100 Best Sad Songs Of All Time (With The Saddest Lyrics That Will Make You Cry)

We all need a good cry every now and then. These sad songs will do the trick.

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It's totally normal to need a good cry sometimes, and there's nothing that does the trick quite like the best sad songs can.

Hearing your favorite artists of all time singing the saddest lyrics and capturing the depth of your emotion has a way of breaking through even the most stoic exterior, so you can finally let all of those emotions come pouring out with your tears.

Bottling up your emotions is rarely beneficial for either your physical or mental wellbeing. In fact, according to Dr. Alicia Clark, crying "helps mobilize intense feelings, provide their cathartic release, and is one of our most efficient balancing tools."

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RELATED: 6 Reasons You Cry Easily & Get Overly Emotional (Sometimes For No Reason)

We hand-picked the list of sad songs below to help you bring on the tears when you feel like it's all getting to be too much. Feel free to cry along to your own favorite (or go ahead and bawl your eyes out to the entire playlist if you're so inclined).

100 Saddest Songs Of All Time With Painfully Sad Song Lyrics

1. "If I Die Young" sung by Naya Rivera on "Glee"

What makes this song so incredibly sad is that it was sung by "Glee" star, Naya Rivera, who tragically drowned in July 2020.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

If I die young bury me in satin / Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in the river at dawn / Send me away with the words of a love song

2. "Angie" by The Rolling Stones

One of the Rolling Stones' only ballads, the song is about the darkest addiction: heroin.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

With no lovin' in our souls / And no money in our coats / You can't say we're satisfied

But Angie, Angie / You can't say we never tried

Angie, you're beautiful / But ain't it time we say goodbye

3. "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails

While many speculate that the song is a suicide note, others believe it's about self-harm, depression, and drug use. Johnny Cash even recorded a version of the song in 2002.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

I hurt myself today / To see if I still feel / I focus on the pain / The only thing that's real

The needle tears a hole / The old familiar sting / Try to kill it all away / But I remember everything

What have I become? / My sweetest friend / Everyone I know goes away / In the end

4. "Tear In Your Hand" by Tori Amos

There's a certain sadness that comes with nostalgia, and a longing for things and people from the past.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

All the world just stopped now / So you say you don't want to stay together anymore

Let me take a deep breath babe / If you need me, me and Neil'll be hangin' out with the dream king

Neil says hi by the way / I don't believe you're leaving cause me and Charles Manson like the same ice cream

I think it's that girl and I think there're pieces of me you've never seen / Maybe she's just pieces of me you've never seen well

5. "Canvas" by Shane Smith & The Saints

Sometimes in life, we grow distant from those closest to us. But just remember that there's always time to go back and reconnect.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

He said, "Your life is a canvas, you paint some everyday / And when you think you've got it all figured out in your head you know the Man's got your final say

And look back on all your memories, if we go our separate ways / Don't forget your life's a canvas, we might get painted back someday"

6. "Don't Speak" by No Doubt

Famously written about Stefani's breakup with band member Tony Kanal, the pain of losing your best friend and lover is not easily overcome.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

You and me, we used to be together / Every day together, always

I really feel that I'm losin' my best friend / I can't believe this could be the end

It looks as though you're lettin' go / And if it's real, well, I don't want to know

7. "Re: Stacks" by Bon Iver

Falling in love is a gamble, as the lyrics suggest; sometimes, you lose your hand and end up with a failed relationship.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

I keep throwing it down two-hundred at a time / It's hard to find it when you knew it

When your money's gone / And you're drunk as hell

On your back with your racks as the stacks are your load / In the back and the racks and the stacks of your load / In the back with your racks and you're un-stacking your load

8. "Heaven" by Beyoncé

Before giving birth to Blue Ivy, Beyoncé sings about the heartbreak of losing a baby to miscarriage, and that their soul was so good and pure, Heaven needed them.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

I fought for you / The hardest, it made me the strongest

So tell me your secrets / I just can't stand to see you leaving

But Heaven couldn't wait for you

9. "Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from "A Star Is Born"

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper had undeniable chemistry in "A Star Is Born," and "Shallow" speaks to their deep connection, eventually ending in tragedy.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

Tell me something, boy / Aren't you tired tryin' to fill that void?

Or do you need more? / Ain't it hard keeping it so hardcore?

I'm falling / In all the good times I find myself / Longing for a change / And in the bad times I fear myself

10. "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure

When you're in love with someone, you'll do anything to make them happy. But that love isn't always reciprocated, leaving you lonely and sad.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

Spinning on that dizzy edge / Kissed her face and kissed her head

Dreamed of all the different ways, I had to make her glow

Why are you so far away she said / Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you? / That I'm in love with you?

