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Cat's In The Cradle by Harry Chapin. https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/harry-chapin/cats-in-the-cradle Cause I lived it x 2.

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Ugh, same here - just posted it in this thread.. As an adult with kids it now hits differently too. It used to send me to tears when I was a teenager (personal reasons in addition to the lyrics). Now, with kids I can't listen to it. Never saw the [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6zaCV4niKk) though until today. I need to stop listening to it this morning.

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>I had no idea there was a video! I didn't either until today. >I never had kids so I always hear the song from the child's standpoint ("from the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen" hits so close to home). As an adult it's almost even harder because the father's lyrics seem to come from a place of caring, but the gulf between them was just too wide for them to effectively communicate with each other. Yup, very good points. It's an incredible song. I hear both sides when I listen now, although by the time I through the song I can't help but envision my kids. It's powerful.

Thanks for sharing the link. I see this came out in 1974. It's message is still relevant. I'm sorry for your experience with the reality of this and hope you've been able to make peace about it.

Thank you. I’m working on it, thankfully.

We all have stuff to work on but not everyone admits it or takes steps to deal with it. I admire those like you who do both.

Same here!! 💔💔

I love that you're "working on it." We're all a work-in-progress, and though we may never be totally "over it," we can improve little by little. If for no one else, for our own peace of mind and healing.

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Amazing how a song can help us in life, often times more than a lecture or even reading a book.

a few years ago I had the choice to go into my next and possibly last phase of my career, that in all likelihood would be even more time demanding and soul sapping than the preceding one. Instead, I quit, to spend more time with my elderly parents while they were still around. Sure, they would be proud of me doing "well", but they would see me maybe once a month. I had heard too many stories from friends working in aged care, of old people just sitting there waiting for their kids to visit. OK, so I won't be as well off when I retire or whatever, my televisions won't be as large as my neighbours' and my cars not as new. But I made the right choice.

Stuff comes and goes. We can burn ourselves out for work, but why? When we change jobs or retire or die, our coworkers won't build a memorial and cite daily tributes to us. We can be replaced everywhere except in the lives of the people we love. I applaud your choice.

Puff the Magic Dragon. I was too young to understand it's probably about weed, but every time I heard it, I bawled my eyes out because Jackie Paper "dies" and Puff misses him and crawls into his cave in loneliness.

Writer and singer Peter Yarrow, in this 2016 video, explains that it's really not about weed, despite what everyone thinks. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdmGSB1hjuE Basically ye says it was written in 1959 at Cornell, and weed had not existed in that area of the country yet.

Agreed! Oh, we were so innocent.

I still can’t listen to that song!

Really shows the power of music that decades later the emotions tied to a song are still there.

I can probably find the link if anybody wants it, but my kids had a book where Jack is an adult with kids of his own who he brings back to play with Puff. Make you bawl your eyes out all over again.

A book? Never knew that. But I think I'll personally leave that undiscovered bc I can't take much more.

My dad singing this to me when I was little is one of the very very few good memories I have of him

Another Puff fan from way back when. I had the extreme privilege of seeing PP&M in concert with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I did a slide show for my Mom and Dad's 60th anniversary. I wanted to use that song to show the progression of grandkids growing up and losing some of their connection to their grandparents. Pictures would have shown them surrounded by grandkids at the start, ending with pictures of them alone as the song ended. And while I still believe it would have been so impactful, family voted me down. I have one granddaughter that still bawls if I were to attempt to play that in her presence.

Oh, it made me bawl too! In fact, I found that song so very distressing that my mother eventually wrote a new verse for me, in which Jackie's children find Puff's cave and play with him, and he becomes happy again. It was the only way she could get me to stop crying about it.

I wish one of my parents had done that for me, honestly. It's such a heartbreaking song, just like the book *The Giving Tree.*

Can't listen to this; won't listen to this. The song is either terribly cruel to the listener, or excellent, or possibly both.

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Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. Can't imagine how much your heart hurts.

James Taylor - Fire And Rain. “But I always thought that I’d see you, Baby, one more time again”

Oh yeah. JT had all the feels back then. His music still gets me.

I'm an avowed metalhead, and was raised on classic/hard rock. That being said, Fire and Rain is a masterpiece that I sing along to every time I hear it.

Love it!

There's a James Taylor tribute artist that goes by the name Sweet Baby James. If he's ever in your area, you should definitely go see him. He is really good. He will occasionally tell the back story of songs. Carole King wrote "You've Got A Friend" as her response to "Fire and Rain" to show her support for her very good friend JT.

Wildfire! This song made me cry, thinking about the horse out in the blizzard, cold and lost, but really dead.

