3 Folk Ballads That’ll Put a Tear in Your Eye and Pain in Your Heart

R&B, soul, and folk are the holy trinity of sad songs. For decades upon decades, these three genres have been releasing existentially soul-crushing ballads about heartbreak, loss, political tragedy, and really any topic that wrenches out the heart like a soggy rag.

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There are a myriad of folk songs that can turn a bright day into a melancholic one, and on the contrary, that can also make a bitter day a bittersweet one. So if you’re in search of one of those things, here are three folk ballads that’ll put a tear in your eye and pain in your heart.

“Tecumseh Valley” by Townes Van Zandt

Townes Van Zandt‘s ballad “Tecumseh Valley” is a timeless tale about a poverty-stricken woman seeking opportunity in hopes of providing stability for her and her family. The protagonist starts out seemingly fairly hopeful. However, by the end, all hope is denied, and tragedy covers the life of “Caroline“.

Poverty, despair, prostitution, death, and more death are what Townes dwells upon in this single. By the end of this ballad, the protagonist, “Caroline“, is found dead under a barroom staircase from an undetermined reason. However, given the closing lyrics of the song, one might imagine that she died tragically by her own hand.

“Boots Of Spanish Leather” by Bob Dylan

A farewell, a token of appreciation, and an ending to a romance is the central narrative of Bob Dylan‘s ever-so iconic folk ballad, “Boots of Spanish Leather”. In this question and answer Bob Dylan narrative, one can’t help but feel the complete and utter heartbreak of the protagonist whose loved one has departed for a foreign country, as all they want is to keep their love intact.

However, given the distance and the indefinite period of time apart, that is not possible. Consequently, the protagonist has to let their lover go, and all they have to hold onto is the memory of who they’ve lost, and that memory comes in the form of boots made of Spanish leather.

“He Was A Friend Of Mine” by Dave Van Ronk

Dave Van Ronk‘s 1962 ballad would certainly be more appropriately titled as a dirge, as it is a lamentation to a deceased friend. Ronk’s lyrics don’t necessarily tell a developed story. Rather, they directly articulate the emotional struggles of grief and loss.

Van Ronk sings as if he’s crying on this track, and his pathos pushes one to think about the loved ones they have lost. With this dirge, there is no escaping pain, there is no escaping grief, and there is no escaping the denial that comes along with both of those sentiments.

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