11. "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak

Chris Isaak has said that "Wicked Game" was inspired by a woman who called him wanting to come over, this haunting song describes obsessive love, and how giving into it will only break your heart.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

What a wicked game you play, to make me feel this way / What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you

What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way / What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you

And I don't wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart) / No, I don't wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart) / With you

12. "What About Us" by Pink

When you've given so much to a relationship, it's hard to let it go and cut your losses. But this song also doubles as a plea to politicians regarding the current social and economic climate.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? / What about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters?

What about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? / What about love? What about trust? What about us?

13. "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M.

Aimed at those struggling with depression, the lyrics are a reminder that even if you feel alone, you aren't. Because everyone has felt the same way you have at one point or another.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

If you're on your own / In this life

The days and nights are long / When you think you've had too much

Of this life / To hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes / Everybody cries / And everybody hurts sometimes

14. "Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart" by Alicia Keys

You can love someone so deeply that you feel it in your core, but that person isn't always right for you. And it's painful to let go of what could have been.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

Anybody could've told you right from the start it's 'bout to fall apart / So rather than hold on to a broken dream I'll just hold on to love

And I could find a way to make it, don't hold on too tight / I'll make it without you tonight

So tonight, I'm gonna find a way to make it without you / Tonight, I'm gonna find a way to make it without you (oh, hold on)

15. "Stick Around" by Lukas Graham

Part of the human experience is realizing that one day, you will die. But for now, you can bring comfort to your loved ones by staying present.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

I'm sorry to say that the smiles that I give you / One day will be tears in your eyes

I'm sorry to give you these memories / 'Cause memories like this will one day make you cry

But I'ma stick around / I promise you that I will stick around for now

16. "Into The Ocean" by Blue October

Written by the lead singer, Justin Furstenfeld, while standing on the bow of a cruise ship, "Into the Ocean" describes a young boy who jumped from a ship, who then watches the boat drift away while he thinks about his actions.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

I want to swim away but don't know how / Sometimes it feels just like I'm falling in the ocean

Let the waves up and take me down / Let the hurricane set in motion

Let the rain of what I feel right now come down / Let the rain come down

17. "Stay" by Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko

Most people have lived through toxic relationships, but no matter how hard they try to let go, they want their partner to stay because their world feels empty without their love.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

Ooh, the reason I hold on / Ooh, 'cause I need this hole gone

Well, funny you're the broken one / But I'm the only one who needed saving

'Cause when you never see the light / It's hard to know which one of us is caving

18. "Lucid Dreams" by Juice WRLD

Every relationship has its ups and downs, but when two parters are really struggling, ending that love is what causes the most strain.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

I still see your shadows in my room / Can't take back the love that I gave you

It's to the point where I love and I hate you / And I cannot change you so I must replace you (oh)

Easier said than done / I thought you were the one

Listening to my heart instead of my head / You found another one, but

I am the better one / I won't let you forget me

19. "Cats In The Cradle" by Harry Chapin

When parents don't put their children first, it can cause a rift in the relationship. That's highlighted in this song about a boy and his father who just can't find the space for quality time.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon / Little boy blue and the man in the moon

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when / But we'll get together then, son

You know we'll have a good time then"

20. "Love Lies" by Khalid and Normani

It's normal to be hesitant to jump into a new relationship with someone, and handling that uncertainty due to past relationship trauma can be something positive.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

So baby, tell me where your love lies / Waste the day and spend the night

Underneath the sunrise / Show me where your love lies

21. "Sad!" by XXXTentacion

When a relationship is on the rocks, it's not unheard of to slip into a depression and unwavering sadness.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

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I gave her everything / She took my heart and left me lonely

I've been broken, heart's contentious / I won't fix, I'd rather weep

I'm lost and I'm found, but / It's torture being in love

22. "Ghost" by Halsey

Speaking with MetroLyrics, Halsey has this to say about "Ghost," the first sing she wrote: "'Ghost,' for me, is a song about being in a relationship with someone who is not emotionally invested and then finally making up your mind to leave that situation and decide that you deserve better. And I did."

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Rings true for us.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

You say that you're no good for me / 'Cause I'm always tugging at your sleeve

And I swear I hate you when you leave / I like it anyway

My ghost / Where'd you go? / I can't find you in the body sleeping next to me

My ghost / Where'd you go? / What happened to the soul you used to be?

