Cry Me A River: The 20 Most Heartbreaking Songs Of All Time!

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

Cry Me A River: The 20 Most Heartbreaking Songs Of All Time!

Posted Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:53pm PST by The Lonely Hearts Club Banned in Rock's Backpages

For the last month Rock's Backpages has offered up a slew of sobworthy classics from all walks of pop. Country, soul, AOR, dance: you name the genre, we've scoured it for heartbreak greats. So get yer handkerchiefs ready... here's our tearjerking Top 20 , from the Everly Brothers to George Jones via Lorraine Ellison and Little Feat. --Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages

20 The Everly Brothers: "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)," from It's Everly Time (Warner Brothers, 1960) A descending scale begins a classic of sad restraint: "We used to have good times together but now I feel them slip away/It makes me cry to see love die: so sad to watch good love go bad..." Sparse backing and note-perfect harmony compliment one of Don’s greatest lyrics. The inspiration for many a tender hearted ne’r-do-well, from John Lennon to Brian Wilson and beyond.

19 The Band: "It Makes No Difference," from Northern Lights - Southern Cross (Capitol, 1975) The most artless--and most piningly desolate--love song Robbie Robertson ever wrote, sung with hopeless tenderness by Rick Danko, The Band's most artless singer. "I love you so much, and it's all I can do/Just to keep myself from telling you/That I never felt so alone before..."

18 Randy Crawford: "One Day I'll Fly Away," single (Warner Brothers, 1980) "When will love be through with me?" MOR slush to some ears, this Crusaders/Will Jennings-constructed jazz-funk-lite ballad remains irresistibly sad to many others--especially when Crawford trails off on "away" and the swelling chord drops down beneath her. Tremulous and dreamily lovely.

17 Soft Cell: "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye," single (Some Bizzare, 1982) The genius of this synthpop classic is the way it starts out as a bitchfest--Marc Almond coming on like Dusty Springfield's petulant little sister--and then suddenly flips into a deep, engulfing sadness. Even as Almond demands that his lover take her hands off him and claims that "You never knew me/I never knew you", Dave Ball's oceanic keyboard chords say the opposite--that Marc is all tetchy bravado and that this parting is bursting his heart.

16 Billie Holiday: "Don't Worry 'Bout Me," from Lady In Autumn (Verve, 1959) Billie is being so damn reasonable: "Why not call it a day the sensible way, and still be friends," she sings. And do we believe her? We do not. Her apparent acceptance that "our little show is over" cuts no ice when delivered with such cracked desperation. Truly heart-rending late Lady Day.

15 Love: "Alone Again Or," from Forever Changes (Elektra, 1967) Love’s most famous recording: written, ironically, not by leader Arthur Lee but by po' little rich boy Bryan Maclean. "I heard a funny thing, somebody said to me/‘You know that I could be in love with almost everyone/I think people are the greatest fun’. And I will be alone again tonight, my dear..." The bastard son of the Byrds meets Ennio Morricone--all West Coast harmonies, 12-string guitars and Tijuana brass--this ode to loneliness seemed to come out of nowhere in late ‘67.

14 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gGQEsbmQeE," from Pretenders II (WEA, 1981) What a concept: a song about missing an ex-partner sung by your future ex-partner. Written by Ray Davies and sung by Chrissie Hynde, this gives a peek into the--one assumes--charred lansdscape of the Davies/Hynde relationship. A perfect marriage of arrangement (including a beautiful French horn riff), lovelorn vocals and passionate lyrics: "I was wrong, I will cry, I will love you ‘til the day I die/You alone, you alone and no-one else/You were meant for me..."

13 Dusty Springfield: "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself," single (Phonogram, 1964) Springfield here performs a rare feat: outperforming Dionne Warwick's own version of a Bacharach and David classic. Moving from forlorn whimper to gutsy roar, she lives the song to the full. "Going to the movies only makes me sad; parties make me feel as bad/When I'm not with you, I just don't know what to do." Decimating.

12 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ij1uiEwQEQ," from The Last Record Album (Warner Brothers, 1975) "Does she know she hurt me so?" How did a sad ballad get so funky and stay so sad? Lowell George was never more soulfully vulnerable than on this late-flowering gem from an otherwise indifferent Feat platter.

