Place in my Heart - Greg Brown
There Were Roses - Tommy Sands
Are You Happy Now? - Richard Shindell
To build a home - cinematic orchestra
On the nature of sunlight
Sideways by citizen Cope
When a heart breaks - Ben Rector
Blackbird song - Lee DeWzye
I got a bunch more but those are the ones Iāve been listening to lately
Edit:
Dreaming tree - Dave Matthews Band
Mad World - Gary Jules
Digging my own grave - Thrice
The Whaler - Thrice
Daedalus - Thrice
You recommend several classics. Mine's a bit modern:
Bird Stealing Bread - Iron & Wine
Malleable Beings - The Paper Kites
Tin Lover - The Paper Kites
San Luis - Gregory Alan Isakov
Was I Just Another One - Gregory Alan Isakov
Words - Gregory Alan Isakov
The Stable Song - Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colarado Symphony Version
If I Go I'm Goin - Gregory Alan Isakov (also listen to the Colorado Symphony Version)
Master & a Hound - Gregory Alan Isakov
Highway to the Sun - Ray LaMontagne
Empty - Ray LaMontagne
Words Underlined - Jesse Marchant
You Always Keep Me Around - Jesse Marchant
Twenty-Twenty Single - Savannah Conley
Many more.. Haha
Have you checked out Robert Plant & Alison Krauss? Their voices are magical together!
Two albums: Raising Sand & Raise the Roof
All the songs are great, but especially Killing the Blues and Please Read the Letter
Rich men north of Richmond -Oliver Anthony
Nobody cares - momma molasses
Paradise - John prine
Sam stone john prine
Port coton - zaz (it sounds sad, idk if it actually is in the lyric, which are French)
You Win Again by Hank Williams. Itās about a cheating wife. Heartbreaking song. Keith Richards did a great cover of it on a Hank Williams tribute album.
Check out the album āShady Groveā by Jerry Garcia and Divid Grisman. They donāt really preform them in a sad way but all the songs are at least 100 years old and most end in tragedy.
People often overlook **British folk,** but there was a lot going on in the 60s and 70s in the UK to dig into. This is one of my favorites on the sad/longing side:
**Anne Briggs** - [**Go Your Way**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS81zHrOB74)
If you like that, check out the people who were in that scene - Pentangle, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, and various solo artists.
If you like Clay Pigeons, might be worth checking out [Dark Thing](https://open.spotify.com/artist/06LQKiKHCSjnjfi4twovxV), they have an insanely cool catalogue when it comes to the whole sad folk vibe.
Sam Stone, by John Prine But only if you want the very saddest.
See also "Hello in There," "Souvenirs," "Summer's End," ...
+1 for hello in there š
Sad doesn't do it justice, heart wrenching.
A different type of sadness maybe, but a great "sad sounding" song also by John Prine is ...Ā The Lonesome Friends of Science.Ā He has a bunch that would fit this thread actually.
Angel From Montgomery and Summers End too
Also 6 O'clock news by John Prine. Gives sam stone a run for its money.
Also Clay Pigeons - John Prine. Love his version of it.
Wow manš
Gillian Welch - Tennessee
Playing this one now. āNow Iāve tried drinking rye and gambling / dancing with damnation is a ball / but of all the little ways Iāve found to hurt myself / well, you might be my favorite one of allā hits fucking hard. Perfect recommendation for what I was looking for, thank you!
Just pick anything by Gillian Welch. It's all good.
Seconded. The Way That it Goes or Hard Times would be great next listens.
Tear my Stillhouse Down is a special favorite of mine.
Definitely want to listen to her more. I love āWrecking Ballā and definitely liked āTennesseeā so canāt wait to hear others!
Her cover of Scarlet Town and Tear my Stillhouse Down are a couple of my favorites.
"Orphan Girl"
āOur Townā by Iris Dement
I love this song
This one slaps, thank you.
"The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice "Naked As We Came" by Iron & Wine "To Be Alone With You" by Sufjan Stevens
Naked as we came in actually one of their less sad ones imo. The trapeze swinger always makes me cry tho.