23. "Chandelier" by Sia

Sia has opened up about her struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, and puts all those feelings into "Chandelier," a song about seeking out partying, even though that feeling is fleeting.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

And I'm holding on for dear life / Won't look down won't open my eyes

Keep my glass full until morning light / 'Cause I'm just holding on for tonight

Help me, I'm holding on for dear life / Won't look down won't open my eyes

Keep my glass full until morning light / 'Cause I'm just holding on for tonight

24. "Neon Gravestones" by 21 Pilots

Society's misconception of suicide sees the act as selfish, and with a song so deeply connected to depression and taking one's life, it's important to remember that help is out there.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

What's my problem? / Well, I want you to follow me down to the bottom

Underneath the insane asylum / Keep your wits about you while you got 'em

'Cause your wits are first to go while you're problem-solving / And my problem?

We glorify those, even more, when they / My opinion

Our culture can treat a loss / Like it's a win and right before we turn on them

We give them the highest of praise, and hang their banner from a ceiling / Communicating, further engraving

An earlier grave is an optional way / No

25. "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston

Originally sung by Dolly Parton, "I Will Always Love You" is one of the most beautifully written love songs... that's also incredibly heartbreaking and sad.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

Bittersweet memories / That is all I'm taking with me

So, goodbye / Please, don't cry

We both know I'm not what you, you need

And I will always love you

RELATED: 29 Breakup Songs Guaranteed To Make You Ugly Cry

26. "The Night We Met" by Lord Huron

Breakups are never easy, especially when you can't stop thinking about what your ex meant to you and all the good times you shared.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

I had all and then most of you / Some and now none of you

Take me back to the night we met

I don't know what I'm supposed to do / Haunted by the ghost of you

Oh, take me back to the night we met

27. "Out Here On My Own" by Irene Cara (from "Fame")

When you feel lost and all alone, it can be equally comforting and sad to think about the distance between you and your loved one.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

When I'm down and feelin' blue / I close my eyes so I can be with you

Oh, baby be strong for me / Baby belong to me

Help me through / Help me need you

28. "Fix You" by Coldplay

Chris Martin wrote this song about his ex-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, who lost her father. But it's also about leaning on your partner or loved one to pull you out of your darkest time.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

When you try your best but you don't succeed / When you get what you want but not what you need

When you feel so tired but you can't sleep / Stuck in reverse

When the tears come streaming down your face / 'Cause you lose something you can't replace

When you love someone but it goes to waste / Could it be worse?

29. "When The Party's Over" by Billie Eilish

Even love can't keep two people together if one of them isn't putting in the work. And sometimes, when that drama and careless attitude become too much, it's best to leave it all behind.

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Saddest Song Lyrics:

Don't you know too much already? / I'll only hurt you if you let me

Call me friend but keep me closer (call me back) / And I'll call you when the party's over

Quiet when I'm comin' home and I'm on my own

And I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that

Yeah, I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that

30. "So Sick" by Ne-Yo

Mourning the loss of a relationship can bring you to your lowest of lows. But while listening to love songs can make you feel sad, it can also remind you of the memories shared with your ex.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I'm so sick of love songs, so tired of tears / So done with wishin', you were still here

Said I'm so sick of love songs, so sad and slow / So why can't I turn off the radio?

31. "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman

Believe it or not, this song isn't about cars; in fact, it's actually about poverty and the struggles of people trying to better their lives.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

You got a fast car / And I got a job that pays all our bills

You stay out drinking late at the bar / See more of your friends than you do of your kids

I'd always hoped for better / Thought maybe together you and me'd find it

I got no plans I ain't going nowhere / So take your fast car and keep on driving

32. "Someone Like You" by Adele

You can want the best for your ex while still feeling incredibly heartbroken over your breakup.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Never mind, I'll find someone like you / I wish nothing but the best for you, too

Don't forget me, I beg / I remember you said

Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

33. "Let Her Go" by Passenger

The song's writer and singer explained that the song is about letting go after a breakup, but finally coming to realize that you don't know what you have until it's gone.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Well you only need the light when it's burning low / Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low / Only hate the road when you're missing home

Only know you love her when you let her go / And you let her go

34. "Die For Me" by Post Malone ft. Future and Halsey

Having a toxic partner or ex-partner can cause you to resort to some not-so-healthy habits. But it's essential to realize that you can overcome heartbreak and betrayal in other ways.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Ooh, I surrender (ayy), time to forget ya (ayy) / I'm too tired to forgive ya (ayy), it's too hard on my liver (ayy)

And you know (ayy) it's all (ayy) over now / All your friends (ayy), you know (ayy) they sold you out

Said you'd take a bullet, told me you would die for me (die for me) / I had a really bad feeling you've been lying to me (lying to me)

We were on the low, but you were getting high with me (high with me) / When it's past 11, that's a different side I see (side I see)

Said you'd die for me, you'd die for me, you'd die for me (die, die, die) / But you lied to me, you lied to me, you lied to me (lie, lie, lie)

35. "1-800-273-8255" by Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid

The title of Logic's song is the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Logic purposely titled his song like this to inspire his listeners to seek help and understand that they are never alone.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I been taking my time / I feel like I'm out of my mind

It feels like my life ain't mine / Who can relate?