11 Smokey Robinson & the Miracles: "The Tracks Of My Tears," from Going To A Go-Go (Motown, 1965) Bob Dylan called Smokey "America’s greatest living poet" with good reason. The guy was able to take the most everyday images and imbue them with a real emotional strength, allowing even the flyest guy to wear his heart on his sleeve: "People say I’m the life of the party ‘cos I tell a joke or two/My smile is the make-up I wear since my break up with you..." Couple that with Marv Tarplin's peerless, aching melody and you've got the ultimate Motown heartbreaker.

10 Bonnie Raitt: "I Can't Make You Love Me," from The Luck Of The Draw (Capitol, 1991) "I'll feel the power, but you won't..." It's all very "tasty" and L.A.-musoid, this smokey ballad of resignation to loss, but it also rings hauntingly true as an articulation of honesty in the midst of misery--which makes it as much a song of healing as anything else.

9 Lorraine Ellison: "Stay With Me," single (Warner Brothers, 1966) "No, no! I can't believe!! You're leaving me!!!" The epic Bert Berns-Jerry Ragovoy ballad style taken to the outer limit, thanks in part to a borrowed Frank Sinatra orchestra. Building slowly to volcanic peaks, and laceratingly intense to the point of hoarseness, this is soul emotion at the edge of utter despair.

8 Abba: "Knowing Me, Knowing You," single (Epic, 1977) "No more carefree laughter/Silence ever after..." Not the opening lines of a Radiohead, Big Star or Jeff Buckley song, but one by those fab four Swedish moppets so beloved of the young karaoke crowd. You see, the jolly, upbeat big-hair-and-shiny-suits story of Abba hid the sadness of two failing marriages, a sadness that bubbles to the fore here. As with the Everly Brothers or Carpenters, their arrangements may be flawless and their harmonies pitch-perfect, but there’s true heartache in them there grooves.

7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGlKJDEI1Nk," single (Volt, 1965) "You're tired, and your love is growing cold..." Good God Almighty! The prototype deep-soul howl of pitiful, nay, wretched lovesickness, sung by a big Georgia farmboy who's literally ravaged by need for his woman.

6 Sinead O'Connor: "Nothing Compares 2 U," single (Chrysalis, 1990) Forget the famous video: it's all already here in Sinead's bruised rendition--simultaneously dazed and defiant--of Prince's perfect ballad. "I could put my arms around every boy I meet..." But you know she won't.

5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVrDQQIiweE," single (Philles, 1964) "You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips": it's got to be the second greatest opening line of any breakup song ever. (The greatest is surely from Raspberries’ ballad "Starting Over": "I used to be so f***ing optimistic til you said goodbye".) In theory it shouldn’t have worked, combining what was then almost a comedy act with Phil Spector, a man renowned for producing girl groups. Yet somehow it all came together in one of the most remarkable vocal performances of all time, with Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield madly swapping pleas like James Brown’s Siamese twins. "Baby, baby, I’d get down on my knees for you ... If you would only love me like you used to do." Sublime.

4 Kate and Anna McGarrigle: "Heart Like A Wheel," from Kate and Anna McGarrigle (Warner Brothers, 1975) "It's only love/That can wreck a human being and turn him inside out..." Forget Linda Ronstadt's limp cover: the sisters' original from their startling debut album simply wees all over it. Imagine Les Voix des Bulgares transplanted to Acadia, with Kate and Anna's eerie, pellucid voices blending in a meditation on love and loss that's all about a kind of mystical bewilderment. Almost supernaturally moving.

3 Frank Sinatra: "I'm A Fool To Want You," from Where Are You? (Capitol, 1957) "But then would come the time that I would neeeeeed you..." A second stab at one of the very few songs Sinatra had a hand in writing--a song born of his debilitating pain over Ava Gardner--"I'm A Fool" is the desperate sound of a Man Who Loves Too Much, who keeps going back, masochistically, to the woman who's destroyed him. One of Frank's all-time peaks.