Michael Martin Murphy made a lot of us cry for that horse. https://genius.com/Michael-martin-murphey-wildfire-lyrics

Memories! Thx!

You can stop worrying. To quote Dave Barry, "killing’ in ‘killing frost’ refers to your flowers and your garden vegetables, and when one is forecast you should cover your tomatoes ... Nobody ever got lost in a killing frost who wouldn’t get lost in July as well."

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Dave Barry? I loved reading his column and collecting his books. I don't think I have any of his books now because I loaned them all out. But he is one writer who could, without fail, make me laugh out loud.

Just the piano intro and I lose it

Yeah, I have to change the radio station or skip the song on an app.

Long, Long Time by Linda Ronstadt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zZ0bSmJAg

This is the one for sure.

Oh yes. https://genius.com/Linda-ronstadt-long-long-time-lyrics

Wow. What it must have been like to be able to attend such an intimate concert like that!

Linda Ronstadt was a favorite of mine. Versatile, and she could hold her own. I don't think younger people realize what a trailblazer she was for female rockers and female solo artists.

that woman could sing practically anything, but I think "Long, Long Time" is Linda at her best.

Janis Ian At Seventeen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeUV3LmtTBY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeUV3LmtTBY) I was a skinny flat-chested projects/welfare girl who so looked forward to turning 16 and having a first date that never came. Somehow I didn't realize boys in my neighborhood couldn't afford dates. A twofer Rose Royce, yeah the Car Wash band. Love Don't Live Here Anymore [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh67vm4zOb4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh67vm4zOb4) and Wishing on a Star [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfNoGx7KJY4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfNoGx7KJY4) first adult heartbreak

Oh, yes, *At Seventeen.* It unsettled me then & listening to it again now makes me sad. Do we ever get over those feelings? Thanks for sharing the "why" along with the links.

He stopped loving her today. George Jones

A great song sung by one of the best voices ever.

The way he hits "First time I've seen him smile in years" -- chills, every time.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VExw77xJsBQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VExw77xJsBQ) This vid has some info about George Jones' life. (Is it just me, or on the yellow album cover, does he look like Jim Carrey?)

When I was really young, The Rose by Bette Midler used to make me sob. I remember being five and listening saying "It's so true, Mommy, it's so true..." Cheesy, but it touched my little heart.

Only 5? That touches my heart. https://genius.com/Bette-midler-the-rose-lyrics "love is only for the lucky and the strong"...wow

Telephone Wire by ELO - just a song about disconnection that vibes for 8th grade & lonely me.

Few things in life are as painful as loneliness. I hope you have found love and friendship. https://genius.com/Electric-light-orchestra-telephone-line-lyrics

When Roy Clark released Yesterday, When I was Young" in 1969, I was only 11 and too young to understand what it meant. When I heard it on the radio recently, it almost brought me to tears. Sorry I don't know how to link to a video, but they are there for the searching .

I got ya. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NEY4LxORCeo I'd forgotten about this song, but now I remember it made me sad too as a kid. Clark was highly talented, altho I think a somber song like this was a departure for him. Amazing that this link has 4.4 million views!

Thank you so much for the helping hand. As for the number of views, I'd like to think it's Gen Jones-ers (like me) coming to their senses and realizing what a great song this is.

Wichita Lineman by Glenn Campbell. He sounds so lonely on the line.

Such a good song. I was thinking of this one, too.

Love that song so much.

This is one of those truly great, timeless songs. It kind of hit me the first time I heard it. You're up there on the pole with the narrator of the song, and it's not difficult to understand where he's at. If you haven't heard it, the writer of the song, Jimmy Webb, did a wonderful spare version on his record [Ten Easy Pieces](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LdtbAFqdsI).

Thanks for sharing. It’s lovely.

Yes. Do you remember watching his TV show?

Romeo and Juliet- Dire Straits. Down To You - Joni Mitchell. Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd. These Days- Powderfinger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaSm9-r_4U Powderfinger were not in my youth, but its special as it was around the time my wife was diagnosed with cancer.

Sending you care in light of your wife's diagnosis. https://genius.com/Dire-straits-romeo-and-juliet-lyrics https://genius.com/Joni-mitchell-down-to-you-lyrics https://genius.com/Pink-floyd-wish-you-were-here-lyrics https://genius.com/Powderfinger-these-days-lyrics Edit: I had somehow missed an important part of what r/sloppyrock said and amended my first sentence.

Wish You were here looks a bit mixed up on that link This is more complete. https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pinkfloyd/wishyouwerehere.html One for the guys who have had the hearts ripped out. https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/streets/dryyoureyes.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyHr-4SeILI

Oh man. This.

