sad-songs/sad-songs.tsv

song	year	author	genre	youtube	based_on	description/spoiler
Alyssa Lies	2006	Jason Michael Carroll	country	https://youtu.be/xumsvSi8qz0	?	Singer’s daughter befriends a girl at school who is being physically abused and “lying” by hiding this from the school and everyone else, he decides to do something about it monday when school goes back in session, but when they arrive, they realize it is too late, she is dead, presumably killed by the abuser, because no one would do anything
The Cyclone Of Ryecov	1964	Doc Watson	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/xwVzrwQyOUY	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1929_Rye_Cove_tornado_outbreak#Rye_Cove,_Virginia	Based on the true story of a Tornado destroying a school in Rye Cove, killing 12 students and 1 teacher. The songs mention the children begging the tornado not to take them away, and parents finding them dying on a pillow of stone.
South Coast	1999	Doc Watson	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/vvd2J3AX-gg	?	A man who lives alone on the lonely south coast wins his young wife in a card game, they fall in love, get pregnant, and spend all winter happy, preparing for the baby. Then the man gets his leg crushed in a landslide, his pregnant wife jumps on the horse and takes off for help.  A lion roars, scares the horse off the trail, and the woman, baby, and presumably man, die.
The Wreck of the Old Number 9	?	Doc Watson	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/UGdwxPPdBfE	?	A young engineer and his bride-to-be (they wed tommorow) kiss goodbye on a starless night, he has orders to pull “old number 9”.  He dreams about his wedding until he sees a headlight shining in his face from a train on the same track coming the opposite direction, he throws on the air (brakes).  They find him in the wreckage and he begs them to come close and deliver a message to his sweetheart, he bought them a house to live together in, and he’s leaving it to her, until they meet at the golden gate, goodbye.
No School Bus In Heaven	1958	The Stanley Brothers	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/Pl1QUWKsaB0	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestonsburg,_Kentucky,_bus_crash	Based on the true story, a bus crashed in Kentucky and killed 26 students and the driver. The song says the kids won’t need to study or ride on a school bus up there.
Footprints in the Snow	1952	Bill Monroe	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/NNlLmg-L8-4	?	Man goes to see his sweetheart, her mother said she’s just went out and would be back soon, he traces her footprints in the snow and finds her dead.  He’ll love her the rest of his life.
1952 Vincent Black Lightning	?	Del McCoury	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/EnFbfRNQkJ8	?	A woman and man meet, bond over the rare motorcycle he rides, and fall in love. He warns her he’s a bad man and bought his bike by robbing people.  He gives her a ring and promises if “fate breaks his stride” he’ll give her his vincent to ride. She gets called to the hospital by the police, he’s been shot up badly.  He tells her how he feels and slips her the keys, gave her a last kiss and died.
Girl in the Blue Velvet Band	?	Del McCoury	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/6dRstHy-FqU	?	A man meets a beautiful woman at a bar, they fall in love, they go for a walk and she slips her hand in her pocket, unknowingly planting an expensive diamond she stole on him. The police are suddenly after them and she screams and dies, presumably killed by police, leaving him to face the punishment for the theft.  Despite his innocence, he spends 10 years in San Quentin prison for the girl he barely knew, he dreams of one day going to her grave to say goodbye and leaving San Francisco forever.
The First Fall of Snow	1949	Hank Williams	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/Gz4wbS0GjOk	?	The singer talks to a sad looking guy carrying a dolly, who’s baby daughter died at the first fall of snow, he looks up at the sky and vows to bring it to her at the first fall of snow.  The singer tries to hold back his tears because this guy doesn’t know he also lost his baby at he first fall of snow.
Six More Miles (To the Graveyard)	?	Hank Williams	country	https://youtu.be/82fR-6N0JQc	?	Six more miles to the graveyard where he’ll leave his love, never to be with her on this earth again.
On the Banks of the Old Pontchartrain	?	Hank Williams	country	https://youtu.be/e_-V5kgWeTo	?	A man meets a woman and they fall in love on the banks of the Pontchartrain. He doesn’t tell her he ran away from prison in texas, and hopes to never get caught.  One day a man catches him and takes him back, he never gets to tell her, and he’ll never see her again.
My Son Calls Another Man Daddy	1949	Hank Williams	country	https://youtu.be/QSx_V-G1rto	?	A man in prison dreams of returning to his wife and son and living happily ever after one day, then llearns his wife has married another, and that his son calls another man daddy, and will never see nor hear of him again.
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry	1949	Hank Williams	country	https://youtu.be/VqfisHUtWOA	?	Describes many sad lonely things, he’s lonely
(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle	?	Hank Williams	country	https://youtu.be/sIo5x-q1GNo	?	Did something, ran off, left his sweetheart and rode the train. They caught him and he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison, he’ll never see her again.
The School House Fire	?	The Country Gentleman	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/Gfq82vyLQCI	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_School_fire	True story of the Cleveland school fire, which during a school play, killed 77 people.  Mentions children screaming for their fathers to save them, but they couldn’t.
Matterhorn	?	The Country Gentleman	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/muWq2Bh2QzY	?	Four experienced mountain climbers are committed to be the first to successfully climb the matterhorn, 2 fall (with the food), 1 is buried in an avalanche, the last barely makes it to the top, but it’s “as close from here to heaven as it is back to the ground” so he dies there.
Bringing Mary Home	?	The Country Gentleman	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/aixyghitHbI	?	Man picks up a pale young girl named Mary hitchhiking, trying to get home, when he arrives at her house, she is gone.  He talks to the mom who thanks him, and tells him Mary died 13 years ago and has been trying to come home every year on the anniversary since.
Brown Mountain Light	?	The Country Gentleman	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/b-bSdnbw5eg	?	A story about the ghost of a slave who died searching for his master who got lost hunting.
The Story of Charlie Lawson	?	The Country Gentleman	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/tqeEx30HdGU	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_the_Lawson_family	True story of a man who killed his wife and then each of his 6 children, as they begged for their lives.  He then killed himself.
Poor Ellen Smith	?	The Country Gentleman	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/9lkXtTG8tyA	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Ellen_Smith	The story of the murder of Ellen Smith, who was found shot through the heart and naked, and the man convicted of her murder.
Legend of the Rebel Soldier	?	The Country Gentleman	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/hx-5Gb5mLT0	?	A rebel soldier is dying in a yankee prison, begging the parson (pastor) to tell him if his soul will pass through the south land and get to see the fields, hills, and his little daughter after he dies.
Drunken Driver	1997	Ricky Skaggs	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/nlWTpKFH6h4	?	Two brothers are walking together along a highway, their mother had just died, when suddenly a drunk driver rounds the corner, yells at them to get out of the road, and runs them down. The driver staggers from the car to see they are his own sons.  With his dying breath the son tells him to take them to their bother and not drink anymore so he can meet them in heaven some day.
Rank Strangers	?	The Stanley Brothers	bluegrass	https://youtu.be/SwP-YgSTNS0	?	A man returns to his home in the mountains, but finds no one he knows, only rank strangers.  Everyone he ever knew has passed on to heaven.