3 Country Songs That Taught You What Heartbreak Was Before You Ever Experienced It Yourself

Country music does many things well, but some of the most impressive efforts involve heartbreak. This genre in particular knows how to tug at your heartstrings. Even if you don’t know the emotions firsthand, country music will have you reeling over a fictitious romance, or the lack thereof. Revisit three country songs below that keyed you into heartbreak before you had ever had one.

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“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (Willie Nelson)

Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” is one of the most timeless heartbreak songs in country. Nelson tenderly sings about a breakup with symbolism that is nothing short of poetry. Love is like a dying ember / And only memories remain / And through the ages I’ll remember / Blue eyes crying in the rain, the visceral lyrics read.

Even if you haven’t ever experienced the kind of heartbreak Nelson sings about here, you can sympathize with his situation. This is the kind of song that introduced listeners of all ages to the heartwrenching reality of love lost.

“Boulder to Birmingham” (Emmylou Harris)

Emmylou Harris delivered a sweeping, near-cinematic heartbreak ballad with “Boulder to Birmingham.” I don’t want to hear a love song / I got on this airplane just to fly, are among the most memorable opening lyrics in all of country music. We might not all be able to escape heartbreak by leaving town, but many of us know the feeling of wanting to.

Even if you’ve never had your heart broken quite as harshly as Harris seems to have experienced while writing this song, listening to “Boulder to Birmingham” is a sobering picture of love’s potential to turn our lives upside down.

“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” (Hank Williams)

Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” is a country standard. This song is just as much of an icon as the man who made it popular. With how ubiquitous this song is, it stands to reason that it was likely many listeners’ first taste of heartbreak.

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill / He sounds too blue to fly / The midnight train is whining low / I’m so lonesome, I could cry, Williams sings in these tender lyrics. Many young country fans have heard this song and imagined what might have happened to inspire the lyrics. As they got older, odds are they found out just what Williams was singing about in this timeless classic.

(Photo by Tom Hill/WireImage)