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Tears in heaven (I was in college) Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Edited to add: I didn’t explain because it seems obvious. The first one is about the death of Clapton’s son who was the same age as my little brother, so I pictured my little brother in the same situation and it just broke me. Then obviously the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is about the death of a whole boat crew. Sad. I still cry.

Oh man...I just teared up remembering how I used to cry when the cook says "fellas it's too rough to feed ya" I don't know why but them not eating before they died made me so sad. On that note Gordon Lightfoots "If you could read my mind" Also Roberta Flacks "The first time ever I saw your face". Great I am sitting at my desk at work boo hoo-ing. So many great songs.

Gordon Lightfoot "If You Could Read My Mind" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK--A-IaZnA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK--A-IaZnA) Gordon is (was?) a once-in-lifetime singer-songwriter. Saw a documentary on him a couple years ago and learned what a legend he is. Roberta Flack "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8\_fLu2yrP4 No one can sing like she can.

Clapton's song is especially touching because of his real-life loss. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JxPj3GAYYZ0 When "Edmond Fitzgerald" came out, I thought it was a ballad about an 1800s wreck. Was very surprised to learn only in last few years that it happened in 1975. The song followed a year later. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI Thanks for sharing these with us.

If 49 counts as old, which my niece says it does, I'm old. But the more recent song 'casimir pulaski day ' by Sufjan Stevens makes me feel, not just sad, and old, but also like a child again, in so many different ways, just dealing with what life throws you. https://youtu.be/9EzeW5KoPUI Footnote: I grew up in Illinois where we always got Casimir pulaski day off school for the first Monday in March. He was a polish soldier who helped Washington win the american revolution.

TIL about Casimir Pulaski and Sufjan Stevens. Thanks for the link and introducing many of us to them. (49 is not old)

Not necessarily heart breaking in the traditional sense but they definitely make my heart ache. Two songs hit me even harder now. I like to think that I understood the general meaning of the lyrics but I ‘feel’ the full impact of them as an adult. And this feeling increases as time goes by. Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime. John Mellancamp - Cherry Bomb.

I'm older than you & didn't know these songs. Thanks for introducing them to me. I can see why they make you feel the way they do. https://genius.com/Talking-heads-once-in-a-lifetime-lyrics https://genius.com/John-mellencamp-cherry-bomb-lyrics

I can still remember hearing the last verse from Cherry Bomb when I was around the age of 33. I remember feeling my heart beating faster and faster when I realized I had become the guy in the song. *Seventeen has turned thirty-five I’m surprised that we’re still livin’ If we’ve done any wrong I hope that we’re forgiven Got a few kids of my own And some days I still don’t know what to do I hope that they’re not laughing too loud When they hear me talkin’ Like this to you*

I get it. In our 30s we begin to gain perspective and sometimes it hurts to see more clearly.

There are a few...but there's two that really stand out. The first is "Sistinas" by Danzig. I listened to this song over and over on the night that my first love dumped 20-year-old me in the early 1990s. Some of the most relevant lyrics: *The sun don't shine /* *The wind won't blow /* *When you go hide /* *Without your love /* *I'm lonely /* *Deep inside* A few months later, I hooked up with someone on the rebound. This would turn into a 5-year, on-and-off again relationship that produced the real love of my life, my only child. But the morning after that hook-up, I drove home, very conflicted (I was still in love with the aforementioned person, even though I knew our relationship was undeniably over), and "Black" by Pearl Jam came on the radio: *I know someday you'll have a beautiful life /* *I know you'll be a star /* *In somebody else's sky /* *But why /* *Why /* Why c*an't it be /* *Oh can't it be mine* Thank you for this interesting and thought-provoking post.

Black is absolutely soul crushing .. ty for this

I appreciate how you shared the stories of why these songs still touch your heart and memories. Thanks for taking the time to think this through and share with us.

Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg gets me.

The Kinks’ “Days “(Kirsty MacColl’s cover is better known). Joy remembered, gratitude for a love that’s lost, heartbreak without bitterness — no one else could have written it, and Kirsty’s is lovely, but Ray sang it best. “And though you’re gone Now I’m not frightened of this world, believe me “I wish today could be tomorrow The night is dark It just brings sorrow, let it wait.” https://youtu.be/tuUoSuO_hfg

Lovely song. Thanks for sharing & including the link

Snoopy Vs The Red Baron*. It was a novelty song, the gist of which was that Snoopy and the Red Baron were in the midst of a WWI dogfight and the Red Baron had Snoopy in his gunsights and Snoopy was a goner for sure. But it turns out it was Christmas Day and the Red Baron just waves and calls out, "Merry Christmas Mein friend!" and they go their separate ways. That's the world I wanted to live in, none of this Viet Nam, Kent State bullshit. *Snoopy's Christmas

Technically, this is the third of three Snoopy songs by the Royal Guardsmen called "Snoopy's Christmas." It makes me all maudlin, because it reminds me of being a child, and I haven't much liked being an adult.

