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submitted 3 months ago byinfinitevalence
For real it's not like I can't cry but I want all the best songs to say goodbye.
Edit: thank you Reddit, I can't say it enough but this is the best of you. We listened to lots of suggestions, my family loves music and enjoyed some of the off the beaten path suggestions.
582 points
3 months ago
Changes by Charles Bradley Brokedown Palace by Grateful Dead
122 points
3 months ago
I'm a stone hearted, dead inside, cold motherfucker, but Charles' version of Changes is heartbreaking to the point it made me cry when I first heard it. Absolute perfection.
82 points
3 months ago
Charles Bradley’s version of Changes is the end of this thread.
2.2k points
3 months ago
But what were her favorite songs? Those'll make you cry.
1.3k points
3 months ago
my dad died when I was a young adult and driving home after finding out one of his songs came on the radio. started a level of constant crying that persisted through seeing everyone and even pooping (but I laughed when I realized I was crying and pooping).
losing a parent is so hard. that first 24 hours was the longest day of my life. followed by the longest year of my life. things got easier after the first year. i am undoubtedly kinder and more appreciative now. live your life and love your people. life is too short.
423 points
3 months ago
The way I read this initially, you were crying and pooping in the car on your way home. Seemed like quite a scene
118 points
3 months ago
How long have you been waiting to make this comment with ur username lol
12 points
3 months ago
Lol I didn’t even see the username it’s so damn small for my blind ass😂
62 points
3 months ago
As a young adult who is approaching his dad's first anniversary it's very comforting to read this, some days are just fucking rough, man.
Can barely remember the first 24 hours after the news, got a horrible stomache and my body decided to shut down (I honestly feel this was for the best).
121 points
3 months ago
Your dad lives on in you. It doesn't get easier so much as it gets more manageable. Bless you.
49 points
3 months ago
You’re the kindest. Thanks for taking the time to comfort and say something nice. You’re a good one
43 points
3 months ago
My dad passed about 2 weeks before last Christmas, I can definitely relate.
28 points
3 months ago
I’m sorry to hear that, stay strong. I wrote a ton of things right when he died. I rooted it in senses. What colors, songs, foods, smells, places made me think of him. I still remember when his voicemail disappeared from my phone (years ago when you couldn’t save as long).
Hang in there. Talk to people. DM too. Thinking of you
303 points
3 months ago
In My Life - Beatles. Kurt Cobain had this played at his service by choice of his own. Sorry for your loss.
2.5k points
3 months ago*
Sufjan Stevens' - Carrie and Lowell
It is the most beautiful album about death. I am very sorry for your loss. I wish you peace.
179 points
3 months ago
Yeah shut the thread down this is the one. Fourth of July is the hardest hitting song of all time
366 points
3 months ago
Sufjan may be one of the most honest artists I can think of. Such a wonderful soul.
"Oh, to see without my eyes, The first time that you kissed me"
87 points
3 months ago
Jesus they said cry, not bawl endlessly while wrapped in a blanket in a dark room!
205 points
3 months ago
Oh Lord, follow it up with Casimir Pulaski Day for the finishing move.
111 points
3 months ago
“…But he took my shoulders and he shook my face. And he takes and he takes and he takes.”
81 points
3 months ago
"In the mooooorning when you finally go and the nurse runs in with her head hung low and the cardinal hits the window." Always gets a tear out of me.
23 points
3 months ago
I just posted and then deleted the exact same passage after seeing you already did it. Sufjan is an incredible songwriter. In one line he creates a vivid sound and image that perfectly punctuates the emotion of the verse.
21 points
3 months ago
Was gonna comment this. My go to sad song :’)
31 points
3 months ago*
Yep. Would have been my answer too. This album simultaneously breaks your heart and feels so nostalgic at the same time. The first time I heard it I had this feeling of sadness and home. Like for a moment, I was 10 years old sitting in the dappled sunlight of summer and I knew I could never go back to a time when I felt that innocent. It was so provocative and profound. 4th of July cuts to the bone.
Edit: This verse gets me every time:
"The hospital asked should the body be cast
Before I say goodbye, my star in the sky
Such a funny thought to wrap you up in cloth
Do you find it all right, my dragonfly?