Man I was really hoping to see all three of these artists here. And amazing choices for all three. I would also add Cannonball andĀ The Professor La Fille Dans by Damien Rice. Both so keeningly sad and regretful.
Folk ish? Americana? If we were Vampires by Jason Isbell. The Curse by Josh Ritter. Cranes of Potter by Charles Wesley Godwin
Elephant by Jason Isbell is heartbreak as well.
Damn near all of the Southeastern record fits the bill.
Also: Josh Ritter - Kathleen
Nick Drake - Pink Moon Neil Diamond - If I dont see you again Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust Leonard Cohen - Avalanche
āFruit Treeā is another sad one I enjoy by Nick Drake
And *Parasite*
Vincent Black Lightning 1952 by Richard Thompson https://youtu.be/j0kJdrfzjAg
I was actually just thinking this when I was scrolling the list!
Incredible song
āBroad Ripple is Burningā by Margot and the Nuclear So and Soās
Gosh I love that band. Also check out their song āTalking in Codeā.
Oh my god I havenāt heard this song in so long thank you for reminding me of its existence.
Guess Iām Doing Fine - Beck
Sounds like you'd enjoy most of Lord Huron's discography! They're The Band of lost love and wandering. Specific recs: Twenty Long Years The Ghost on the Shore The Night We Met Wait by the River Frozen Pines And my favorite: What Do It Mean
Lord Huron gives me emotions no other band can!! These are all great reccomendations & I havnt stopped listening to frozen pines all month!
[Hellās Canyon](https://youtu.be/joowhQfTFyo?si=Sjf4F0895vkrimx9) - Lost Dog Street Band [Manitoba Man](https://youtu.be/SKPMqAqsTO4?si=9RLWcDxkV2G8GfUq) - Colter Wall [Marie](https://youtu.be/Lk-zKjfO2E8?si=GKwN05H4dXkkV7-6) - Townes Van Zandt [Fare the well (Dinkās Song)](https://youtu.be/7M8m4LyFSkE?si=f1uiyIHKQm2jKTq0) - Oscar Isaac
Love āThe Devil Wears a Suit and Tieā and āMotorcycleā by Colter Wall. Listening to Manitoba Man nowādefinitely dig it! Thanks for the rec!
Check out Frank Turner! His first several albums fit your description nicely. He leans into punk quite a bit, but songs like Wanderlust, Redemption, St Christopher is Coming Home, Tell Tale Signs, Anymore, and Nights Become Days are folkier and either melancholy or sad.
Wildfire by Watchhouse(formerly Mandolin Orange) San Luis by Gregory Alan Isakov Using Again by Benjamin Tod
And pretty much any by Benjamin Tod, but this is probably the saddest. Big River Ballad is close too.
Mandolin Orange is one of the best bands of all time.
First day of my life - Bright eyes
I just saw [Jason Isbell perform on The Daily Show](https://youtu.be/bhOLnYatPeA?si=QOfti-t4dMiHkLKn) and it broke me pretty good.
Elephant by Jason Isbell. Listen to the entire southeastern album.
Some of my favorite songs of all-time: [John Lennon - Working Class Hero](https://youtu.be/HmhLsE5woRw?si=YptEdXOZmbAgqoad) [Modest Mouse - Lives](https://youtu.be/mb-t_TegR-Q?si=nQoeCpvrU0-Lfm0r) [Mitski - Iām Your Man](https://youtu.be/HvgX44ESvHQ?si=7u6B-Au4d3SM2LQK) [The Mountain Goats - No Children](https://youtu.be/QS27S3mspjU?si=m8DUOV-2FzFz8zSZ) Enjoy your depression
Modest mouse and tmg are my favorite bands - thanks for sharing
Sad Snack did a ska version of No Children that's really good if you're into that kind of thing
āNeedle in the Hayā by Elliott Smith
Also āBetween the Barsā
"These Days" either the Jackson or Nico version...
Love Jackson Browne & his version of that song. Will have to check out the Nico version. Thank you!
Dawes also does a great cover of this!