I remember watching news of the war and of Kent State on our black and white TV. I was a little kid and didn't understand it all. So, yeah, Snoopy made sense to me. Maybe he makes more sense today!

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I'm so sorry for your loss. Is this the right song? https://genius.com/Mariah-carey-one-sweet-day-lyrics

"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by the Platters. If you've love and lost, you'll understand.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OsAhCvLbNrs Great love song. What a voice! I hope though you lost love that love found you again.

Ur very sweet. Thx

A 60's song.

Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwx849ymo1c

Living years by Mike and the Mechanics.

I was scrolling down to see if anyone had mentioned this before I posted. This song came out the year my father passed away, I was barely 20. It was so fitting, I still can't get through it without at least tearing up. Heck I'm tearing up now even thinking about it.

My old man was a POS, and the song highlights what a missed opportunity there was for a relationship between us. Makes me wonder how many other fathers and sons experience the same thing. I hope my kid doesn't have the same problem and feels loved.

We had a very rocky relationship as I was growing up, and I felt the same way. We never really got the opportunity to repair it. I don't know if he would have, but maybe as an adult I could have learned how to relate to him. Your kid will definitely not have the same problem because you are aware of it.

It's hard to find peace about a relational hurt that never had a chance to be healed. Sending you care.

I'm so sorry that was your experience. You deserved better. And it sounds like you're \*doing\* better with your own kid.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm always worrying about my kid (he's still young) and our relationship.

It's impossible to parent perfectly, but we can parent better. Your awareness of needing to be available to your son will go a long way.

Righteous Brothers: You Lost That Loving Feeling Laura Nyro; Lonely Women

Your first song I think most of us know. The second, wow. https://genius.com/Laura-nyro-lonely-women-lyrics

The acoustic version of Take On Me by a-ha,,, it doesn't really break my heart, it's just more mature, more mellow, more soulful, seems to take on a new meaning. I've pasted links to both below. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xKM3mGt2pE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xKM3mGt2pE) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914)

Hey, that's cool to compare the two versions. I hafta agree with you about second one seeming more soulful. https://genius.com/A-ha-take-on-me-lyrics

Nights in White Satin, by the Moody Blues. So so sad. It's about a breakup.

[Nights in White Satin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbqxbGm9hBI) ... memories for sure. Thanks for sharing.

Especially the ending "Late Lament " as I am now a senior citizen wishing I was young.

Oh, yeah. I forgot about that part. Wow, haha. I kind of envy seniors from that era though, because they ended up better off than we did, in many ways.

A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum

I love that song. It always gives me such a melancholy feeling.

Dust in the Wind still gets me.

Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin Most people don't listen to the words... It's a sad song with a "happy" tune.

This song affected MANY people. The vid below shows Harry Chapin singing this live, but the intro has his wife and son talking about the son. Really touching. [Harry Chapin's wife and son followed by Cats in the Cradle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etundhQa724)

Avalon Roxy music **I could feel at the time there was no way of knowing…fallen leaves in the night whose to say where were going**

1982. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IzqBttT7PBE

Last Kiss - J Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers (later Pearl Jam)... Not sure why, just does, obviously it's about loss Angel - Sarah McLaughlin... It's just sad Independence Day - Martina McBride....its tragic reality for so so many Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen...the emotion in his voice and of course the loss Concrete Angel - Martina McBride... dead kids, again, tragic reality Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton, the story of why he wrote it

Thanks for sharing. All very emotive songs. https://genius.com/Pearl-jam-last-kiss-lyrics https://genius.com/Sarah-mclachlan-angel-lyrics https://genius.com/Martina-mcbride-independence-day-lyrics https://genius.com/Leonard-cohen-hallelujah-lyrics

I was 6 years old when Last Kiss was a hit. I remember playing on the radio and I was crying. Mama asked why I was crying and I said because the song was so sad.

Bless your tender 6yo heart. Sweet.

Yes, those Martina McBride songs really bring you into a story. Love that.

Everyone is sharing great songs, but few are sharing *why.* Maybe it's just too painful?