2 Roy Orbison: "It's Over," single (Monument, 1964) "Your baby doesn't love you anymore…" (Hey, why don't you spell it out for us, Roy?) Over a rat-a-tat, execution-squad bolero beat, the Big O gives unearthly voice to what one only call terminality. Still terrifying after all these years.

1 George Jones:"He Stopped Loving Her Today," single (Epic, 1981) "He said I'll love you 'til I die..." Curly Putnam and Bobby Braddock wrote the shamelessly weepy lyric and melody; producer Billy Sherrill coated the track in sumptuous Nashville surround-sound; and then the greatest country singer of all gave the performance of a lifetime--a vocal imbued with deep, knee-quaking compassion for the poor schmuck who never got over the love of his life... until now, when he's "all dressed up to go away". I don't care how hard-bitten you may be, I defy you not to get a lump in the throat from this 20-year-old classic of cornball liebestod. It's utterly transcendental--the most heartbreaking record ever made.

Read more about all these artists at www.rocksbackpages.com. Over 13,000 articles by the greatest writers from the finest rock publications of the last 50 years.

This, in no way, reflects my own opinion. I just thought it was interesting. What's YOUR opinion?

*I looked up these songs on YouTube so you could hear them.. the Shinade O'Connar song was the only one I could find that still had audio. It is cut short... Sorry.

[DarkVampire]

They must be on crack. I don't recall ever hearing those songs.

[n0Mad]

You mean Soft Cell had a song other than "Tainted Love"?

I'd like to put a vote in for "A Little Fall of Rain". The duet that Éponine and Marius sing in Les Misérables

as she dies

. Also, Éponine's solo "On My Own" from the same musical is more heart wrenching but doesn't make me cry as often as the former.

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

You mean Soft Cell had a song other than "Tainted Love"?

yeah, that's what I said!!

(and its not that good.... no wonder they didn't get anymore hits...)

[TitsMcGee]

All Cried Out by Allure is pretty darn depressing imo

[TygerLili]

I've never ever heard of most of those.

[Slogo]

Harry Nilson-I Can't Live (if Living is Without You)

Eric Clapton-Tears in Heaven (seriously when you think about what the song is about...)

[Guest greyhalo]

yeah, that's what I said!!

(and its not that good.... no wonder they didn't get anymore hits...)

Hey, they were a great band. No, they didn't have more Top 40 hits, but they did make some good music. I still hear their other songs getting played at clubs. I've heard "Sex Dwarf" at CC a few times.

[Head Wreck]

i FUCKING HATE soft cell

radiohead's exit music for a film

i dont have much sad music tbh. my music ranges from maniacal to happy, to "fuck it. the world must burn" but hardly ever sad and mopey

[Guest greyhalo]

i FUCKING HATE soft cell

[jynxxxedangel]

How can they forget such tearjerker classics as:

"Cry," by Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads,,

"Ol' Shep," (written by Red Foley, sung here by Elvis Presley),

"Por Un Amor," by Lucha Reyes (sung here by Linda Ronstadt)

and many, many more others I don't have time to think of, search, or post???

Give me about three days, and I'll come up with a MUCH better list!! I iz major musicologist..

[Mean Salley]

They must be on crack. I don't recall ever hearing those songs.

That's the whole point, it's supposed to make the people who came up with the list look more musically enriched and, well...better than us.

Most people who don't need to be told what they're supposed to like could come up with a few thousand songs way better than this rubbish. Since a lot of them are from the 50's 60' I'll bet people who were in their twenty's and thirty's during those eras wouldn't even pick those. It's just a couple of buffoons looking for obscure songs that the rest of us don't give a shit about.

I had the displeasure of having a father who worked at a country music radio station and I tell you this from experience, most George Jones fans would turn their nose up at that being his biggest tear jerker. Simply because She Still Thinks I Still Care http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amX3bGS90BE

Would they have picked that one? No, because it's popular and everyone knows it and it's also a hell of a lot better than the trash they picked.

They don't know anything about music, they just know music history. They're not better than us. They're scene bitches.

[Nienna]

For me, it's always been the Aria that Christine sings in Phantom of the OPera... "Think of me..." .

It's so sad to me because it's a song about trying to live with lost love in a positive way,

[Simon Bar Sinister]

numbers 2, 4, 7, 10 and 11 should definitely be there. Still, it's hard for me to take any list like this seriously...especially since EW&F's "After the Love is Gone" isn't on it, and Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" isn't at #1.