Cat Powerās version of this is good also
āA Better Place To Beā - Harry Chapin
Came say say this and "Corey's Coming" - Jim Croce "Mr Banker" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
āSeven Cursesā is the saddest Dylan song of all
I didnāt know this one, definitely enjoying it. Thank you!
'Tecumseh Valley' by Townes van Zandt. Nanci Griffith did an excellent cover of this song.
I mean,Ā Puff the Magic Dragon is about the saddest song ever.Ā
I see a darkness by Bonnie Prince Billy https://youtu.be/5mpo9UYl_Yw?si=-3e0-KgV-2_i0pig
Where Have All the Flowers Gone? - by Peter, Paul and Mary. The lyrics were adapted from a Cossack folk song.
I'm only familiar with the Kingston trio version
Ballad of Hollis Brown.
I know that one. God-tier song. Unbelievable Dylan was in his early 20s when he wrote it.
Cold Missouri Waters. True story about a forest fire jump crew that gets trapped fighting a fire, killing most of them. Itās told from the point of view of their crew chief years later as heās in the hospital dying. The original by James Keelaghan https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dztj4X3fQps My favorite version by The Paul McKenna Band https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-fyu0LQS05I
I'm partial to the version by [Cry, Cry, Cry](https://youtu.be/VxDV2nvk9pM), a supergroup composed of Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplan sky, and Richard Shindell. The whole album is absolutely worth a listen!
And anything by the Decemberists. Owwww.
Notable mentions: Eli the Barrow boy Hazards of Love #4 Don't Carry it All Mariner's Revenge Song
>Cause I caught you and I > >Brought you here > >These Hazards of Love > >Nevermore will trouble us I love HOL 4 (The Drowned) so much. KILLER song. And it's so genius at the end of the (overall great) album. Just a perfect closer. And every song on The King is Dead is a straight-up gem. June Hymn is my favorite, but they're all great.
āOperatorā by Jim Croce
Great recāIām loving this one. āI only wish my words could convince myself / that it just wasnāt real / but thatās not the way it feels.ā Wow. Thank you!
That whole album is good. Honestly.
"The Partisan" Leonard Cohen
Also: Avalanche, The Stranger Song, Famous Blue Raincoat, and Teachers
Check out all by Eva Cassidy. She was amazing! Also Jeff Buckleyās album āGraceā will change your life.
Eva Cassidyās covers make you feel like you are hearing familiar songs for the first time. She was incredibly gifted.
Eva's version of *Danny Boy* is a real sob-fest.
Evaās voice and playing is incredible. You can hear the sadness in her voice. Her version of Gas Station Mountain Home is so heart felt. It makes you feel that was her life. So many other great choices within here songbook!
Most songs by Lost Dog Street Band, hard luck songs you might say. Then there's a handful by John Prine:Sam Stone being a pretty sad one, Me same Loretta also
The Weary Kind by Ryan Bingham
Blood and Fire by the Indigo Girls.Ā
John Moreland - Gospel; 3:59 AM; Blues & Kudzu; American Flags in Black and WhiteĀ Gabe Lee - Lidocaine Ian Noe - Junk Town Ryan Culwell - The Last American John R. Miller - Faustina Michigan Rattlers - Evergreen Nathaniel Rateliff - And It's Still Alright
Just saw Nathaniel Rateliff the other night and absolutely sobbed through And Itās Still Alright. Had to sit down for the song after to compose myself. I didnāt expect him to play it and as soon as the first ābackgroundā guitar sound hit my heart sank.
Jason Isbell, take your pick
Ani DiFranco has many, I think two of her saddest are "School Night" (the second verse is a Sophie's Choice theme) and "Letting the Telephone Ring" (she's bi for context). For a sad addiction song - about someone else - she has "Come Away from It". "Stay Down" by boygenius. If you want songs about drinking and addiction check out Julien Baker's music (a member of boygenius, the one singing that song).Ā "Getting Over You" by Melissa Ferrick. It's not her saddest song but I love her playing in it. She has songs about letting go of drinking too - "Bad Habit". "Simple Together" by Alanis is a devastating break up song. "Jackson" by Lucinda Williams, about travelling and missing someone.