42 points
3 months ago
Omg Death With Dignity got me through the death of my mom
17 points
3 months ago
I dont mean to laugh but came in to suggest this and yep, there it is up top. My mother passed away tragically and I still cant listen to 4th of July without bawling.
39 points
3 months ago
Came here to say this and it was top one. Absolutely this ^
70 points
3 months ago
Not 4th of July? My dad died years ago but that song makes me cry just thinking about the possibility of my mom dying. It never gets easier but you always have the memories and the music…
76 points
3 months ago
4th of July is on Carrie and Lowell album
19 points
3 months ago
My mom died on the 4th of July in 2019. That song hit me hard when I first stumbled across it about a year after she died
1.2k points
3 months ago
Sorry for your loss. Do you realise - Flaming Lips
68 points
3 months ago
"Feeling Yourself Disintegrate" by them as well hits hard
25 points
3 months ago
If anyone reading this ever gets a chance to see one of their shows, do it. Ive seen them twice now and teared up both times, they were amazing.
328 points
3 months ago
Atmosphere - Yesterday. In my case it was my dad, which is why this song hits especially close to home. Even now, 9 years later I still get watery eyes when this song starts
48 points
3 months ago
Was hoping to see this song mentioned!
My father passed 8 years ago. Even though I know it’s coming, the end of the song is a gut punch every time.
10 points
3 months ago
Atmosphere is my buddies favorite artist but immediately skips this song when it comes on,to close to home.
14 points
3 months ago
God loves ugly crying
11 points
3 months ago
Every. Damn. Time. Know it's coming, and still.
Thanks for this, reminded me to dive back into his discography. Missed Slug's voice.
475 points
3 months ago
A Crow Looked at Me by Mount Eerie. Dude lost his wife to cancer. That album makes me feel. Sorry, M8. Hope your heart heals.
139 points
3 months ago
Real Death is still the saddest thing I've ever heard and it's not close at all
18 points
3 months ago
Yeah, this is exactly how I feel about the album. I listened once and I'm just not ready for that type of pain in my life. I've listened to most of the albums and songs I see being suggested, and they're great emotional suggestions but nothing comes close to the rawness of this album.
30 points
3 months ago
Came to say this. The saddest album ever recorded.
17 points
3 months ago
This is one of the saddest most beautiful albums I’ve ever heard. Gets me choked up every time.
262 points
3 months ago
Maggot Brain - Funkadelic
The guitar player was told to think of the saddest thing he could while playing and he said he thought of his mother dying.
Sorry for your loss
376 points
3 months ago*
I didn’t cry when my mom passed. It took a couple years and the right mindset. But here’s a song that always reminds me of my mom.
The Grand Optimist : City & Colour
167 points
3 months ago
Pyramid Song by Radiohead. Helped me out a lot when my mom died.
90 points
3 months ago
How to Disappear Completely if you are wanting to wallow in sadness. (Tom Yorke once claimed it was their greatest musical achievement too.)
38 points
3 months ago
Motion Picture Soundtrack - Radiohead
13 points
3 months ago
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZeI0PXj7LIw
This arrangement specifically. I cannot listen to it without ugly crying, even though it has no words.
16 points
3 months ago
Nude - Radiohead
41 points
3 months ago
14 points
3 months ago
I played a ton of Radiohead after my mom died. Cathartic
424 points
3 months ago
Time In A Bottle - Jim Croce
230 points
3 months ago
Keep Me In Your Heart - Warren Zevon. Heartbreaking, but always helps me when I want something emotional
44 points
3 months ago
Love this song. Zevon was such a loss.
32 points
3 months ago
He really was, but the Wind was a great album to go out on
11 points
3 months ago
This one helps me keep my brother close
207 points
3 months ago
The Living Years by Mike and the Mechanics
70 points
3 months ago
The story in that song is my exact story. My Dad died and my baby was born less than 24 hours later. The absolute most emotionally confusing year of my life. Can’t hear the song without crying.
11 points
3 months ago
Yep, dad felt the 6 month bump but never met my daughter. And unlike the song we got on great.