I've been on the low / I been taking my time

I feel like I'm out of my mind / It feel like my life ain't mine

36. "Stay Or Leave" by Dave Matthews Band

Looking back on a past failed relationship can bring clarity you need, but can also serve as a reminder of the pain.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Stay or leave / I want you not to go / But you should

It was good as good goes

Stay or leave / I want you not to go / But you did

37. "My Immortal" by Evanescence

"My Immortal" is about a spirit haunting you, wishing it would leave you alone. But it also doubles as a moving ballad about the pain of loss.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real / There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears / When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears

And I held your hand through all of these years / But you still have all of me

38. "Atmosphere" by Bebe Rexha

When you first fall in love with someone, it seems like they are the answer to all your prayers. But even the deepest love isn't immune to heartbreak.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

There isn't enough love in the atmosphere / To keep you here, ah

There isn't enough love in the atmosphere / Don't leave me here / All alone

I ride for my baby / I died for my baby / I'd die for my baby no lie

There isn't enough love in the atmosphere / In the atmosphere

39. "Alone" by Armin van Buuren ft. Lauren Evans

Our fast-paced lives sometimes make us forget what is important: interpersonal connections. And if you don't stop to make them, you'll find yourself all alone.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Everyone is broken, only day in your life / Like the ghosts that are shattered, barely alive

Even time's in a rush / But it's going nowhere

Everyone's connected but no one is connecting / The human in me is long and missing

Tell me, have you seen it? / Have you seen it?

40. "On My Own" by 3LAU ft. Nerve

Whether it's by dreaming or substances, you don't want to let go of the feelings you have toward someone you've lost.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Dancing through a hurricane / Soaked in technicolor rain

Time is melting in my brain / Paint the roses black as night

Swimming with the satellites / Never wanna know, never wanna let go

No, don't wake me yet, don't give it away / Hold my breath, I just wanna stay

41. "On My Mind" by Anis Don Demina

When you've been with someone for a long period of time, it's hard to see that the relationship is failing. And you'll hold on, no matter the cost.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I've been addicted to your glow / But shadows been growing deeper

I can't see that smile I used to know / But you're still a keeper

42. "Candle in the Wind" by Elton John

Written as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, and later dedicated to Princess Diana, Elton John sings about how being in the spotlight comes with a painful reality.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

And it seems to me you lived your life / Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to cling to / When the rain set in

And I would have liked to have known you / But I was just a kid

Your candle burned out long before / Your legend ever did

43. "Her Favorite Song" by Mayer Hawthorne

No matter how depressed or sad we feel, music can always make things better. But it serves as a reminder that we can't escape forever.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

But when she gets home, she puts her headphones on / She plays her favorite song and fades away

And when the musics on she can do no wrong / And she feels safe and calm and it's okay

And she says, ba ba dum ba dee ah dum ba / Ba ba dum ba dee ah dum ba

The world keeps turning, life goes on

44. "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars

There's something to be said about not knowing what you have until it's gone, and thinking back to all the things you could have done differently to save your relationship.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways / Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life

Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, oh / And it haunts me every time I close my eyes

45. "Your House" by Alanis Morissette

When your love isn't reciprocated, it can cause you to spiral into an obsession. But even that façade will fall away to reveal the true agony deep down.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

So forgive me, love / If I cry in your shower

So forgive me, love / For the salt in your bed

So forgive me, love / If I cry all afternoon

46. "Lightning Crashes" by Live

This song was written about the transference of life, according to lead singer Ed Kowalczyk:

"I envisioned it taking place in a hospital, where all these simultaneous deaths and births are going on, one family mourning the loss of a woman while a screaming baby emerges from a young mother in another room. Nobody's dying in the act of childbirth, as some viewers think. What you're seeing is actually a happy ending based on a kind of transference of life."