Revelling/Reckoning just destroys me. And especially School Night. What kind of scale, compares the weight of two beauties? The gravity of duties, or the ground speed of joy? Tell me, what kind of gauge can quantify elation? What kind of equation could I possibly employ?
A girl I was friends with in high school loved Ani DiFranco. Never really got into her but maybe I should check her out again. Boygenius is really good and Julien Baker is a stud. I like her solo stuff a lot too.
Ride On by Cristy Moore is an all time classic! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-z7M3FZv4E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-z7M3FZv4E)
āEnough Ropeā - Chris Knight
Digging this oneāthank you!
Never coming home (song for the guilty) by Pat the bunny
Willi Carlisle. All his stuff which is still fairly limited since he's kinda new. Singing Knives or Angels are good
Disc 2 of the Tom Waits album Orphans is called āBawlersā and features a bunch of his downbeat stuff. I like to play the whole album but if I had to pick one Iād say maybe You Can Never Hold Back Spring.
Peter Paul and Mary 500 miles always makes me sad.Ā Ā
More Blaze Foley, like Picture Cards Canāt Picture You
The White Buffalo - Ballad of a Deadman, Dirty Old Town - The Pogues, Cumberland Gap - David Rawlings
[Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg](https://youtu.be/cfAxWtcfDUk?feature=shared)
Waiting Around to Die by Townes Van Zandt
First Townes song I ever heard. Came up in my Spotify shuffle and immediately changed my life. I became obsessed with Townes there and then. Great fucking song.
He's a contemporary artist, but I would highly recommend Amigo the Devil. His new album just dropped yesterday, and it's fantastic. It sounds like Cocaine and Abel, Another Man's Grave, or Different Anymore would be the kind of stuff you're looking for. His music ranges from straight depressing, to hilarious. Bonus points if you're into serial killers. He has a LOT of serial killer themed tracks.
So glad to see Amigo mentioned. I was gonna recommend everything is fine. I've been following him since he played sets between sets at metal festivals. First time I saw him he was playing in a venue bathroom.
Will Hoge - Goodnight/Goodbye
Cozied up in my apartment with a drink giving these suggestions a listenāI like this one a lot, thank you!
Someone suggested that to me years ago when my ex and I were going through a bad time. Hits hard. Hang in there.
Lots of older Beck stuff. Hard to Compete https://youtu.be/MJWmG9Ns4XE?si=ju98tUqN_00TGTAr The Way it Seems https://youtu.be/E17ETCHfmy8?si=MUbiZS2ipjGRd6ul Spirits https://youtu.be/wOtnFevcPLU?si=8D5ZeTcntOxhkoCH Curses https://youtu.be/SON8XEv3q0M?si=uz81_NcFI1q5rMAw The Land Beyond https://youtu.be/OagErWacL0E?si=a145Wq1e-iupGQQY
Joe Purdy might be something you'd be interested in. I'm not familiar with a lot of his discography, but the album "Canyon Joe" is pretty sad.
I used to listed to him a lot, and he just started reappearing on my Apple Music station over the last week. I met him a few years ago and he was a very kind guy. I had a pass to a film festival and noticed that he was the lead in one of the movies. I went to see it and he was there! He played a few songs after the screening and it was lovely.
Not sure if these count lol āBottom of The Bottleā by Jack Kays, āBoiled Frogs - Live @ The Vergeā by City and Colour, āStick Seasonā by Noah Kahan, āObligatory Folk Punk Songā by Pancciās Pizza
The pines
Lime Tree - Bright Eyes
Idk if I can comment my own track but I write sad folk music! I have one track on Spotify itās called: pillow marks on your face - Jose Daniel Itās the first song I released and I really draw from Simon & Garfunkel, Sufjan Stevens etc. just trynna make lonely music for lonely hearts
Absolutely appreciate you sharing your own track, Iāll check it out!
Garden of leavin - Amigo the Devil. It's new, like released Friday new. It'll wreck you
Playing this now. Wow. Heavy shit. Definitely the thing I was looking for, thanks for the rec!
I recommend this album by Hayden. If it doesn't get you by the first song then you're not looking for sad folk music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3cr9Pwuwq0
Good lord do I love this song. Iāve only ever met one other person that knows it.