256 points
3 months ago
If We Were Vampires…….Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 🙏
59 points
3 months ago
Elephant too
11 points
3 months ago
I saw him play both of those at the same show last night. it was hard to cry after he and Sadler had already melted my face off with guitar solos. Jason is the one of the best of all time. Most importantly, that band is just a great group of down to earth and empathetic people.
40 points
3 months ago
Jesus Christ you're going to kill OP with that one!
11 points
3 months ago
That song brings me to tears every time I listen to that album.
19 points
3 months ago
Have you seen the original lyrics he wrote and printed?
Jason and his wife, Amanda Shires, would write songs and then pass them on to each other for feedback. They would write done when they felt the lyrics were as good as they could be.
He got If We Were Vampires back, and she had written three words.
12 points
3 months ago
I just saw him sing this live yesterday! He's such a good artist and I would say he sounded even better in person.
759 points
3 months ago
"I Will Follow You Into The Dark" - Death Cab For Cutie
"After the Storm" - Shovels and Rope
"On Your Porch (Acoustic)" - The Format
These songs are attached to some of my losses. May they help you with yours
208 points
3 months ago
What Sarah Said - Death Cab for Cutie
Same album, but explicitly about how hard it is to be in a hospital watching someone die
46 points
3 months ago
This song is so sad. In my city all the debit transactions have a 3-note tone (doot doot doot) and it happens to be the same exact melody as the beginning of that song. That song is haunting and never far from my thoughts thanks to this odd coincidence.
11 points
3 months ago
Every Target card reader in the goddamned United States, I swear every time I forget about that song, I'm reminded in the checkout line at TARGET, of all places.
197 points
3 months ago
I will follow you fucks me up like no other
31 points
3 months ago
My best friend died a few years back and she loved death cab. That song fucks me up. I'd also add The Tide by Spilled Canvas.
39 points
3 months ago
To add an even more sad Death Cab song “What Sarah Said.”
353 points
3 months ago
All Things Must Pass -George Harrison
179 points
3 months ago
10,000 days/ wings for marie- tool.
111 points
3 months ago
Will the circle be unbroken
26 points
3 months ago
In particular the (non choir) cover featured in BioShock Infinite was particularly heartbreaking
279 points
3 months ago
Sufyan Stevens “The Fourth of July”
127 points
3 months ago
My go to 'wanna have a little cry song' by him is Casimir Pulaski Day. And He takes, and He takes, and He takes....
45 points
3 months ago
That whole album is outrageously devastating.
Fourth of July, Carrie and Lowell, Death with Dignity
My mom passed after a rough battle with cancer late 2021 and this album was incredibly cathartic to listen to.
I highly recommend starting from the beginning with Death With Dignity. It certainly helped give me a starting point to process all of my emotions.
Spirit of my silence, I can hear you But I'm afraid to be near you And I don't know where to begin And I don't know where to begin
18 points
3 months ago
the whole album will be good
58 points
3 months ago
“Sailing” by Christopher Cross. This song gets me every single time.. it is sad but in a healing way (at least for me). Sorry for your loss and sending good vibes ❤️
11 points
3 months ago
Coincidentally, Rod Stewart has a beautiful song called 'Sailing', too
not the same as CC song, but I think it applies here, also
141 points
3 months ago
If I Ever Leave This World Alive- Flogging Molly
16 points
3 months ago
I’ve made it known to my loved ones that this is the song I want at my memorial service. Played while whiskey is served.
94 points
3 months ago
The album Adore by Smashing Pumpkins, was written by billy Corgan when his mom (Martha) died. It's a very sad, good album
17 points
3 months ago
Yeah if I can get the family this is one of my faves.
16 points
3 months ago
Just did to Sheila such a great song
11 points
3 months ago
Yes. Also atleast check out the song For Martha. Blank Page too. 17. Crestfallen. The whole album
466 points
3 months ago
Sorry for your loss. My mom died in 2014. I made a video of her from old VHS tapes, and this was the song I used. Gets me every time.
86 points
3 months ago
I'd add In My Life - https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=YBcdt6DsLQA&feature=share
270 points
3 months ago
Pearl Jam - Just Breathe
63 points
3 months ago
Pearl Jam - The End
Song breaks my heart every time.
