Lyric discussion by NoOneOnEarth 

Cover art for Kathleen lyrics by Townes Van Zandt

This is one of the saddest songs Townes did, in my opinion.

My Opinion

@NoOneOnEarth what do you find in that lyrics that makes this so sad for you?

@sokorny the lyrics make me imagine a girl that has perhaps walked into the ocean, committing suicide. Then wanting to join her. I think the most hopeless lines are the first: "it's plain to see, sun won't shine today. But I ain't in the mood for sunshine anyway." Side note: there's a live recording where he says "for some reason this is called Kathleen", which leads me to believe Kathleen is an entirely fictional person.