Good Self-Pity Songs

by

Rambler, Gambler by Ian and Sylvia

Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Linda Ronstadt

Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Warren Zevon

Dublin in the Rare Old Times, The Dubliners

I Who Have Nothing, Ben E King

Acres of Corn, Iris DeMent / Tom Russell

 

Others?

28 thoughts on “Good Self-Pity Songs”

  4. ISTR something from Hee Haw with the refrain “doom, despair, and agony on me.” Does that count?

  7. “Things Have gone to Pieces” by Van Morrison, covering a George Jones song.

    “Make the World Go Away” – very powerful on the sound track for “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”

  9. “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me,
    Think I’ll go eat worms.”

    I’ve always wanted to do a punk cover of that.

  10. “Sloe Gin”, Joe Bonamassa, written by Bob Ezrin/Michael Kamen

    “Sloe gin, sloe gin
    Trying to wash away the pain inside
    Well I’m sick and I’m all done in
    Standing in the rain
    And I feel like I’m gonna die
    I’m so damn lonely – ain’t even high…”

    Several Youtube versions available, about 8 minutes

  11. IF you approach it with the right sarcastic and morbid state of mind; in view of our economy and body politic …

    “Happy days are here again” [Democrat party theme].

    Subotai Bahadur

  12. Woody Guthrie singing I Ain’t Got No Home In This World Anymore. These days, the ideology comes through more than it did when I was younger.

    Which led me to discover I Got no Iphone.

    Billy Bragg also sings “I Ain’t Got no Home..,” but I prefer Woody’s version. Which reminds me that three months before the fall of the Berlin Wall, I bought a used cassette of Billy Bragg songs, one of which was “The Internationale.” At the time, his singing this song was in full-fledged support of the ideology that the regimes behind the Iron Curtain followed. Which made listening to the song after November 1989 rather amusing.

    There is a more recent version of Billy Bragg singing The Internationale at Pete Seeger 90th Birthday Concert in 2009. In the video, Billy Bragg informs the audience that 20 years ago, he and Pete Seeger were at the Vancouver Folk Festival when Pete informed Billy Bragg that he was going to dedicate The Internationale “in memory of the protestors at Tianamen Square.” Given Pete Seeger’s support of Stalinism in previous decades, I found it rather amusing that he would dedicate a song used by Stalinists to support those struggling against latter day Stalinism.

    Doublethink, doublethink, doublethink. Three times.

  14. How about “Mr. Lonely” – Bobby Vinton. That’s a real wallow in self-pity.

    Lonely, I’m Mr. Lonely
    I have nobody for my own
    I am so lonely, I’m Mr. Lonely
    Wish I had someone to call on the phone

    Now I’m a soldier, a lonely soldier
    Away from home through no wish of my own
    That’s why I’m lonely, I’m Mr. Lonely
    I wish that I could go back home

    Letters, never a letter
    I get no letters in the mail
    I’ve been forgotten, yes, forgotten
    Oh how I wonder, how is it I failed

    Now I’m a soldier, a lonely soldier
    Away from home through no wish of my own
    That’s why I’m lonely, I’m Mr. Lonely
    I wish that I could go back home

  19. Whipping Post –Allman Brothers

    I been run down, I been lied to,
    I don’t know why I let that mean woman make me a fool.
    She took all my money, wrecked my new car.
    Now she’s with one of my goodtime buddies,
    They’re drinkin’ in some crosstown bar.

    Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel,
    Like I been tied to the whipping post,
    Tied to the whipping post,
    Tied to the whipping post,
    Good lord, I feel like I’m dyin’.

    My friends tell me, that I’ve been such a fool,
    And I have to stand by and take it baby, all for lovin’ you.
    Drown myself in sorrow, and I look at what you’ve done.
    But nothin’ seems to change, the bad times stay the same,
    And I can’t run

  20. To every thing there is a season

    A time for fish, a time for bicycles

    A time for pity parties, a time for surf music

    And always time for lunch

  21. “Mama Tried” by Merl Haggard

    “I turned 21 in prison,
    Serving life without prole.
    Mama tried to raise me better,
    but her pleading I denied.
    I’ve no one else to blame
    “Cause Mama tried.”

  23. amy winehouse ‘i’m no good’

    1920-1921 crash: ‘ain’t we got fun’

    There’s nothing sure
    The rich get rich and the poor get poor
    In the meantime, in between time
    Ain’t we got fun? C’mon

    Every little summer, every little winter
    Don’t we got fun?
    Twins and cares, dear, come in pairs, dear
    Still we have fun

    When I first saw you
    I had but one thought
    And then you chased me
    Oh, until you were caught

    Ain’t we got fun?
    Ain’t we got fun, fun, fun?

    I’m not too clever
    But I might just say those words over
    Thank you, kind sir, I don’t mind, sir
    Ain’t we got fun?

    Our rent’s unpaid, dear
    And we haven’t a bus
    But smiles were made, dear
    Oh, for people like us

    There’s nothing sure
    The rich get rich and the poor get poor
    In the meantime, in between time
    Ain’t we got fun? C’mon

  25. I keep hearin’ you’re concerned about my happiness
    But all that thought you’re givin’ me is conscience I guess
    If I was walkin’ in your shoes, I wouldn’t worry none
    While you ‘n’ your friends are worried about me I’m havin’ lots of fun

    Countin’ flowers on the wall
    That don’t bother me at all
    Playin’ solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
    Smokin’ cigarettes and watchin’ Captain Kangaroo
    Now don’t tell me I’ve nothin’ to do

    Last night I dressed in tails, pretended I was on the town
    As long as I can dream it’s hard to slow this swinger down
    So please don’t give a thought to me, I’m really doin’ fine
    FLOWERS ON THE WALL — The Statler Brothers

    You can always find me here, I’m havin’ quite a time

    Countin’ flowers on the wall
    That don’t bother me at all
    Playin’ solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
    Smokin’ cigarettes and watchin’ Captain Kangaroo
    Now don’t tell me I’ve nothin’ to do

    It’s good to see you, I must go, I know I look a fright
    Anyway my eyes are not accustomed to this light
    And my shoes are not accustomed to this hard concrete
    So I must go back to my room and make my day complete

    Countin’ flowers on the wall
    That don’t bother me at all
    Playin’ solitaire till dawn with a deck of fifty-one
    Smokin’ cigarettes and watchin’ Captain Kangaroo
    Now don’t tell me I’ve nothin’ to do

    Don’t tell me I’ve nothin’ to do

  26. Pulled into Nazereth, was feeling ’bout half past dead
    just looking for a place where I could lay my head
    “hey mister can you tell me where a man might find a bed?”
    He just grinned and shook my hand
    “No” was all he said

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