insert disc, rip out heart

i was driving along this morning, rifling through my cd collection in need of something i hadn't heard in a while. i ran across a blank cd with no label or writing on it. figuring it must be some sort of collection of songs i or one of my friends had put together, i popped it in, looking forward to a random mixture of fun tunes. what i got instead was a compilation of depressing songs chosen for their ability to water the eye and puncture the soul. clearly, this mix had been made when i was in the depths of despair, most likely post-breakup or following the death of a loved one. (because "never gonna fall in love again" by snow patrol and a particularly upbeat remix of "since you've been gone" by kelly clarkson made it on the disc of despair, i'm leaning toward man problems as the motivation for this mix)

some of the tracks include "look what you've done" - jet, "hallelujah" - rufus wainwright version, "cannonball" - damien rice, "the scientist" - coldplay, "eddie walker" - ben folds, "stay or leave" - dave matthews, "victim of a foolish heart" - joss stone, "la cienega just smiled" - ryan adams, and a guster/dave matthews song that i cannot remember the name of, but i love it.

there's just something about listening to songs that make you want to slit your wrists with a rusty butterknife that seems so right when you're feeling blue. excerpts from my top 3:

la cienega just smiled (ryan adams) :

"And I hold you close in the back of my mind

Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt

And I'm too scared to know to how I feel about you now

La Cienega just smiles..."see ya around"

And I hold you close in the back of my mind

And raise my glass 'cause either way I'm dead

Neither of you really help me to sleep anymore

One breaks my body and the other breaks my soul

La Cienega just smiles as it waves goodbye"

stay or leave (dave matthews):

Stay or leave

I want you not to go

But you should

It was good as good goes

Stay or leave

I want you not to go

But you did

So what to do

With the rest of the day's afternoon hey

Isn't it strange how we change

Everything we did

Did I do all that i should

That I coulda done

Remember we used to dance

And everyone wanted to be

You and me

I want to be too

What day is this

Besides the day you left me

What day is this

Besides the day you went"

cannonball (damien rice):

There's still a little bit of your taste in my mouth

There's still a little bit of you laced with my doubt

It's still a little harder to say what's going on

There's still a little bit of your ghost, your weakness

There's still a little bit of your face, I haven't kissed

You step a little closer each day

That I can't see what's going on

Stones taught me to fly

Love, it taught me to lie

Life, it taught me to die

So it's not hard to fall

When you float like a cannonball"

so feel free to share - what are your top songs that rip out your heart and force you to relive some depressing, sad event in your life? what do you pop in the cd player when you need a good cry or feel like wallowing?