3 Rock Songs That Still Make Tough Guys Cry

Many rockers put up a front in their music, hiding emotion behind a bravado or angst that no other genre can really pull off. But occasionally, there are rock songs that lay everything bare. The three songs below are tearjerkers to say the least. Each of these tracks sits heavily on the listener’s heart. No matter who you are, you’d have a tough time powering through these tracks.

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“Tears In Heaven” — Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven” is a look at one of rock history’s greatest tragedies: the death of the guitarist’s son. “Would you know my name / If I saw you in Heaven?” Clapton asks in this painful ballad. Clapton poured all his grief into this poignant song, and that immediately resonates with the listener.

“I’ll find my way / Through night and day‘ / Cause I know I just can’t stay / Here in Heaven,” he adds later on in the song. No matter how tough you claim to be, you’d struggle not to break down with Clapton as he works through his pain on this 1992 release.

“Wish You Were Here” — Pink Floyd

Though not every listener will be able to relate to Pink Floyd’s meditation on mental health in “Wish You Were Here,” the feelings of isolation in the lyrics are universal. Loneliness hits all of us at one point or another, and this track perfectly sums up what that feels like.

“Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? / Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze?” the lyrics read. The band was singing about their former bandmate Syd Barrett and his declining mental state. But, even so, there is something for every listener to latch onto in this track. Moreover, there is something for every listener to get emotional about.

“Soldier Of Fortune” — Deep Purple

When most people think about Deep Purple, they think about their guitar anthem, “Smoke On The Water.” But, creating legendary riffs wasn’t all they were good for. In “Soldier Of Fortune,” they tackle meaninglessness in a way that makes us all confront our beliefs.

“But those days, I thought my eyes had seen you standing near / Though blindness is confusing / It shows that you’re not here,” the lyrics read. Though not all of us might subscribe to the notion that nothing really matters, Deep Purple delivers that sentiment with such conviction that the listener can’t help but be a little bummed out by this revelation.

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