The holiday season is a time of joy and togetherness for many people. However, not everyone has a holly-jolly time when the holiday season comes around. For one reason or another, it’s the hardest time of year for some people. For those who are having a hard time this Christmas season or those who just enjoy sad country songs, these tunes are for you.
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Let’s hit pause on “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Deck the Halls” for a moment to appreciate the sadness of the season. Here are four sad country Christmas songs that will leave you weeping under the tree.
“Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton
Written by Carol Hall for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” is a staple of the holiday season. This sad country song captures the spirit of barely getting by—both financially and mentally—during the Christmas season.
The song’s title refers to a time when families could only afford to give their children inexpensive hard candy or penny candy on Christmas morning. At the same time, the verses see the narrator looking at different ways to improve their position in life in the shadow of the holiday season.
“Hard Candy Christmas” isn’t all about being downtrodden during the holidays, though. There’s an element of hope in the lyrics. At the same time, it carries the message that life can be hard and sweet at the same time. One only needs to find the silver linings in life.
“Lonely Christmas Call” by George Jones
George Jones is a master of sad country songs and “Lonely Christmas Call” is no exception. Jones co-wrote this song with George Riddle and released it as a single backed with “My Mom and Santa Claus” in 1962.
Jones sings “Lonely Christmas Call” from the perspective of a single father who is imploring his estranged wife to come home. However, he’s not looking to rekindle their relationship. There’s no real mention of the former lovers mending fences in the song. Instead, he’s pleading with her to come see her children on Christmas and give them the gift of a mother’s love.
“It Won’t Be the Same This Year” by Vince Gill
Vince Gill wrote this sad country song and included it on his 1993 Christmas album Let There Be Peace on Earth. “It Won’t Be the Same This Year” is, at the same time, a beautiful song and hard to listen to.
Gill famously finished “Go Rest High on That Mountain” after his older half-brother Bob Coen died of a heart attack in 1993. His passing also inspired Gill to pen this heartbreaking Christmas song. As one would imagine, “It Won’t Be the Same This Year” sees the singer/songwriter working through his emotions during his first Christmas season without his brother.
“Christmas Makes Me Cry” by Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves co-wrote this song with Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark for her 2016 album A Very Kacey Christmas. “Christmas Makes Me Cry” sees Musgraves singing about how hard the holiday season can be for those who are missing loved ones.
She explained the meaning behind the song while introducing it during her 2019 Christmas special. “It feels like we are supposed to be happy during the holidays. But sometimes they just make you really sad,” she said. “So, I wrote this song for anybody that might be feeling a little bit lonely.”
Featured Image by Katherine Bomboy-Thornton/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
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