Beeswing by Richard Thompson > Oh, she was a rare thing, fine as a beeswing > And I miss her more than ever words can say > If I could just taste all of her wildness now > If I could hold her in my arms today > I wouldn't want her any other way
The Avett Brothers have some good stuff. āMurder in the Cityā and āIn the Curveā are 2 off the top of my head.
āHurtā the version by Johnny cash
"The Arrangements" Willi Carlisle
I saw Willi recently in Michigan and yeah he's among my favourite artist's right now
āCorrido Por Buddyā by Jolie Holland
"Have you seen Joe?"- Blind boy music
Stinking of Whiskey Blues - The Ergs Cheating at Solitaire - Mike Ness
Stinking of Whiskey Blues is great. Thank you!
Chasing After Deer by Midlake
Trad murder ballads like āDown in the Willow Gardenā and āBanks of the Ohio.ā
Every Loser Needs A Mother - Sarah Mary Chadwick
Soon This Space Will Be Too Small, Lhasa de Sela Nick Drake, Black Eyed Dog Jamie Commons, Lead Me Home Down The Line, Jose Gonzalez Words, Gregory Alan Isakov Words https://g.co/kgs/cwGmx1F
No Children by The Mountain Goats
Someday Soon - The Trouble With Templeton
I Remember You - Eilen Jewell.
Springhill Mine Only our rivers run free King's Song
Song for Sid Langhorne Slim was at a small concert of his ,he started this song every guy around me " that song is about my father or that song is about my grandfather " they were all wrong it was about my grandfather
Iāve got this little lovely list I made a few years ago. I expand on it from time to time but I find all these songs fit your bill. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5WYdasH9ob8wxYOMXIUJYe?si=moULoJWVTjCBIM5yy-SOwg&pi=u-bv0mEts5SYeY
The Lament of the Irish Immigrant - the Rankin Family.
Long black veil. JGB
one too many mornings -bob dylan
Many many versions of this traditional song, The Loverās Ghost, [but I love this version by Alasdair Roberts the most.](https://youtu.be/k-H2rOGgtBc?feature=shared)
Sad Blue Eyes - Jeffrey Martin
You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive - Darrell Scott (or the Patty Loveless version is good too and arguably more folky-sounding) Jason Isbell - Elephant, If We Were Vampires, Traveling Alone Josh Ritter - All Some Kind of Dream, Girl in the War, maybe Thin Blue Flame (side note, he's one of my favorites ever and I wish he were more well-known!)
Know the Isbell songsāseeing him with my parents in a couple weeks in fact! But I donāt know the others, so thanks for those, will check them out.
"golden Embers" by watchhouse "stone walls" by three tall pines "St Thomas" by Ben Heckler "sorry for the things" by Benjamin tod 'hell and you" amigo the devil
[Dublin Blues - Guy Clark](https://open.spotify.com/track/4rXt1tYHZIavECuN32fk96?si=knF_Me4rQTemzwlXPjvTWA) (hope that qualifies)
Check out Sufjan Stevenās album Javelin
"Kilkelly" \~ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVWUth6SjlU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVWUth6SjlU) "Crooked Jack" \~ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZMf\_8BfvjE&list=OLAK5uy\_n3eZVM-hjaHw\_PVjx7jQHLi4I1G7NY5YE&index=13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZMf_8BfvjE&list=OLAK5uy_n3eZVM-hjaHw_PVjx7jQHLi4I1G7NY5YE&index=13) by Colcannon
The Sound of Silence, Simon & Garfunkel.
Hm, Iāve never heard of this. Is it famous or something?
Graveyard - The Devil Makes Three
Milk Carton Kids - Snake Eyes Shovels & Rope - Swing Low
William Elliot Whitmore - Porchlight
Old Barns - Greensky Bluegrass
casimir pulaski day - sufjan stevens this artist is a whole ass rabbit hole iām currently too tired to walk you through but at least listen to this song, and/or look up his saddest songs
OP, if you haven't ever listened to Joan Baez, she covered a *ton* of Dylan's songs as he was releasing them and, in my humble opinion, improves upon most of them just by the sound of her voice. She also has lots of self-written folk from the 60s and most of it is sad.