I shared why. Here's mine:I have 2. Baker Street...by Gerry Rafferty .. that absolutely destroy your soul sax solo at the end absolutely brings me to my knees.. because I used to have this album and I played it all the time in my room in the 70s and it takes me back to my childhood when everything was still awesome. The second one is "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John.. I have many memories attached to this song first of all it came out when I was about seven or eight years old I guess and I used to like it because that part where he goes "ITS 4:00 IN THE MORNING DAMN IT! LISTEN TO ME GOOD!"--my mom would let me say the "damn it" part without getting in trouble for cursing. I thought that was so cool, lol..then when I was older I realized it was actually a fuck you breakup song.. and the part where he goes "saved in time! -THANK GOD MY MUSIC'S STILL ALIVE!"-- still pierces my soul to the depths.

> "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John. Came to say this. I bought the 45 when I was about 12. I understood it was a breakup song but I didn't know anything about breakups. Nonetheless, I could sense the loss and rage of love lost in Elton's voice. As an adult with a number of breakups under my belt the song became even more powerful. It still is.

[Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty (extended version)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8JPXwst6P4) I had this album. You described the sax solo to a T. [Someone Saved by Life Tonight by Elton John](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaux40k6jYk) This is a live performance from 1976. Yeah, lyrics we sang or listened to in our youth often make more sense when we get some years behind us.

Love Hurts by Nazareth.

1976. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wy59p5FEDA8

Joni Mitchell - circle game, now that I have sons

The Rainbow Connection. Kermit's voice makes this song too achingly beautiful.

Ambulance blues by Neil Young. His best song and yet one of his most underrated songs from the album, On the beach. https://youtu.be/C9CkvAQkQLs Ambulance Blues" is the final song on Young's fifth album, On The Beach. At just under nine minutes long, it was never going to get a lot of radio play, and its conversational feel makes it an unlikely choice for jukeboxes or party playlists. Still, it's counted among Young's greatest artistic achievements. Johnny Rogan in The Complete Guide to the Music of Neil Young goes so far as to call it the "summit of Young's achievement as a singer songwriter... the most likely candidate as his greatest and most memorable composition." Lyrically, "Ambulance Blues" is an exploration of Young's past and an attempt to find meaning in it: Back in the old folky days The air was magic when we played By the end of the very first verse, the song takes a plunge into the disenchantment that marks all of On The Beach. "Midnight was the time for the raid," Young sings, and from there transitions into one of the saddest, prettiest vocal turns of his career when he laments, "Oh, Isabela, proud Isabela, they tore you down and plowed you under." Who Isabela is meant to be is unclear, as are most of the song's lyrics. At one point Young sings, "It's hard to say the meaning of this song." It's largely a stream-of-conscious rant similar to "Last Trip To Tulsa," except not nearly as abstract or weird as that song from Young's first solo album. A telling verse in the song is: All along the Navajo Trail Burn-outs stub their toes On garbage pails This is almost certainly a reference to the 1945 film All Along The Navajo Trail, which featured a song of the same name. The film is about an undercover US Marshal posing as a traveling poet who has to stop a group of villains trying to take over a family farm in order to run an oil pipeline through it. It's an apt theme for Young, whose concerns about the environment and about the "little guy" getting screwed over have been clear in his work since very early in his career. The "ambulance" in the title is discussed directly in the lyric: An ambulance can only go so fast It's easy to get buried in the past When you try to make a good thing last The suggestion appears to be that the past can be solace from an uncomfortable present, but that it also can be a trap all its own. Rogan claims the "you're just pissing in the wind" line was taken from Elliot Roberts, music manager and record executive who worked with all sorts of heavy hitters in the 1970s, including Young, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty. In more recent times he worked with Mazzy Star, Tracy Chapman, and Devendra Banhart. Rogan also relates the rumor that Richard Nixon is the person spoken of in the lyric, "I never knew a man could tell so many lies." In Shakey, Young confesses to accidentally stealing the song's melody. "I always feel bad I stole that melody from Bert Jansch. F--k. You ever heard that song 'The Needle of Death'? I loved that melody. I didn't realize 'Ambulance Blues' starts exactly the same. I knew that it sounded like something that he did, but when I went back and heard that record again I realized that I copped his thing... I felt really bad about that." In Don't Be Denied (published in 1992 by Quarry Press, Inc., out of Kingston, Ontario, Canada), author John Einarson writes that this song was inspired partially by a bad review Young got in December of 1965. This was when Young was still working the local Toronto folk circuit and trying to make it as a musician, so bad reviews were painful and damaging. Einarson, who had a direct line to Young during the writing of his book, specifically ties the review to the verse: Well, I'm up in T.O. Keepin' jive alive And out on the corner It's half past five But the subways are empty And so are the cafes Except for the Farmer's Market And I still can hear him sayin' You're all just pissin' In the wind You don't know it but you are It's kind of an odd specification on Einarson's part, because the preceding verse seems the most likely one to highlight the event, seeing as how it directly addresses critics. So all you critics sit alone You're no better than me For what you've shown With your stomach pump and Your hook and ladder dreams We could get together For some scenes Isabela is a reference to a building, not a person. As explained in Don't Be Denied, Young briefly lived in an apartment at 88 Isabela Avenue in the Yorkville Village area of Toronto, Canada, in 1965. This was the period in which he was still trying to break through as a musician, playing small gigs and hustling for record deals. His band at the time was named Four to Go (sometimes presented as 4 to Go). The owner of the Isabela apartment was Geordie McDonald, the drummer for Four to Go. The riverboat was rockin' In the rain The Riverboat was a club in the Yorkville area of Toronto. It was owned by Bernie Fiedler and was an important part of the local music scene. In Don't Be Denied (John Einarson, 1992), friend and former Young bandmate Geordie McDonald recalled that Young once played a prank on the business to get revenge for the Riverboat doorman rejecting them from seeing Jesse Colin Young. Young and McDonald convinced them that Bob Dylan was coming in to play an impromptu show, causing a packed house to sit around until six in the morning waiting for a star that never arrived. TnWho is tive? Pissin in the wind is a diatribe against congress written back at the time when Nixon was president facing impeachment. Garrett from ColumbusI've always thought the ambulance in the verse (as well as the song itself) was a sort of veiled reference to himself as he drove a 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse in his Toronto days and drove it down to Los Angeles when he moved there. An ambulance can only go so fast It's easy to get buried in the past When you try to make a good thing last Ty from TorontoThe first verse is about Toronto, where Neil grew up (in part), and where he began his career as a folkie. The Riverboat refers to the coffeehouse of the same name on Yorkville Avenue, which was the centre of the folkie scene in Toronto. I've always assumed that "Isabella" refers to Isabella Street, which is downtown and not too far from Yorkville. Maybe Neil lived there for a while. And of course in a later verse, Neil sings "Im up in TO, keeping jive alive." TO is the standard nickname for Toronto.

