And we conclude with the final ten sad country songs…

Sad Country Songs Part 5

10) Concrete Angel – Martina McBride

Martina McBride has always been one of the best country singers of all time. She is also known for putting out songs that pull at the heartstrings while making people aware of difficult topics. At the end of 2002 Martina released the song Concrete Angel as the final single from her Greatest Hits album. The song was about an abused little girl that can’t get away from her parents that keep abusing her. Finally the little girl doesn’t make it any longer and she makes her way to the after life. The song is heartfelt and extremely sad. Neighbors in the story turn their heads the other way not knowing what to do. Even though some situations in life make us uneasy we need to acknowledge they exist and make the world the best place for our family and friends as we can. Thanks Martina.

9) Love Me – Collin Raye

Collin Raye became a country superstar in the early ’90s after his second single effort Love, Me made it all the way to the top of the country charts in 1991. The song is a story about a couple that fell in love many years ago. Throughout the couple’s life they left each other notes and always ended them with the salutation Love, Me. The song is a beautiful story about how love can withstand all the pressures life can throw at it. Don’t give up and keep fighting for the one you love. If it’s really true love you won’t be let down. Even when one of you passes away don’t worry. If you believe you will find a way to be together once again. Collin Raye would go on to have many more hits over the next decade but it was that first big hit that made him a star and still remains his signature song today.

8) The Walk – Sawyer Brown

By the end of 1991 country superband Sawyer Brown seemed to be on the downside of their career. Their last few singles in the late ’80s had floundered near the far ends of the country charts and the band was in need of a hit. The song that brought the guys back into relevance was The Walk. The ballad tells the story of a father and son. The story starts out with the young boy being afraid to get on the bus for school. The dad consoles the little guy by telling him their is nothing to worry about – “I took the same walk with my old man. I’ve been in your shoes.” The story continues through live and eventually the two wind up at the bedside as the dad is passing away. The dad assures his son that everything will be alright because he’s taken this walk with his own father. It’s always nice to hear stories of difficult situations others have gone through. We can all picture ourselves in the same situations and if we’re going through a tough situation our self a song like The Walk can help us get through. The tune turned Sawyer Brown’s career around and they went on to have tons of hits in the ’90s.

7) Live Like You Were Dying – Tim McGraw

In 2004, country superstar Tim McGraw was dealing with the death of his father. Just a few months before the song Live Like You Were Dying was released Tim lost his father, baseball player Tug McGraw to complications of a brain tumor. Tim didn’t know that his father was Tug until later in life and it took a long while before they even became friends. Toward the end of Tug’s life they seemed to become great friends as well as being father and son. The message of the song is to live life to the fullest each day. You never know how many days you’ll have left to live so make the most of it. Love those around you and do the things that make you happy. Live a full like just as if you knew you were dying. Not many of us actually live this way even though we all know we’ll one day die. Maybe we can make that change today.

6) I Don’t Call Him Daddy – Doug Supernaw

Doug Supernaw became a country star with the release of his third single I Don’t Call Him Daddy. The song became Doug’s lone number one hit on the country charts. I Don’t Call Him Daddy is a story about divorce and the kids that get caught up in the middle. The narrator of the song calls up his young son to chat and they talk about everything including the new man in the boy’s mom’s life. They boy says that the guy is nice enough, but he’ll never take the place of his real dad. There is a strong love between a father and son. Many kids grow up wanting to be just like their dads. Divorce is a difficult situation to go through and when the parents move on it can be confusing for the kids and for the new parents. Kids always seem to make the best of the situation while realizing that nobody can ever take the place of their parents – blood or love.

5) Seven Spanish Angels – Ray Charles and Willie Nelson

Ray Charles and Willie Nelson recorded one of the greatest and saddest country songs of all time in 1985. The song was Seven Spanish Angels and it went on to reach the top spot on the charts. It was a monster hit for both Ray and Willie. The song is the story of a young couple. The man is in a fight for his life and as he sits and chats with his lover he realizes that he probably won’t make it out of the fight alive. The guns banged and the smoke fills the air. When the smoke clears the woman realizes that her lover is gone. She tries to take her own life because she can’t live without her man. Her prayers are answered when the rifles continue to bang away. The smoke clears and she joins him at home. It’s a sad song about a love that moves on from this life. The vocals Willie and Ray put on the track is beautiful and perhaps one of the greatest moments in country music. It truly is the artists that made this song great.

4) Wish You Were Here – Mark Wills

In 1999, country singer Mark Wills had a huge #1 hit with the tearful ballad Wish You Were Here. The song captured the hearts of many as it pulled at the emotions of each listener. The song is a story of a young couple that has to part ways for a bit. They say goodbye at the airport terminal gate. The guy buys a postcard that says “Heaven” on the front and he plans on sending it to the one he loves. She heads home and gets a call later expecting it to be him. She breaks down and hears that the plane has crashed – no survivors. Someone later on the mail she gets the postcard that says “Heaven” on the front. She reads that her loved one wishes she was there. It’s beautiful and that he wishes he could hold her close and see the wonders he sees. This song is enough to make just about anybody have a good cry.

3) What Hurts The Most – Rascal Flatts

In 2006, country superstars Rascal Flatts released what is perhaps their biggest single. What Hurts The Most is a song about love lost and how much it hurts when you lose someone. It can be through breakup, death, or any other reason. It usually doesn’t matter what the cause is. What matters is that it hurts more than anything else in the world. It hurts being so close to someone and then losing that love and everything that goes along with it all in an instant. The song became a top hit on the country charts and even peaked in the top ten on the pop charts. Songs like What Hurts The Most make some sad and emotional, but these are the songs that help us cope with the loss of someone we love so much. We needs these songs in country music. They’re therapy.

2) He Stopped Loving Her Today – George Jones

George Jones was down and out by the time 1980 rolled around. The country legend was looking for a major hit to bring him back to superstardom. That song came in the form of He Stopped Loving Her Today. The song is often regarded as the best country song of all time. It’s a song about a guy that simply can’t get over the love he has for his woman. She left him and figures he’ll get over her, but he just can’t. Nothing ever comes between his love and nothing can ever make him stop loving her. The song ends with the final conclusion that he finally stopped loving her but it was in fact his death that finally ended the love. George puts the perfect vocal on the song. His emotional and soulful voice wains and cries through the lyrics. George Jones is country royalty because he can sing a song like no other. He Stopped Loving Her Today is the perfect definition of country music. It’s sad. It’s beautiful. And most important it’s country.

1) Go Rest High On That Mountain – Vince Gill

Vince Gill’s career is filled with many heartfelt ballads and sad country songs that tear out every last bit of emotion from your heart. In 1995 the singer released what is perhaps his biggest signature hit with Go Rest High On That Mountain. The song started out as a tribute to the late Keith Whitley yet Vince didn’t finish the song until his own brother died in the early ’90s of a heart attack. Go Rest High On That Mountain serves as a beautiful tribute to anyone that has died as well as giving a bit of understanding and hope for friends and family left back to grieve. All of us will go through the loss of more than just a few people in our lives and it’s never easy. Songs like Vince Gill’s Go Rest High On That Mountain may be sad songs but they truly help others understand why things happen in life. That kind of impact is what makes for one of the greatest country songs of all time. Thanks Vince for helping us all deal with the loss of loved ones.

Entire List

The Saddest Country Songs of All Time

The Saddest Country Songs of All Time Part 2

The Saddest Country Songs of All Time Part 3

The Saddest Country Songs of All Time Part 4

17 More Sad Country Songs