Tear Jerker / Iced Earth

This heavy metal band has a few sad songs.

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• "Life And Death" with its angst-tastic lines of
  "I came into this world a screaming infant,
  Forced entry into this life,
  As I grow the pain sustains deep inside my soul,
  But hate will never leave me."
• "Solitude" from their first album is a very melancholy acoustic tune, as are "Before The Vision" and "Reaching The End" from Night Of The Stormrider.

• There's a smattering of very powerful moments in the "Gettysburg (1863)" trilogy ("The Devil To Pay", "Hold At All Costs" and "High-Water Mark") that may induce tears.
  • But the beginning of "Hold at All Costs", where Confederate Brigadier General Armistead speaks about his dear friend, Union Brigadier General Winfield Hancock may be one of the strongest. Even more powerful because it's TRUE HISTORY!
  "The last time we were together,
  I grabbed his hand and I pledged,
  'If I ever draw my sword on you,
  May the Good Lord strike me dead'."
  • Also includes a Crowning Moment Of Awesome: In order to buy time for Union reinforcements to arrive, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain orders an almost suicidal bayonet charge against the rebels.
  "On their next wave we charge at them,
  There is no other option.
  Disconcert them, force submission, on my command, fix bayonets!"
  • Also tear-inducing, from "High-Water Mark".
  (Armistead) "We're almost there my boys
  I've never served with finer
  We must push forward boys
  And bayonet the Yankee tyrants!
  To the copse of trees we charge
  To crush the union center
  And when they turn and run
  An open road leads us to freedom!"

  (Lee) "It's over now, we are retreating
  I never thought that we'd be beaten
  All this blood is on my hands
  The thousands dead due to my plan
  I am responsible
  All of this is my fault
  I thought us invincible
  Is this God's will, after all?
  I look across this blood-soaked land
  All this blood is on my hands!
  God forgive me, please, forgive me!
  It's all my fault! The blood is on my hands!"
• "Watching Over Me" was written by Schaffer as a tribute to his best friend, who had died tragically about a decade prior. Additionally, said friend was the one who suggested the name "Iced Earth" to Schaffer, as the band was known as "Purgatory" until 1988.

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