"Half a world away" and "country feedback" both off of r.e.m.'s out of time
bell bottom jeans - jack van cleaf , he opened for noah kahan and is an incredible wordsmith
Purple Mountains is basic a beautiful suicide note. Elliot Smith also hits those sad spots every time
Fatal Flower Garden - Andrew Bird
Consolation Prize by Ken Yates
āComin Homeā by City and Colour. It was the old gateway song into his work way back when he wasnāt known quite as well. Fits your travel theme idea.
Stick Season - Noah Kahan
That Edmund Fitzgerald song by Lightfoot. As a kid always left me with a hollow feeling. Also Nico These Days. Ugh
Far Away by Jose Gonzales
Diggin' My Grave- William Elliot Whitmore.
I enjoyed the Into the wild soundtrack by Eddie Vedder. Or the album Nebraska by Brice Springsteen
Atlantic City ā¦ā¦ man!!!
My Dog has Died and my Wife has Left Me - Unknown (traditional)
If you're looking for sad folk-adjacent songs, ain't nothing better than OG delta blues. [Mississippi John Hurt](https://youtu.be/w24DE1Egp1Q), [Lead Belly](https://youtu.be/xn50JSI0W-E), [Blind Reverend Gary Davis](https://youtu.be/CGDZdy8lDmc), [Robert Johnson ](https://youtu.be/YYsnRc09csQ), [Muddy Waters](https://youtu.be/3INGas43OF0), ... Gotta live the blues if you wanna sing the blues
The Throes- Two Gallants
Soldierās joy, by guy Clark
This song from Red Dead Redemption 2 gets me every time. https://open.spotify.com/track/6wMkJ6KmhuN1oe1Kvtz7PN?si=73XWyCokQdWj_sGYQ7k9fQ
She/He Moved Thru the Fair breaks me every time. Especially SibĆ©alās version
For more modern ones I'd recommend a bunch by First Aid Kit, in part their album Ruins which was written after a break up. Songs in particular are - "To Live a Life" "Fireworks" "Hem of Her Dress" "Postcard" "Nothing Has To Be True" Also their song "Ghost Town" from their first album is beautiful and sad
You might already know this one because Dylan covered it. But moonshiner, a traditional Appalachian tuneā¦ so somber and yet so upbeat at the same time. Makes me wonder who wrote it and what they were going through at the time. Somehow truly timeless and at the same time relatable to the modern man. There is a reason this song persisted through time.
Justin Townes Earle - Slippin' and Slidin', Lone Pine Hill, Yuma, Appalachian Nightmare, and Mama's Eyes. Magnolia Electric Co. / Songs: Ohia - What Comes After the Blues, Farewell Transmission, The Dark Don't Hide It, I've Been Riding With The Ghost, The Night Shift Lullaby, Little Sad Eyes, and Just Be Simple. Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Elliott Smith - A Fond Farewell, Needle in the Hay, Somebody That I Used to Know, and Angeles. Bright Eyes - Haligh Haligh A Lie Haligh, Flirted With You All My Life (Vic Chestnut cover), We Are Nowhere and It's Now, Sunrise Sunset, Something Vague, and Poison Oak. Tim Buckley - I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain, and Grief in my Soul. Sarah Shook and the Disarmers - Heal Me Bon Iver's debut album. Nick Drake - Pink Moon (album). Beck - Nobody's Fault But My Own Graham Nash - Better Days, Sleep Song, and Wounded Bird. Uncle Tupelo - Moonshiner Lucinda Williams - Drunken Angel (Hurray for the Riff Raff do a great cover). Neil Young - Needle and the Damage Done, Old Man Sharon Van Etten - Every Time the Sun Comes Up Jackson Browne - Late for the Sky, Before the Deluge, Fountain of Sorrow, and For a Dancer. Gillian Welch - Strange Isabella, Everything is Free Bonnie Raitt - I Can't Make You Love Me
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Take Me Home by Ocie Elliott
Tom Waits - Martha Red House Painters - Have You Forgotten? (original version, not from Vanilla Sky) Jason Isbell - Cast Iron Skillet, also Elephant John Moreland - Break My Heart Sweetly Joni Mitchell - The Last Time I Saw Richard
For something different, try Over Rainbows and Rainier, by Damien Jurado.