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Lightning crashes a new mother cries / Her placenta falls to the floor

The angel opens her eyes

The confusion sets in / Before the doctor can even close the door

47. "Dear God" by XTC

Throughout life, your faith may be tested based on the ups and downs you face. And sometimes, it may cause you to question your own existence.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Dear God, sorry to disturb you but / I feel that I should be heard loud and clear

We all need a big reduction in amount of tears

And all the people that you made in your image / See them fighting in the street

'Cause they can't make opinions meet about God / I can't believe in you

48. "Love's Recovery" by The Indigo Girls

As a young person, you have a certain idealized version of what love is. But as you grow up, you realize you couldn't have been more wrong.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

There I am in younger days, star gazing / Painting picture perfect maps of how my life and love would be

Not counting the unmarked paths of misdirection / My compass, faith in love's perfection

I missed ten million miles of road I should have seen

Meanwhile our friends we thought were so together / Left each other one by one along the road of fairer weather

And we sit here in our storm and drink a toast / To the slim chance of love's recovery

49. "Sullen Girl" by Fiona Apple

Rape survivors often deal with subsequent trauma. In Apple's case, her rape at 12 years old led to an eating disorder and other effects of trauma.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Is that why they call me a sullen girl, sullen girl? / They don't know I used to sail the deep and tranquil seas

But he washed me ashore / And he took my pearl

And left an empty / Shell of me

50. "Say Something" by A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera

When you love someone, you'll do anything to keep your relationship alive. But sometimes, your love isn't enough.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Say something, I'm giving up on you / I'll be the one, if you want me to

Anywhere, I would've followed you / Say something, I'm giving up on you

RELATED: 30 Best Songs About Moving On To Help You Move Forward

51. "Back To Black" by Amy Winehouse

Though many of Winehouse's songs were about her struggle with alcohol and substance abuse, "Back to Black" focuses on the heartache of knowing your lover has moved on to someone else.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

We only said goodbye with words / I died a hundred times

You go back to her / And I go back to black

52. "Nothing Compares 2U" by Sinéad O'Connor

No matter how hard you try to move on from your ex, you'll always have your memories of your time together. And that can make you feel like you'll never love again.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I could put my arms around every boy I see / But they'd only remind me of you

I went to the doctor and guess what he told me? / Guess what he told me?

He said girl you better try to have fun / No matter what you do, but he's a fool

'Cause nothing compares / Nothing compares to you

53. "Goodbye My Lover" by James Blunt

The loss of a former flame can be devastating, and when they are still out in the world living without you, saying goodbye can only do so much.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Goodbye my lover / Goodbye my friend

You have been the one / You have been the one for me

54. "Say Goodbye" by Cheat Codes

You can be so entangled in someone else's life that ending your relationship is the most difficult thing. Try as you might to move on, you just can't.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

And it's hard to pretend that I'm alright / Hard to forgive, I can't empathize

And it's hard to relax, I don't know why / But you make it hard to say goodbye

55. "Stay" by Zedd and Alessia Cara

In relationships, partners sometimes grow apart. And though you attempt to salvage the feelings that were there in the beginning, there's no going back.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Waiting for the time to pass you by / Hope the winds of change will change your mind

I could give a thousand reasons why / And I know you, and you've got to

Make it on your own, but we don't have to grow up / We can stay forever young

Living on my sofa, drinking rum and cola / Underneath the rising sun

I could give a thousand reasons why / But you're going, and you know that

56. "Apologize" by Timbaland ft. OneRepublic

Relationships can turn toxic when one person depends on the other. But, at the end of the day, that person will realize they can no longer stay.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I'm holding on your rope / Got me ten feet off the ground

And I'm hearing what you say, but I just can't make a sound

You tell me that you need me / Then you go and cut me down, but wait

You tell me that you're sorry / Didn't think I'd turn around, and say

That it's too late to apologize, it's too late / I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late

57. "All We Know" by The Chainsmokers ft. Phoebe Ryan

Getting back with your ex is one thing, but trying to save a failing relationship is quite another.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

We're falling apart, still we hold together / We've passed the end, so we chase forever

'Cause this is all we know / This feeling's all we know

58. "Heartbreak Warfare" by John Mayer

Sometimes, the only way a person can feel truly loved by their partner is by inflicting pain on them.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Lightning strike / Inside, my chest to keep me up at night

Dream of ways / To make you understand my pain

Clouds of sulfur in the air / Bombs are falling everywhere

It's heartbreak warfare / Once you want it to begin

No one really ever wins / In heartbreak warfare

59. "Blasphemous Rumors" by Depeche Mode

A song about faith and God, "Blasphemous Rumors" tells the story of a young woman's unsuccessful suicide and eventual commitment to Jesus, only to end up on life support.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I don't want to start / Any blasphemous rumors