[jynxxxedangel]

I just thought of another one off the top of my head, that I cannot believe isn't on here--

[n0Mad]

For me, it's always been the Aria that Christine sings in Phantom of the OPera... "Think of me..." .

I just thought of another one off the top of my head, that I cannot believe isn't on here--

target="_blank

I think the whole Top 20 should be from musicals/operettas/operas. They were designed to be tear jerkers so do a better job of it than most other songs.

[CixWicked]

Actually The lyrics in most of those songs are heart wrenching, and if rewritten, I'm sure they would be a lot more heart wrenching...

Try on some of these for heart wrenching... (No laughing, FILTHY HUMANS... Er... I mean enjoy my meaty friends...)

The last verse... "She asks what I'm thinking, and I say I'm not sure... I just feel like i'm loosing my baby girl..."

The whole feel of this song is sad. What if your best friend was dieing of Aids? All the emotions are there... denial, and rage... God this song always gets me. Don't think there's a video, but the link is to a pretty touching montage.

Rehab - Red water

This song is sickly catchy, until you read the lyrics. How happy do you have to be to kill yourself.

3 Doors Down - She don't want the world

You tell me what the hell this song is about.

[GothicRavenGoddess (3)]

She Don't Want The World

3 Doors Down

The open wound she hides

She just keeps it bundled up and never lets it show

She can't take much more of this, but she can't let it go

And that's okay, she don't want the world.

All the things she says, while he's just lying there

Without someone to hear her cry

She slips off into a dream, about a place to hide

And that's okay, she don't want the world.

This love she feels, everything she's ever known

Or ever thought was real

Seems like it's been thrown away now, how's she gonna live...

It's okay, she don't want the world.

Those words he never spoke,

Hold her like the memories of all the times before

She tried to show him love, while he would only ask for more

But it's okay, she don't want the world

Softly in her sleep,

Pictures of the life she's longing for slowly appear

She's seen them all before but somehow never quite this clear

She just smiles, she don't want the world

(she don't want the world)

This love she feels, everything she's ever known,

Or ever thought was real

Seems likes it's been thrown away now, how's she gonna live,

It's okay, she don't want the world.

A brand new morning shines, she wakes up alone again, this time to face the day

She swears this time to make it, as she simply walks away and it's okay...

She don't want the world

*scratches head* IDK...

[CixWicked]

RED WATER - Rehab

When I was 12... while checking the mail

I was admiring the car of the man next door

And thing to my self... MAN

One of these days

I'm gonna have me a house like that...

Wiith a big red door.

And his yard was mowed

And his grass was green

and the driveway was edged

And all the shrubs were trimmed so perfectly

I had a crush on his wife

And I played ball with his son

I pondered how much money he made

Went inside and turned the tv on

[Chorus]

AND HE WAS LAYING... IN AN OVERFLOWING BATHTUB OF RED WATER

THE FIRST AND THE LAST TIME HE EVER RELAXED

AND THEY SAID... HE HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE HIS FINAL OFFER

THE STEAM IN THE MIRROR SAID...

"One more thing to say..."

I was watching Tee Vee

Having one of mom's famous rice crispy treats

Watching Tom & Jerry

I heard a car horn beep

I ran to the window

His wife and son were home

With bags of stuff they had got at the mall

I went in my room and got my glove and ball

I leapt of the stairs...

Asked his could he play

And his son looked at his wife

And his wife told his son

"I guess that'll be OK"

That beautiful woman

Went inside that beautiful house

ThenI realized I forgot my had

Said "I'll be back" and turned around

[Chorus]

AND HE WAS LAYING... IN AN OVERFLOWING BATHTUB OF RED WATER

THE FIRST AND THE LAST TIME HE EVER RELAXED

AND THEY SAY... HE HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE HIS FINAL OFFER

THE STEAM IN THE MIRROR SAID...

"One more thing to say..."

There was screaming

And there was crying

There were sirens

I thought i was dreaming

And the sun was shining

It was a beautiful dahy...