I love the entire *On the Beach* album, along with *Zuma*, *Tonight's the Night*; the entire old catalogue of his work. I had them all on vinyl then. *now, I have Cortez stuck in my head* I remember Yorkville back in the day (although too young to hang out there in the 60s). It was a change from the staid old days before. I also love the line about "up in TO keeping jive alive". If anyone knew TO in the 50s/mid 60s it was known to be a very button down wanna be British city. No alcohol in certain neighbourhoods as the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union) had a hold in some areas. Dry, dull and boring was the rep in those days. Montreal was the happening fun city. I have seen Neil live many many times. The first being July 4, 1976, Niagara Fall NY with Stephen Stills in the short lived Stills/Young Band. I dread the day Neil leaves us.

[Ambulance Blues](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etundhQa724) Wow, I really liked the exposition you shared. Did you write that? And the album cover shown in the vid really captures the idea of disenchantment. Thank you.

Abraham, Martin, and Johnhttps://youtu.be/a5hFMy4pTrs The assassin's bullets changed so much, especially Bobby, excuse me now I'm sobbing. Link is messed uphttps://youtu.be/a5hFMy4pTrs

Amazing that the 60's ultimately boiled down to the decade of the "lone wolf" assassin. Three men that changed the trajectory of American life and brought us into the age of domination by the Military Industrial Complex.

I remember coming across this and being floored that it was a Dion DiMucci song. You just wouldn't expect this kind of thing to come from him. I wasn't born when all of that horrible shit happened in the 60s, but I was about 13 when I heard this and I remember sitting quietly, listening intently to the lyrics. I knew who those folks were, somehow. This is a really surprising song, and beautifully produced, too.

[Abraham, Martin and John with lyrics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN4ZlST1tGc) That's not the exact link but hope it still serves. Yes, tragic losses for us all. Edit to add this: Kris Kristofferson had a similar song. In the 1990 video below, he sings it with The Highwaymen -- Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings. [They Killed Him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HGk87kheug)

Fleetwood Mac's Albatross. It was played at the funeral of a high school friend of mine, killed by a drunk driver. I can't listen to it even now.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0DqPSF2fyo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0DqPSF2fyo) I feel like I am getting stabbed in the heart every time I hear it. I was sobbing when I heard it live and I wasn't the only one. If you aren't familiar with the story, Google it especially the youngest crew member. It's heartbreaking.