But I think that God's / Got a sick sense of humor

And when I die / I expect to find Him laughing

60. "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

This song is a tribute to the late actor Paul Walker, who passed away in a tragic car accident.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

It's been a long day without you, my friend / And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again

We've come a long way from where we began / Oh I'll tell you all about it when I see you again

When I see you again

61. "Blue" by Joni Mitchell

A song about deep emotions on a range of situations, Mitchell drew inspiration from her relationships as well as giving her child up for adoption.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Hey Blue / And there is a song for you

Ink on a pin / Underneath the skin / An empty space to fill in

Well there're so many sinking / Now you've got to keep thinking / You can make it thru these waves

62. "Dancing With Myself" by The Knocks

When your friends aren't there for you, it makes existence lonely. And that means drinking away the pain and dancing along.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

People come and go yeah / Feels like you are so untied

And it feels like I keep falling / You are the wrong I can't get right

63. "i hate u, i love u" by Gnash ft. Olivia O'Brien

Loving someone who loves someone else brings its own feelings of heartbreak and loneliness.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I hate you I love you / I hate that I love you

Don't want to, but I can't put / Nobody else above you

I hate you I love you / I hate that I want you

You want her, you need her / And I'll never be her

64. "Dancing With A Stranger" by Sam Smith and Normani

Reeling from a breakup or the loss of a relationship may entail a rebound of some sort. All in an effort to not be alone.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I don't wanna be alone tonight (alone tonight) / It's pretty clear that I'm not over you (over you, over you)

I'm still thinking 'bout the things you do (things you do) / So I don't wanna be alone tonight, alone tonight, alone tonight

Can you light the fire? (light the fire, light the fire) / I need somebody who can take control (take control)

I know exactly what I need to do / 'Cause I don't wanna be alone tonight, alone tonight, alone tonight

65. "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye ft. Kimbre

Even though you think your relationship is perfect, after you break up you realize that you never really knew the person you loved.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Now and then I think of when we were together / Like when you said you felt so happy you could die

Told myself that you were right for me / But felt so lonely in your company

But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

66. "Heavy" by Linkin Park ft. Kiiara

A song about struggling with your own mind, lead singer Chester Bennington ended his life just five months after the single's release.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I'm holding on / Why is everything so heavy?

Holding on / So much more than I can carry

I keep dragging around what's bringing me down / If I just let go, I'd be set free

Holding on / Why is everything so heavy?

67. "Used To Love You" by Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani was inspired by her divorce from Gavin Rossdale, channeling her pain and questioning why she ever loved him.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Suitcase, band-aids / Pulling back out the driveway

You go, I'll stay / You can keep all the memories

I thought I was the best thing that ever happened to you / I thought you loved me the most

I don't know why I cry / But I think it's 'cause I remembered for the first time

Since I hated you / That I used to love you

68. "June" by Florence + The Machine

"June" references both the Pulse nightclub shooting as well as the Stonewall Riots, both of which took place during Pride Month.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I hear your heart beating in your chest / The world slows 'till there's nothing left

Skyscrapers look on like great, unblinking giants (oh) / In those heavy days in June

When love became an act of defiance / Hold onto each other

69. "Dark Paradise" by Lana Del Rey

We all know what it's like to be unable to move on from heartbreak. And sometimes, it can even cause dark thoughts to surface.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Every time I close my eyes / It's like a dark paradise

No one compares to you / I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side

Every time I close my eyes / It's like a dark paradise

No one compares to you / I'm scared that you won't be waiting on the other side

70. "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by The Script

After a breakup, you might go to great lengths to stay on your ex's mind, even making sure you stay close to where they live.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me / And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be

Thinkin' maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet / And you'll see me waiting for you on our corner of the street

So I'm not moving, I'm not moving

71. "Imagine" by Ariana Grande

When you first meet someone, you think of how great your life together could be. But as the fantasy fades, the reality isn't as sweet.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Imagine a world like that / Imagine a world like that

We go like up 'til I'm 'sleep on your chest / Love how my face fits so good in your neck

Why can't you imagine a world like that? Imagine a world

72. "Happier" by Marshmello ft. Bastille

You can't force a relationship to survive if one partner isn't happy.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Then only for a minute / I want to change my mind

'Cause this just don't feel right to me / I wanna raise your spirits

I want to see you smile but / Know that means I'll have to leave

73. "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac

Stevie Nicks wrote "Landslide" while thinking about whether or not to end her relationship with bandmate, Lindsay Buckingham.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Well, I've been 'fraid of changin' / 'Cause I've built my life around you