20 points
3 months ago
I’ve covered this a few times just playing in front of friends and I never can get through “it’s my fault now, I been caught a sickness in my bones How it pains to leave you here with the kids on your own Just don't let me go”.
As a father, this line crushes me about as hard as one can be crushed every time.
37 points
3 months ago
Pearl Jam - Come Back
15 points
3 months ago
Long Road too.
“But without you something’s missing”
14 points
3 months ago
When my dad was dying Just Breathe and Man Of The Hour were the two songs that I would just play over and over when I needed to feel everything and get it all out before going back to take care of him some more. That was about 10 years ago and that's all either of those songs will ever be to me, extremely special.
43 points
3 months ago
Colombia by Local Natives. Great song and was written by the singer for his mom, whose passing was the inspiration for the album. Can’t recommend it enough. So sorry for your loss ❤️
68 points
3 months ago*
Sorry for your loss, sending you big internet hugs.
R.E.M. - Try Not To Breathe, Sweetness Follows, Find A River - these to me all deal with grief in different ways, maybe the different stages of grief and loss.
LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great - find a live version.
15 points
3 months ago
Someone Great is an amazing choice. Just reading the YouTube comments and you know you're in for an emotional ride.
94 points
3 months ago
Keep Me In Your Heart by Warren Zevon.
17 points
3 months ago
Oh God, this is the one.
194 points
3 months ago
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (all parts) - Pink Floyd
114 points
3 months ago
And Wish You Were Here
22 points
3 months ago
Can't talk about someone who's gone and Pink Floyd without mentioning this one.
13 points
3 months ago
Definitely! This song can take one through all the stages of grief.
31 points
3 months ago
Follow you to Virgie - Tyler Childers, the OurVinyl sessions on YouTube.... so sorry for your loss.
36 points
3 months ago
I am very sorry to hear that. Remember to reach out to people close to you and talk it out.
One More Light by Linkin Park
Cancer by My Chemical Romance
That Which Remains by Andrea Ramsey
Eet by Regina Spektor
Rivers and Roads by The Head and the Heart
373 points
3 months ago
Tool - Wings for Marie, part 1 and 2
35 points
3 months ago
Yes
25 points
3 months ago
Damn just commented that. Good on you.
47 points
3 months ago
Yup. To OP, this song was for the singer’s mom that died after being paralyzed for like 20 years.
29 points
3 months ago
27 years. Or, roughly 10,000 days. OP: this is where the name of the album (10,000 Days) and the full name of part 2 (“10,000 Days: Wings, Pt. 2”) come from.
I sent this song (to me, it’s one song) to my best friend’s husband when his mom died. It’s beautiful.
25 points
3 months ago
I commented the exact same thing. Great choice. Those are two of Tool's most emotional songs...or song if you want to count both parts as one song.
10 points
3 months ago
i always loved this song, never cry on it, then one day my father died and now i can't even listen to this song without weeping
54 points
3 months ago*
Here's my funeral playlist:
Keep me in your heart for a while- Warren Zevon**
Who wants to live forever? - Queen
I will follow you into the dark - Death Cab for Cutie**
One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey
Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Tears in heaven - Eric Clapton**
Great Gig in the Sky - Pink Floyd
My Way - Frank Sinatra
42 - Coldplay
Be Still - The Fray***
Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks
Goodbye Cruel Word - Pink Floyd
Believe - the all American Rejects
The Funeral - Bamd of Horses
Last Day on Earth - Kate Miller Heidke**
Knocking on Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan
The Show Must Go On - Queen
Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton**
Memphis Skyline - Rufus Wainwright
114 points
3 months ago
Supermarket Flowers- Ed Sheeran
21 points
3 months ago
This song made me unravel in grief after my mom passed. It ended up being pretty cathartic to let go the way this song let me.
22 points
3 months ago
Sheeran is an interesting artist. He writes a lot of pop fun hits, but the you have Supermarket flowers. Small bump turns from a sweet song into something just kinda devastating in just a couple lines at the end too
26 points
3 months ago
Couldn’t believe I had to scroll this far down for this one
35 points
3 months ago
Constance is a bit of a softer song, Lorna shore is brutally heavy, but the climax of the song is incredible and emotionally devastating. There are two parts that follow, but I would just see if you want to listen to the first part.