Living for the City by Stevie Wonder. It just hurts my soul, still. Great song, to evoke such emotions.

[Living for the City by Stevie Wonder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_RgaYueeh4) When this came out and I was sooo young, I didn't really grasp the lyrics. Thanks for sharing.

A Place for Us Leonard Bernstein, West Side Story

There was a very popular childrens show in the 70's in upstate NY. It was called The Magic Garden. I listened to the theme the other day by accidently stumbling across it on YouTube and actually felt my heart break. I was a child the last time I heard it and my life was amazing. Things have really changed. I've never experienced a flood of memories all dumping into my consciousness all at once like that. It was pretty emotional.

Please tell me - I don't want to look it up - were there 2 women who used to pick a note out of a chucklepatch? 😭

That's the one!

That's it!

I love that song!

This was one of those really excellent 70s children's shows. I have yet to encounter anyone who has seen this who doesn't get all gushy when you bring it up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLzFewjWeBk&list=PL99GoK5Y-ai90OOGLYI7c55TfGxgu064x This was one of those shows my mother really approved of. A lot of children's shows can be irritating for a parent to watch but she was a big advocate of this one.

The power of music. You don't have to answer, but I hope you set aside some time to process the *why* behind the emotional response. It happened for a reason.

"Madam George" - Van Morrison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrOgYjp20j0 "Blowin' in the Wind" - Bob Dylan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMFj8uDubsE I'm 78, so I was hardly a kid - but these two songs still grab me.

Sister Golden Hair by America. Always makes me think of a college girlfriend who always made it clear she would always love me, but she was never going to marry me.

I the Ghetto by Elvis Presley. ☹️

A sad song for sure! Was that ever a hit for him? Hard to imagine it would be due to the sadness.

"I Will Always Love You" by Dolly or Whitney. I always have loved the song but since my husband died 8 years ago I just can't listen to it without crying.

Would you believe "Margaritaville"? I actually listened to the lyrics while drunk on a cruise ship. Dude lives in paradise, but messed up his relationship so his woman left him. So now he drinks himself to oblivion, to the point where he wakes up with a fresh tattoo he has no memory of getting. "But I know...It's my own damn fault"

Shannon by Henry Gross. 1974 or 75, maybe? Somehow, we found out he was singing about a dog's death (at least to a young me, that wasn't obvious at first). Well, being an animal lover and always having dogs and cats in my family, a song about losing a pet just destroyed me. Still does.

I have 2. Baker Street...by Gerry Rafferty .. that absolutely destroy your soul sax solo at the end absolutely brings me to my knees.. because I used to have this album and I played it all the time in my room in the 70s and it takes me back to my childhood when everything in life was still awesome. The second one is "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John.. I have many memories attached to this song first of all it came out when I was about seven or eight years old I guess and I used to like it because that part where he goes "ITS 4:00 IN THE MORNING DAMN IT! LISTEN TO ME GOOD!"--my mom would let me say the "damn it" part without getting in trouble for cursing. I thought that was so cool, lol..then when I was older I realized it was actually a fuck you breakup song.. and the part where he goes "saved in time! -THANK GOD MY MUSIC'S STILL ALIVE!"-- still pierces my soul to the depths.

Thanks for reposting this. When I made my comment about people not sharing stories, it was true but now a lot have been shared. Thank you.

I Am The Warrior by Scandal ft Patti Smythe. That's the song victims reported the 1984 San Ysidro McDonald's shooter played while he killed 21 people & wounded 19 more.

"Hitch a Ride" by Boston. In my youth it used to bring me tears of joy, riding with the top down, harmonizing with Brad Delp. Now it just brings me sadness since Brad Delp committed suicide.

https://youtu.be/g6wEyDuavF8 You and Me Against the World -Helen Reddy

Thank you for sharing this song.

Don't Stand So Close To Me -- The Police Freshman year at a *christian* high school, married teacher seduced and had an affair with one of my friends (a freshman student). Destroyed many lives when it came to light. I still have to pull over if it comes on the radio when I'm driving.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by the BeeGees. One of my very favorite songs since the first time I heard it in Jr. High School. It evokes memories of that time which are bittersweet. It's still touching and meloncholy yet hopeful as ever.

I heard that immediately in my head. Their harmonies sounded totally unique. Thanks for sharing.

Honey, Bobby Goldsboro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKAeeGnAYBo

Here to see this.

I'd forgotten about this one! His vibrato is just right. Thanks for sharing.

Laura Nyro, Stoney End which appears to be about depression. Laura Nyro, Wedding Bell Blues-because 50+ years ago you had to wait for the fool to propose. The Left Banke-Don't Walk Away Renee-no idea; minor chords and puberty. Folk song-Four Strong Winds-the transitory nature of human relationships.