But time makes you bolder / Even children get older

And I'm gettin' older, too

74. "What About Love" by Heart

Try as you might, you can't save someone by loving them. But when you don't have love, life is empty.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

You've been hiding, never letting it show / Always trying to keep it under control

You got it down and you're well / On the way to the top

But there's something that you forgot

What about love / Don't you want someone to care about you

What about love / Don't let it slip away

What about love / I only want to share it with you

You might need it someday

75. "Anyone" by Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato sings about her struggle with depression and addiction, begging for someone to listen.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

A hundred million stories / And a hundred million songs

I feel stupid when I sing / Nobody's listening to me

Nobody's listening

I talk to shooting stars / But they always get it wrong

I feel stupid when I pray / So, why am I praying anyway?

If nobody's listening

76. "Million Reasons" by Lady Gaga

If you're in a dead-end relationship, you might try to convince yourself that despite all the bad things, there's at least one reason to stay.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I bow down to pray / I try to make the worst seem better

Lord, show me the way / To cut through all his worn out leather

I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away / But baby, I just need one good one to stay

RELATED: 50 Sad Quotes You Can Relate To When Life & Love Get You Down

77. "Bleeding Love" by ASTR

When love makes you blind to the toxic reality of your relationship, you become so immune to all the things that should be deal-breakers.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Heartbeats full of fire / Now we're caught up in emotion

Cut me with your lies / Now we're never gonna slow down

We keep bleeding love / 'Til we come down

We keep bleeding love / 'Til we come down

78. "Always" by The Him

When you're young, the idea of "always" comes crashing down once you grow up. And the love you thought would last forever is just a thing of the past.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Remember we were running wild / Never ever felt like we were broke

Using friends as alibis / No one ever knew just where we going

Broken down in bathrooms / Listening to bad news

Thought you'd never let me go / And are we just too late?

79. "Foolish Games" by Jewel

When love isn't reciprocated, it feels like pure agony. And it's not only painful, but frustrating.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Well in case you failed to notice / In case you failed to see

This is my heart bleeding before you / This is me down on my knees, and

These foolish games are tearing me apart

And your thoughtless words are breaking my heart / You're breaking my heart

80. "Jolene" by Dolly Parton

The thought of losing your partner to a younger, beautiful woman is devastating. You can reason with the other woman all you want, but it doesn't mean your relationship will ever be the same.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

He talks about you in his sleep / And there's nothing I can do to keep

From crying when he calls your name / Jolene

And I can easily understand / How you could easily take my man

But you don't know what he means to me / Jolene

81. "Fake Love" by Drake

After a betrayal or lying and cheating, your relationship will change... sometimes, for worse.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I can tell that love is fake / I don't trust a word you say

How you wanna click up after your mistakes?

Look you in the face and it's just not the same

82. "A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall" by Bob Dylan

The evil we see in humanity can feel overwhelming at times, and Dylan famously referred to this song as "one long funeral song."

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son? / Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?

I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it / I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it

I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin’ / I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin’

I saw a white ladder all covered with water / I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken

I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children / And it’s a hard, and it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard

And it’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall

83. "Just A Dream" by Nelly

Rumored to be about his ex, Ashanti, after the end of their 11-year relationship, many can relate to that feeling of wishing you could go back in time.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I was thinking bout her, thinkin' bout me / Thinkin' bout us, what we gon' be

Open my eyes yeah, it was only just a dream / So I traveled back, down that road

Will she come back, no one knows / I realize yeah, it was only just a dream

84. "Secrets" by OneRepublic

After being lied to by people around you, it becomes painful to start living life free from worry.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I need another story / Something to get off my chest

My life gets kinda boring / Need something that I can confess

'Til all my sleeves are stained red / From all the truth that I've said

Come by it honestly I swear / Thought you saw me wink, no

I've been on the brink, so

85. "Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb

Even though someone may treat you well in a relationship, that doesn't mean this person is good for you. And looking back, you'll finally realize.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

And you said that I was naive / And I thought that I was strong

I thought, "hey, I can leave, I can leave" / Oh but now I know that I was wrong

'Cause I missed you / Yeah, I missed you

86. "The One That Got Away" by Katy Perry

There's sometimes regret at breaking up with someone, only coming to understand much later that they could have been the one for you.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

In another life, I would be your girl / We keep all our promises, be us against the world

In another life, I would make you stay / So I don't have to say you were the one that got away

The one that got away

87. "Beloved Wife" by Natalie Merchant

Whether it's through death or a divorce, longing to be with your ex-wife is completely relatable.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