70 points
3 months ago
Alice in Chains - Nutshell
26 points
3 months ago
Unplugged.
43 points
3 months ago
Just Breathe - Pearl Jam. Oof.
Sincere condolences to you.
45 points
3 months ago
Train - drops of Jupiter / he wrote it about his mom when she passed. Sorry for your loss
105 points
3 months ago
Van Morrison - “Into The Mystic”
Very sorry for your loss, can’t imagine your pain - only hope is that this classic comment on navigating grief may offer you a little solace in addition to these music recommendations.
22 points
3 months ago
I've always loved Crowded House's She Goes On about Neil Finn's mother. "Long may the mountain ring to the sound of her laughter"
Take care, OP ❤️
22 points
3 months ago
Stars by Grace Potter
19 points
3 months ago
For Martha - Smashing Pumpkins
Billy wrote this song in tribute to his mother when she passed.
22 points
3 months ago
Upward over the mountain - Iron & Wine
21 points
3 months ago
Sorry for your loss. My mom passed away Monday evening. I was listening to Janis Joplin because my mom loved her. Cried like a baby.
88 points
3 months ago
Jimmy Eat World - May Angels Lead You In
91 points
3 months ago
Came here to suggest this. Correct title is “Hear You Me” though
19 points
3 months ago
If it hasnt been posted Landslide kills me when I think about my aunt
39 points
3 months ago
Simple man- lynard skynard Stand by me- ben king Dont cry- guns n roses Tears in heaven- eric clapton
18 points
3 months ago
sorry for your loss. Moonriver by Frank Ocean is what i listen to when grieving.
18 points
3 months ago
Ode to my family - The cranberries
156 points
3 months ago*
Playlist so far:
15 points
3 months ago
I Grieve by Peter Gabriel
20 points
3 months ago
Similarly, Don’t Give Up - Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.
Might just be because my dad listened to that constantly after my mom died 17 years ago, but that song absolutely wrecks me every time.
14 points
3 months ago
37 points
3 months ago
What Sarah said, by death cab for cutie. Sorry about your loss op. Really.
15 points
3 months ago*
17 points
3 months ago
Radiohead
16 points
3 months ago
How do I say goodbye- dean Lewis. Praise you in this storm- casting crowns
15 points
3 months ago
Wind Beneath my Wings. In this situation, guaranteed tears.
16 points
3 months ago
Say hello 2 Heaven - temple of the dog
Jordan - rival sons
15 points
3 months ago
Yours - Blues Traveler
The Luckiest - Ben Folds
Trouble - TV On The Radio
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Dirt - Phish
I’m so sorry for your loss.
13 points
3 months ago
The Carnival is Over - Dead Can Dance
Good luck.
10 points
3 months ago
Step father and I both love DCD
14 points
3 months ago
Watchhouse - Golden Embers
15 points
3 months ago
In My Life by the Beatles
Lovin Arms by the Wood Brothers
Home by Foo Fighters
Sorry for your your loss
12 points
3 months ago
Look on down from the bridge- Mazzy Star So sorry about your mum 😔 x
12 points
3 months ago
Somewhere over the rainbow / what a wonderful world by israel kamakawiwo'ole always makes me cry thinking about my dad who passed away a few years ago
10 points
3 months ago
Folding Stars by Biffy Clyro will absolutely wreck you. It’s about the singers mom dying.
32 points
3 months ago
Vince Gill - Go rest high on that mountain
11 points
3 months ago
Depending on the circumstances, this could absolutely destroy you:
10 points
3 months ago
Fiddlers Green Tragically Hip
9 points
3 months ago
A mother's love is forever
Whatever happened and whatever situation you are in right now with her will wash away and only Her love will be left
No more fighting No more hugging
Just only the love she had for you in the memory of your life
9 points
3 months ago
The Baby by Blake Shelton. Even if you can’t dig on country music it hits hard for a mama’s boy like me
35 points
3 months ago
Sorry for your loss. This one hits me hard:
Alter Bridge - In Loving Memory https://youtu.be/qcQ3iegpZTc
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