9 Sad Songs to Play When You Feel Morbidly Sorrowful

Sometimes in life, things just get too much to handle. Whether it be finance-related issues, emotional problems, or a love life crisis – sad times always find their way into everyone’s lives. The brightest times could be enveloped in blues of depression, and it’s the worst feeling in the world. You can’t get anything done, your days aren’t productive at all, and you’re in a state of self-pity throughout the day. Well, even the most famous artists aren’t free from this feeling! They’ve expressed it in musical notes and relatable lyrics, and we’ve gathered some of these great tracks here for you. 

Depression itself is a recurring subject in the world of music; regardless of era. Whether it be today’s Kanye West or old hits from The Rolling Stones. To help you share your pain with on-point lyrics to some tracks, we’ve gathered our 9 top picks for you to listen to.  

It’s an absolute classic, by a singer who just knocks it out of the park whenever he steps into this genre. Sam Smith has always been an expert at translating his heartfelt emotions into a song, with a voice to die for. The song is about a wife who already knows his husband has been cheating, but simply swallows it and keeps the relationship going. It’s her unconditional love that simply doesn’t allow her to end the relationship, even though she knows what’s going on. The lyrics do a tremendous job of conveying the feelings of a person who’s been cheated on. Its relatable factor makes totally different to listen to for two people who have and haven’t been cheated on. Not to mention, Dianna Agron plays her part perfectly as a miserable character who cries her eyes out as her husband cheats behind her back.  

The lyrics to Let Her Go have the potential to fit perfectly into almost any sad situation you might be in currently. It states the truest aspect of human behavior, in the most concise of words; we don’t value the things we own. All we ever desire is the next best thing, and the moment we get it, it slowly becomes worthless to us. Until you lose what you’ve got, only then you realize how much you actually needed it. The song itself brings up many examples of this and ensures a special spot in every heartbroken listener’s heart. If you’ve suffered loss, regardless of which kind, you’ll appreciate this song in a totally unique way.   

“Say Something” is a song that describes any relationship that’s on the brink of collapse. It perfectly embodies the emotional struggle of a person who’s just about to give up on a relationship, though they don’t want it to happen. The name of the song, “say something” is actually a plea to the person’s partner; they're begging them to ‘say something’ that could make things right.  

It’s one of the best songs of the indie band ‘A Great Big World’. It instantly became a huge breakout hit as soon as Christina Aguilera performed it on her show ‘The Voice’. It even reached the #4 position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and ended up winning a Grammy award for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” in 2015.  

Kanye co-wrote this song with Paul McCartney and claims that the words were channeled through his pen by his mother Donda West, who had died back in 2007. The lyrics are simple, yet beautiful, and they’re written from Donda’s perspective. She implores to tell her young granddaughter, North-West, about her. Kanye’s autotuned vocals and a simple back tone makes this song a comfortable lullaby to listen to. This song shares the pain of all those people who miss their departed grandparents and lends them a supporting shoulder.  

This is Warren Zevon’s last song of his final album. He began working on it after he had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and it’s a heartbreaking endmost farewell. His fans noticed his voice to be significantly frailer in it, but the acoustic guitar is somewhat uplifting even in a morbid, sorrowful environment. He figuratively shrugs his shoulders in a carefree way at the mortal decision of his fate, and never comes close to gathering even a hint of sympathy from the listeners. He reassures his fans in the most beautiful yet mortifying way, saying “If I leave you, it doesn’t mean I love you any less”. His fans will forever hold on to some lines in this song of a farewell from Zevon, and one of those will be; “I’m tied to you like the buttons on your blouse.”  

If someone dies, and leaves heaps of love for you as they go, that’s sometimes enough to get by without them... Sometimes. That’s exactly what “Ocean Breathes Salty” is about. The song’s front man, Isaac Brock, vows to carry on the delightful memory of a beloved departed soul. He sings that the body of that person may be perished, but he’ll carry them in his head, heart, and soul. This idea, of finding hope and happiness in an irreversibly sorrowful situation, gives this song a unique out of this world feel. Not to mention, the kaleidoscopic instrumental that comes right before a catchy chorus, just ensures that the track never gets old.  

The lyrics of “Happy Without Me” are about as said as they get. Paired with Labrinth’s incredibly soulful voice, this song becomes something absolutely out of this world. Labrinth captures the pain of a love triangle so wonderfully well, and every one-sided lover feels the intensity of that sorrow along with him. Another interpretation of this song, which was famously taken by Josh Daniels on X-Factor, associates this song with deceased loved ones.   You might have seen this performance, which left the famously cold-hearted judge, Simon Cowell, in tears. It’s a timeless classic, and all its success on the charts is well-deserved!  

A list of sad songs without Adele’s mention would be a crime. “Someone Like You” is her take on the situation where a lover accepts the relationship’s end and sees their significant other happy with someone else. It’s excruciatingly painful to see the love of your life spend their life happily with a stranger, but you’ve got to accept it nonetheless. Hence the lyrics “Never mind, I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you.” The video shows a lonely Adele walk along in a black and white, sadly toned video, where she sings about her failed-love blues. To this day, it’s one of her biggest hits, currently sitting at 1.4 billion views on YouTube!  

The world-famous tribute to the last Fast and Furious star, Paul Walker, “See You Again” is a timeless song. He died in a tragic car crash in November 2013, when his car burst into flames in Valencia, California. To this day, Paul’s fans get a tear in their eye on hearing it. The first verse from Wiz Khalifa is sung from the perspective of Vin Diesel and the other cast members, while the second one is written from Paul Walker’s perspective, ending with “Remember me when I’m gone.” The music video became the very first hip-hop genre song to hit 1 billion views on YouTube. It remained at the top of Billboard Hot 100 for over 12 weeks.  

No matter how happy you are in life, a few depressing lows are bound to approach every now and then. These sad times are important not just because of the lessons they bring, but also because they allow us to truly appreciate happiness. Getting through these can be hard, with each day feeling like it’s crushing you more and more. However, music has always been a soothing source of redemption when depression says hi. It’s important to understand that getting back up instantly isn’t always required, you can take your time and heal up sometimes. Yes, the end goal is to be happy again, but sadness isn’t taboo – it's a human emotion, and it’s what makes happiness worthwhile.  

Countless songs are written with a depressed state of mind, and many of them have been all-time favorites of people. Every sad listener relates to these tracks, and ends up feeling better knowing their sorrow is shared by many. This article has been entirely dedicated to introducing you to such songs – who knows, maybe you’ve found your next on-repeat song addiction here! After all, music has been the saving grace for many depressed folks out there, and we hope it could help you out as well. All the best!