You were the love / For certain of my life

You were simply my beloved wife

I don't know for certain / How I'll live my life

Now alone without my beloved wife / My beloved wife

88. "Just A Dream" by Carrie Underwood

This tearjerker is about a young woman about to marry her lover, a soldier, but what starts as a happy occasion turns to devastation.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Baby, why'd you leave me, why'd you have to go / I was counting on forever, now I'll never know

I can't even breathe

It's like I'm looking from a distance / Standing in the background

Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now / This can't be happening to me

This is just a dream

89. "OVRBRD" by HARIZ

The end of a relationship feels like the end of the world, and sometimes that feeling turns to desperation.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I wanna sink this ship / And throw us overboard

A numb awakening / Can't hold on anymore

'Cause it hurts / And it's getting worse

90. "Dear Society" by Madison Beer

No matter how much of a mess you may feel like in your own life, a toxic relationship is the ultimate failure.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I'm a natural disaster / But even after all that I do

It's you who's gonna be the death of me / And none of this matters

Baby, it's you, it's you

91. "Paranoid" by Lauv

If you've been hurt by a past relationship, going into a new one may bring with it those same feelings of resistance and paranoia.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Maybe it's a case of paranoia / Nervous that I'll never really know ya

What do I feel? Who do I trust? / Maybe it's real, or maybe I'm just

Paranoid, paranoid / Maybe I'm just

Paranoid, paranoid / Maybe I'm just

92. "Where Do We Go" by Xuitcasecity

Putting up with criticism and blame in your relationship can be the end of the love you once had, leading to resentment.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Swear you've seen a holy ghost / 'Cause your skin is pale as snow

You're always critical / And I don't need that, I don't need it

I was fine on my own / Yeah, I was fine all along

Different ways girl, yeah, we've known / And I've been thinking, I'm so sick of you

93. "U Remind Me" by NEØN

A cover of Usher's song of the same name, when you're vibing with someone who reminds you of your ex, you may just end things before they even start.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

You remind me of a girl that I once knew / See her face whenever I, I look at you

You won't believe all of the things she put me through / This is why I just can't get with you

94. "Cross My Mind, Pt. 2" by A R I Z O N A ft. Kiiara

The desperation you feel when trying to hold on to a relationship that's clearly failing is perfectly summed up in this song.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I know I haven't been perfect, but give it some time / 'Cause not a single day goes by where you don't cross my mind

And we spend our lives looking for things we can't find, oh / Oh, but not a single day goes by where you don't cross my mind

All the days you spend on my mind / All the times that I'd say that we'll be together, we'll be together, oh

All the ways you see through my heart / I know the good intentions, they won't last forever, won't last forever, oh

95. "Sad Sad Girl" by Terror Jr

When you're told time and again that you're not someone idealized version of the perfect person, you start to believe that your dark sides define you.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I'm a sad, sad girl / I'm a strange one

But I thrive in the darkness / And they love when I'm heartless

I'm a sad, sad girl / Not a sane one

Yeah, I thrive in the darkness, thrive in the darkness

96. "Make Me (Cry)" by Noah Cyrus ft. Labrinth

A song about toxic love, you certainly feel like you need this person in your life, even though all they do is cause you pain and make you cry.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

I never needed you like I do right now / I never needed you like I do right now

I never hated you like I do right now / 'Cause all you ever do is make me

97. "Cry" by Alexx Calise

Where you were once hopeful, you're now depressed and sad. And all because someone broke your heart.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Well I guess it's been a while / Since I've seen the sunshine

Since I have smiled / And me, who's so well versed

Is feeling so damn empty / Is at a loss for words

98. "Cry Baby" by Melanie Martinez

Being emotional and expressing yourself by crying isn't a bad thing, but that's something you don't learn until you accept yourself.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

You seem to replace / Your brain with your heart

You take things so hard / And then you fall apart

You try to explain / But before you can start

Those cry baby tears / Come out of the dark

99. "Wait" by M83

We all want to hold on to the innocence of our youth, but as we grow up, we realize that there's no going back.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

Send your dreams / Where nobody hides

Give your tears / To the tide

100. "Walk Away" by LVNDSCAPE ft. Kaptan

There's nothing as heartbreaking as watching the one you love leave and walk away. And it can affect you so deeply that you replay that moment in your mind.

Saddest Song Lyrics:

A cold and lonely when you went to this day / Around me only rain surrounded by the silence

Can't find my way back, back to where I came from / To that summer day when you just walked away

RELATED: 15 Breakup Songs To Turn To When You've Had Your Heart Broken

Liz Abere is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture, spirituality, love, and relationships.