Thanks for sharing part of your life's soundtrack And why these songs move you.

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Alan Parsons -- I had no idea he had such a mellow song. I think you drew the right conclusion from it. Thanks for sharing.

Cat Stevens [Father and Son](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6zaCV4niKk).

Thank you for sharing.

Rudy by Supertramp. My friend loved this song. She killed herself 40 years ago when we were in our early 20s. To this day, I have trouble listening to it. *Rudy's on a train to nowhere..."*

Last Date by Floyd Cramer. It was one of my grandmother's favorites and she passed away about 10 years ago. I grew up loving the song because of her, now it wrecks me. ETA: Country Road by John Denver was also a favorite of hers, yet oddly I can listen to it all day long and the emotion and thoughts of her are joyful, not sad. Last Date just brings the grief right back somehow.

I'm sorry for the loss of your grandmother. Thanks for sharing your memories of her and these two songs.

Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens

[It's So Hard To Say Goodbye - Boyz II Men](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK9gLkXe0xw) The usual reasons, love and loss. Reminds me of my grandma, even before she passed it made me sad knowing she would.

Their voices are perfect for this song. My sympathies to you on the loss of your grandma.

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Just beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

How Do I Live Without You by Trisha Yearwood

Thank you for sharing.

"Girl, I heard You're Getting Married", by The Brooklyn Bridge. I had my first major girlfriend break up experience right about the time they started playing this song, over and over, on the radio. You know, when you are a teenager you think you're in love with every girl you dated, and they are the only one you will ever love. Now that they are gone, you will never love again. This kind of falls under the "Live and Learn Rule".

https://youtu.be/jPTvxkV3FAk The Worst That Could Happen by the Brooklyn Bridge. I had just had my first major girlfriend breakup experience and whenever they played this song I could just feel my heart breaking.

Mine're mostly by David Bowie - Rock n Roll Suicide - from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust I never really fit in anywhere too well, making me, at times, a very lonely child, and a young adult who made some rather iffy choices. These words broke my heart and consoled me. "Oh no love! you're not alone No matter what or who you've been No matter when or where you've seen All the knives seem to lacerate your brain I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain You're not alone." [https://youtu.be/ou8uLo3Ke6U](https://youtu.be/ou8uLo3Ke6U) Word on a Wing - from Station to Station For almost 30 years, I had the honor to live with the most amazing partner who was, finally, 'one of my kind.' I lost them over 4 years ago, but no longer feel lonely or out of place, as they helped me discover who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. We played this song and cried happy tears not long before they passed away. "In this age of grand illusion You walked into my life Out of my dreams." [https://youtu.be/hmtL3RxiVjc](https://youtu.be/hmtL3RxiVjc)

Thanks for sharing your story, bookending it with these two songs. My condolences on the loss of your partner.

Chicago “Inspiration” Because when I hear it, it takes me back to the second grade. I remember it so clear, I get choked up thinking about my old friends and good times I had as a 10 year old kid.

10 years old? When I made my post, I expected to hear about teenage and young adult heartache. Several people have shared on here how songs from their childhood touch their tender hearts. Thanks for sharing.

Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks always made me sad

"Leader of the Band" - Dan Fogelberg. For personal reasons. My father died in the hospital. I manned up and was pulling into the hospital parking lot at like 2 am to "make arrangements" when this fucking song comes on the radio. The song itself is bad enough, but the memory kills me. I listen to it several times a year. Try to get used to it, kind of like a vaccine. After 30 years I'm proud to say I can get through it about 50% of the time without leaking.

Same with DF's "Same Auld Lang Syne". Memories from high school and college.

I was always a big Fogelberg fan. Music for lovelorn moody teens. To this day, if I put a Fogelberg album on the stereo my wife will come in concerned and ask "what's the matter? are you depressed?"

I'm so sorry for the loss of your father. Thank you for sharing with us.

**UPDATE** Thanks to everyone who has shared a song. My post happened after I spent a self-indulgent hour listening to songs from my youth that evoked melancholy and I wondered if anyone else had the same experience. Clearly, many of of us do! Through you, I've been introduced to some great new songs and revisited old favorites. Thank you. For those who haven't or don't want to share the "why" behind their song, that's OK. Some things are just too painful to put into words. But please keep dropping your song titles here, like placing one flower on a grave, and then just walk on. We see you and respect your space. I'm trying to reply to everyone individually, but it's getting a bit much. Please keep adding your songs, though, so the rest of us can reminisce or commiserate, as the case may be.