Sad Song
First recorded: 7 Jun 1994 — Oasis at Maida Vale Studios, London, GB
Most recent: 31 Jan 2020 — Liam Gallagher at Private Venue, London, GB
By artist
| Artist | Plays | Gigs |
|---|---|---|
| Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds | 21 | 21 |
| Oasis | 17 | 17 |
| Liam Gallagher | 3 | 3 |
Quick facts
- Artist
- Oasis
- Release
- Definitely Maybe
- Release year
- 1994
- Lyrics
- Available
- Recorded live plays
- 41 across 41 gigs
Lyrics
Sing a sad song
In a lonely place
Try to put a word in for me
It's been so long
Since I found this place
You better put in two or three
We as people, are just walking 'round
Our heads are firmly fixed in the ground
What we don't see
Well it can't be real
What we don't touch we cannot feel
Where we're living in this town
The sun is coming up and it's going down
But it's all just the same at the end of the day
And we cheat and we lie
Nobody says it's wrong
So we don't ask why
Cause it's all just the same at the end of the day
We're throwing it all away
We're throwing it all away
We're throwing it all away at the end of the day
If you need it
Something I can give
I know I'd help you if I can
If you're honest and you say that you did
You know that I would give you my hand
Or a sad song
In a lonely place
I'll try to put a word in for you
Need a shoulder? well if that's the case
You know there's nothing I wouldn't do
Where we're living in this tow
The sun is coming up and it's going down
But it's all just the same at the end of the day
When we cheat and we lie
Nobody says it's wrong
So we don't ask why
Cause it's all just the same at the end of the day
Don't throw it all away
Don't throw it all away
Don't throw it all away
Don't throw it all away
Throwing it all away
Throwing it all away
Throwing it all away
Throwing it all away
Throwing it all away
You're throwing it all away at the end of the day
Listen / Watch
Notes
Sad Song is one of the great hidden corners of the Definitely Maybe era. Originally appearing as a bonus track on the vinyl edition of Oasis’ debut album, it offered a softer, more reflective contrast to the record’s usual wall of guitars, swagger and escape-route energy.
Sung by Noel Gallagher, the track has the feel of an early Oasis confession: simple, melodic and quietly bruised. Where songs like Rock ’n’ Roll Star and Live Forever sounded like declarations of escape, Sad Song looked inward. It captured the other side of the same world — disappointment, frustration and the feeling of being trapped in a town that offered little except routine and repetition.
Its placement outside the standard CD version helped give the song a cult status among fans. For many listeners, Sad Song felt like a secret extra piece of Definitely Maybe: not one of the obvious anthems, but a song that deepened the emotional range of the album. It showed that beneath the noise and confidence, Noel’s early writing also had a sharp sense of melancholy.
The song’s later rediscovery through reissues and anniversary editions has only strengthened its reputation. The appearance of an early Liam Gallagher vocal demo added another layer to its history, showing how the song could have sat differently within the Oasis catalogue had Liam taken the lead on the original version.
Sad Song remains a reminder that the Definitely Maybe era was not only about arrogance, volume and ambition. It was also about longing, boredom, escape and the sadness underneath the bravado.