Miscarriage is one of the most difficult and painful things a parent — and a mother, specifically — can go through. It is often hard to find the words to express the pain of losing your child before you even have a chance to meet them. It is brutal. It is devastating. It feels like the world is ending. If you’ve suffered one, or know someone who has, you know this to be true.
Musicians, however, have a way of finding words to express difficult emotions. The power of their art — their songs — is in the expression of such pain in a way that it becomes beautiful. It has the power to remind us that we are not alone. These 7 songs about miscarriage accomplish just that. They are painful but important reminders that we are not alone. Our pain is no less painful, but we will survive and carry on, always with the memories of those we’ve lost in mind.
7 Beautifully Devastating Songs About Miscarriage
“Happy” by Pink
Taken from her most recent album, 2019’s Hurts 2B Human, “Happy” makes explicit reference to Pink’s previous miscarriages. The song begins with the lyrics, “Since I was 17, I’ve always hated my body / and it feels like my body’s hated me.”
In an interview with USA Today, Pink told the newspaper that, “I’ve always had this very tomboy, very strong gymnast body, but actually at 17 I had a miscarriage. And I was going to have that child. But when that happens to a woman or a young girl, you feel like your body hates you and like your body is broken, and it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do. I’ve had several miscarriages since, so I think it’s important to talk about what you’re ashamed of, who you really are and the painful (expletive). I’ve always written that way.”
“Playboy Mommy” by Tori Amos
Much of Tori Amos’ beloved 1998 album From the Choir Girl Hotel touches upon a miscarriage the artist suffered while touring previously. Some even tend to view the project as somewhat of a concept album about miscarriage. But the message shines through especially strongly on “Playboy Mommy,” a song which begins, “In my platforms, I hit the floor / I fell facedown, didn’t help my brain out / Then the baby came before I found / the magic how to keep her happy.”
Though Amos’ writing style is somewhat oblique and occasionally surreal, it is obvious that Amos (or, as is often the case in her music, a character) is singing to a little girl in heaven. Amos (or the character) expresses deep shame and regret, feelings often associated with miscarriage. One interpretation of the song is that the narrator blames herself for her daughter’s death and feels as if her flaws, imperfections, and sins have somehow caused the tragic event. Again, this is a common side effect for women who suffer miscarriages. But know: It is not your fault.
“Heaven” by Beyoncé
Before Beyoncé and Jay Z welcomed their first child, daughter Blue Ivy Carter, in 2012, Beyoncé secretly suffered a miscarriage. The icon opened up about this miscarriage in the years following Blue’s birth. She even recorded a song, “Heartbeat,” about the miscarriage and intended to include it on her self-titled 2013 album. Though that song didn’t make the cut, “Heaven” did, and though its meaning is open to interpretation, it certainly could exist as a song about such a tragedy.
“I fought for you / the hardest it made me the strongest / So tell me your secrets, I just can’t stand to see you leaving,” the song begins before arriving at the chorus: “But Heaven couldn’t wait for you / No, Heaven couldn’t wait for you / Heaven couldn’t wait for you / No, Heaven couldn’t wait for you/ So go on, go home.”
“Small Bump” by Ed Sheeran
Released as the fifth single from Ed Sheeran’s debut album, “Small Bump” is about a “close friend” of Sheeran’s who suffered a stillbirth at five months pregnant. The touching ballad, which Sheeran sings from the first-person perspective, includes a lot of clear child and pregnancy imagery and specifically refers to his friend’s miscarriage with lyrics like, “You’re just a small bump unborn for four months then torn from life”.
“Something’s Not Right” by Lily Allen
In 2010, British musician Lily Allen suffered a stillbirth. She wrote the song “Something’s Not Right” about the tragedy, and the song was included on the 2015 soundtrack for the movie Pan. The phrase “something’s not right” itself refers specifically to miscarriage, as many women who experience one often feel something indescribably “off” before they know-know what is wrong.
The song features heartbreaking lyrics that speak to the devastation of miscarriage like, “We had forever / We never got it together / I waited for you / For you I made it better / They kept telling me that it was unlikely / All I had to do was keep you beside me.”
“Winter Bear” by Coby Grant
Though Coby Grant may not be as recognizable a name as others on this list, her song “Winter Bear” is arguably the most accessible song about miscarriage here. She says she wrote it to honor not only friends and family members who have suffered miscarriages or other forms of child loss but for all parents who have. The chorus refers to a very popular children’s book and carries with it all of the pain and heartbreak and devastation of miscarriage:
“I love you to the moon and back my little winter bear
I know you know how much that is ’cause you’re already there
I never knew a love like this could ever possibly exist
I will love you to the moon and back as long as I live”
“Beauty From Pain” by Superchick
Superchick’s 2005 song, “Beauty Through Pain,” doesn’t explicitly mention miscarriage. Instead, it paints a more general picture of pain and trauma but promises that from that pain will come beauty and healing.
That said, lyrics like “And all that’s left is to accept that it’s over / My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made / I try to keep warm but I just grow colder / I feel like I’m slipping away” can certainly work in the context of miscarriage and stillbirth. We love the song’s ultimately hopeful message. After pain, there will be beauty. We carry on. We’re strong.
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