For traditional (british) folk:Ā Ā - Clark Saunders - Martin SimpsonĀ Ā - Go your Way - Ann BriggsĀ Ā - Matty Groves - Fairport ConventionĀ - Geordie - Anais -Mitchell & Jefferson HamerĀ Ā - Lovely Willie - Jefferson Hamer and Eamon O'LearyĀ Ā - The Old Churchyard - Offa Rex Ā For Country/Americana/Modern Folk: Ā - Shake the Frost - Tyler ChildersĀ - Life Worth Livin' - Uncle TupeloĀ - Wildfire - WatchhouseĀ Ā - Our Remains - Beta Radio Ā Ā Weird/Experimental:Ā Ā - Sidewalk Bop After Suicide - Cass Mccombs (Kind of psychadelic americana)Ā Ā - Petals - Bibio (Hip hop influenced folk electronica)Ā Ā - Sweet William - Tuung (strange folk electronica)Ā Ā - Go dig my grave - Lankum (Very severe, doom laden trad folk)
Yuma by Justin Townes earl
Some sad/melancholy older stuff: Aināt Life a Brook - Ferron Inches and Miles - David Mallett Love at the Five and Dime - Nanci Griffith Caledonia - Dougie MacLean Lord, I Have Made You a Place in my Heart - Greg Brown There Were Roses - Tommy Sands Are You Happy Now? - Richard Shindell
To build a home - cinematic orchestra On the nature of sunlight Sideways by citizen Cope When a heart breaks - Ben Rector Blackbird song - Lee DeWzye I got a bunch more but those are the ones Iāve been listening to lately Edit: Dreaming tree - Dave Matthews Band Mad World - Gary Jules Digging my own grave - Thrice The Whaler - Thrice Daedalus - Thrice
*Flirted with You All My Life* - Vic Chestnutt
You recommend several classics. Mine's a bit modern: Bird Stealing Bread - Iron & Wine Malleable Beings - The Paper Kites Tin Lover - The Paper Kites San Luis - Gregory Alan Isakov Was I Just Another One - Gregory Alan Isakov Words - Gregory Alan Isakov The Stable Song - Gregory Alan Isakov with the Colarado Symphony Version If I Go I'm Goin - Gregory Alan Isakov (also listen to the Colorado Symphony Version) Master & a Hound - Gregory Alan Isakov Highway to the Sun - Ray LaMontagne Empty - Ray LaMontagne Words Underlined - Jesse Marchant You Always Keep Me Around - Jesse Marchant Twenty-Twenty Single - Savannah Conley Many more.. Haha
Warren Zevon. āKeep me in your Heart.ā
Have you checked out Robert Plant & Alison Krauss? Their voices are magical together! Two albums: Raising Sand & Raise the Roof All the songs are great, but especially Killing the Blues and Please Read the Letter
Paradise John prine
Rich men north of Richmond -Oliver Anthony Nobody cares - momma molasses Paradise - John prine Sam stone john prine Port coton - zaz (it sounds sad, idk if it actually is in the lyric, which are French)
You Win Again by Hank Williams. Itās about a cheating wife. Heartbreaking song. Keith Richards did a great cover of it on a Hank Williams tribute album.
Check out the album āShady Groveā by Jerry Garcia and Divid Grisman. They donāt really preform them in a sad way but all the songs are at least 100 years old and most end in tragedy.
People often overlook **British folk,** but there was a lot going on in the 60s and 70s in the UK to dig into. This is one of my favorites on the sad/longing side: **Anne Briggs** - [**Go Your Way**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS81zHrOB74) If you like that, check out the people who were in that scene - Pentangle, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, and various solo artists.
If you like Clay Pigeons, might be worth checking out [Dark Thing](https://open.spotify.com/artist/06LQKiKHCSjnjfi4twovxV), they have an insanely cool catalogue when it comes to the whole sad folk vibe.