His wife was talking to an officer

Through the noise I heard her say

[Chorus]

AND HE WAS LAYING... IN AN OVERFLOWING BATHTUB OF RED WATER

THE FIRST AND THE LAST TIME HE EVER RELAXED

AND THEY SAID... HE HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE HIS FINAL OFFER

THE STEAM IN THE MIRROR SAID...

"I got one more thing to say..."

[Chorus]

HE WAS LAYING... IN AN OVERFLOWING BATHTUB OF RED WATER

THE FIRST AND THE LAST TIME HE EVER RELAXED

AND THEY SAID... HE HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE HIS FINAL OFFER

THE STEAM IN THE MIRROR SAID...

HE WAS LAYING... IN AN OVERFLOWING BATHTUB OF RED WATER

THE FIRST AND THE LAST TIME HE EVER RELAXED

AND THEY SAID... HE HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE HIS FINAL OFFER

THE STEAM IN THE MIRROR SAID...

"I got one more thiiiiiiiing to say..."

[My interpretation... Guy spends his whole life getting all the things he ever could want, and never stopped to enjoy any of it enough to realize that he didn't want -any- of it. So he checked out... Suicide from the eyes of a 12 year old boy.]

BUTTERFLY KISSES - BOB CARLISLE

There's two things I know for sure:

She was sent here from heaven and she's

daddy's little girl.

As I drop to my knees by her bed at night

She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes and

I thank god for all the joy in my life

Oh, but most of all

For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer;

sticking little white flowers all up in her

hair; "Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it's my first ride."

"I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried."

In all that I've done wrong I know I must

have done something right to deserve a hug

every morning and butterfly kisses at night.

Sweet 16 today

She's looking like her mama a little more everyday

One part woman, the other part girl.

To perfume and make-up from ribbons and curls

Trying her wings out in a great big world.

But I remember

Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer; sticking

little white flowers all up in her hair.

"You know how much I love you, Daddy, But if you

don't mind I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek this time."

With all that I've done wrong I must have done

something right to deserve her love every morning

and butterfly kisses at night.

All the precious time

Like the wind, the years go by.

Precious butterfly.

Spread your wings and fly.

She'll change her name today.

She'll make a promise and I'll give her away.

Standing in the bride-room just staring at her.

She asked me what I'm thinking and I said "I'm not

sure-I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl."

She leaned over...gave me butterfly kisses with her mama there,

Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair

"Walk my down the aisle, Daddy-it's just about time."

"Does my wedding gown look pretty, Daddy? Daddy, don't cry!"

Oh, with all that I've done wrong I must have

done something right.

To deserve your love every morning and butterfly

kisses-I couldn't ask God for more, man this is what love is.

I know I gotta let her go, but I'll always remember

every hug in the morning and butterfly kisses.

All lyrics are property and copyright of their owners.

All lyrics provided for educational purposes only.

[My Interpretation: Getting old is not so much about chronology, as it is about the things that you love changing... sometimes it's sad to see all your hard work come to fruition, especially when it's the work you love.]

TOMORROW WENDY - CONCRETE BLONDE

It is complete now two ends of time are neatly tied

A one-way street, she? walking to end of the line

And there she meets the faces she keeps in her heart and mind

They say good byetomorrow, wendy, you? e going to die

They say good byetomorrow, wendy, you? e going to die

Underneath the chilly gray november sky

We can make believe that kennedy is still alive and

We? e shooting for the moon and smiling jackie? driving by and

They say good trytomorrow wendy is going to die

Tomorrow wendy is going to die

I told the priest, ? on? count on any second coming

God got his ass kicked the first time he came down here slumming!

He had the balls to come, the gall to die and then forgive us!

No, I don? wonder why, I wonder what he thought it would get us?

Hey, hey, good bye

Tomorrow wendy? going to die

Hey, hey, good bye

Tomorrow wendy? going to cry

Tomorrow wendy? going to cry

Only God says jump

So I set the time

cause if he ever saw it

It was through these eyes of mine!

