In this article, we’ll explore the meaning of King of Sorrow by Sade. As of this writing, King of Sorrow is ranked 51.
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Sade’s “King of Sorrow” is a soulful confession about bearing heavy sadness while trying to keep moving forward in everyday life.
The song feels slow and heavy, like walking through rain with no umbrella. It’s about feeling alone even when you’re surrounded by people, and the mood makes you want to wrap yourself in a blanket and just sit still for a while.
When Sade sings, “I’m crying everyone’s tears,” we can almost see her carrying invisible weights for herself and others—sometimes it feels like we do that too. The chorus, “I wonder if this grief will ever let me go, I feel like I am the King of Sorrow,” hits us right in the gut, making us realize how sadness can feel endless, like a crown you never wanted but can’t take off. Even as she talks about normal things, like making soup or listening to the radio, nothing seems to help—she’s stuck in a loop where time moves but pain stays stuck, echoing those days when nothing seems to get better no matter what we do.
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Sade quietly hands us the truth: sometimes sorrow is so deep it becomes part of our identity, something we rule over without wanting the throne. But beneath all that weight, there’s a stubborn spark—a reminder that even kings of sorrow keep going.