And if he ever suffered it was me who did his crying

Hey hey, good bye

Tomorrow wendy? going to cry

(tomorrow wendy? going to die)

Tomorrow wendy? going to die

(tomorrow wendy? going to cry)

Tomorrow wendy is going to die

Hey, hey, good bye

Tomorrow wendy is going to cry

Hey, hey, good bye

Tomorrow wendy is going to cry

Tomorrow wendy? going to cry

Tomorrow wendy? going to cry

[To me this is about the feelings of helplessness we feel, and what we do to try to gain control of that which we can not control. The most pointed part is when she lashes out at god, and you know it's because she feels that maybe this will help. We all go through this in moments of despair, weather we're faithful or not. It's so very sad, and one of the reasons I -love- this song.]

[CixWicked]

And let's not forget about RAP... a lot of poinient lyrics came from rap.

For example:

2 PAC - Unconditional Love

It's a song about... love... odly it's sappy, but still hard edged... i'm impressed.

- Maybe it's me that caused it... the fighting and the hurting

- In my room crying cause I didn't wanna be a burden

- Watch momma open up her arms to hug me

- And I ain't worried bout a damned thing... with unconditional love.

target="_blank

This was done pre 911 as a tribute and fundraiser for aids. Then 911 hit, and the situation took it over... there's a second one made recently. Listen to Nelly's verse... that's so touching... Oh, and ignore Fred Dersts... he's an idiot. ROTFL

- What's going on 'cross the seas?

- Every minute a child dies by this disease

- In record numbers, indeed

- Got mommas crying out, please

- my baby, hold on

- My child ain't done nothing wrong

- Still I want to holler,

- ask them why they don't bother

- Oh no, oh no

- Make me turn to my father

- and ask him why they all got a trapped soul

[TomCat]

So Common, So Cheap by Blood for Blood. Seriously, it reminds me of my first marriage, so in that regard, it's kind of appropriate.

whore...

[jynxxxedangel]

This song just about feckin' kills me every time I hear or sing it. This retrospective of falling in love, having it die away, desperation, and loneliness is heartbreaking-- and agonizingly profound (and OMG, the chord progression! ). It was written by Leonard Cohen, one of my favorite songwriters.

In this version by Jeff Buckley, the intro is a bit long and artsy, but the vocals are worth waiting for.

Hallelujah, as sung and arranged by Jeff Buckley

I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this; the fourth, the fifth

The minor fall, The major lift,

The baffled king composing, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Your faith was strong, but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to a kitchen chair, she broke your throne

She cut your hair, and from your lips, she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Maybe I've been here before

I know this room, I've walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know

What's real and going on below

But now you never show it to me, do you?

And remember when I moved in you

The Holy Dove was moving too

And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Maybe there's a God above

And all I ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you

It's not a cry you can hear at night

It's not somebody who's seen the light

it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah…

[CixWicked]

So Common, So Cheap by Blood for Blood. Seriously, it reminds me of my first marriage, so in that regard, it's kind of appropriate.

Every line of that song is written about Kelly and My relationship.

[TitsMcGee]

She Don't Want The World

3 Doors Down

The open wound she hides

She just keeps it bundled up and never lets it show

She can't take much more of this, but she can't let it go

And that's okay, she don't want the world.

All the things she says, while he's just lying there

Without someone to hear her cry

She slips off into a dream, about a place to hide

And that's okay, she don't want the world.

This love she feels, everything she's ever known

Or ever thought was real

Seems like it's been thrown away now, how's she gonna live...

It's okay, she don't want the world.

Those words he never spoke,

Hold her like the memories of all the times before

She tried to show him love, while he would only ask for more

But it's okay, she don't want the world

Softly in her sleep,

Pictures of the life she's longing for slowly appear

She's seen them all before but somehow never quite this clear

She just smiles, she don't want the world

(she don't want the world)

This love she feels, everything she's ever known,

Or ever thought was real

Seems likes it's been thrown away now, how's she gonna live,

It's okay, she don't want the world.

A brand new morning shines, she wakes up alone again, this time to face the day

She swears this time to make it, as she simply walks away and it's okay...

She don't want the world

*scratches head* IDK...

My interpretation is that its about a woman who is left by the only man she's really loved, and she doesn't want anyone/anything but him...but she learns how to get by.

[TitsMcGee]

Knocking On Heaven's Door - Guns N' Roses

The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawerence