There are so many good country songs about saying goodbye, but to be on this list the song has to have goodbye in the title. The best country songs about goodbyes usually relate to a relationship, but there are plenty of country songs about saying goodbye to a dead loved one too. Some of these songs are about getting dumped, like George Strait’s “Baby’s Gotten Good at Goodbye,” while others are about saying goodbye in a relationship on your own terms, like Carrie Underwood’s “Starts With Goodbye.”
All these country songs have goodbye in the name, so some of your favorites might not be included. We love to hear what our fans are listening to, so leave some suggestions in the comments if you have a favorite that got left off the list.
1. Patty Loveless- How Can I Help You Say Goodbye
Patty Loveless delivers a classic with “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye” from her 1994 album Only What I Feel. This sad country song about saying goodbye describes three different scenarios in the narrator’s life- saying good bye to her childhood best friend when she moves away, saying goodbye to her husband after they divorce, and saying goodbye to her mother when she dies. Her mother comforts her the hook, asking her “how can I help you to say goodbye?”
2. Blackhawk- Goodbye Says It All
The lead single from their self-titled debut album, “Goodbye Says It All” is about a man who returns home from a bar only to find that his woman has left him. After another night of mischief, the narrator comes home to a completely empty home, with the word “goodbye” written in red lipstick on the living room wall. The moral of the story is simple- if you don’t give your girl enough attention and choose the bar life over her, she’s probably going to get fed up at some point.
3. Carrie Underwood- Starts With Goodbye
When Carrie Underwood released her debut album Some Hearts in 2005, people knew that she was something special. “Starts With Goodbye” was one of the songs on the album, and it quickly became one of the better country songs about saying goodbye. The narrator of the song is at a crossroads, and realizes that although she loves her man, that it’s time to say goodbye- “I guess it’s gonna have to hurt / I guess I’m gonna have to cry / And let go of some things I’ve loved / To get to the other side. The message of the song is simple- just because you are in love with someone doesn’t necessarily mean they are right for you in the long run.
4. George Strait- Baby’s Gotten Good at Goodbye
If a woman leaves you once, chances are it’s going to happen again. The narrator in George Strait’s “Baby’s Gotten Good at Goodbye” learns that the hard way, as he learns that his woman has left him for good this time, without shedding a single tear- “All the times before she’d break down and cry / She’d make her threats, but her heart wasn’t set on goodbye / She just wanted me to hear what she had to say / Now I’m lost for words, since she went away. / She may not return for this time she didn’t cry.”
5. Dolly Parton- I’ll Never Say Goodbye
Have you ever had someone leave you life, leaving you with an empty feeling because you never got to say goodbye? That’s the premise of Dolly Parton’s “I’ll Never Say Goodbye,” as the narrator describes how her lover left her without giving her the chance to say goodbye- “I couldn’t believe it the day that you left / Cleaned out your closet, cleared off your shelves / Loaded your car and you drove out of sight / But I never said goodbye.” It seems the narrator is also in denial that the relationship is over, refusing to say goodbye in order to mentally prolong what they once had.
6. Linda Ronstadt- Goodbye My Friend
Linda showcases her beautiful voice in “Goodbye My Friend”, a song that was originally recorded by Karla Bonoff in 1988. It’s a touching song about losing someone you love, and coping with their death- “So goodbye my friend / I know I’ll never see you again / But the love you gave me through all the years / Will take away these tears / I’m okay now / Goodbye my friend.”
7. Steve Earle- Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left
Written and recorded by Steve Earle for his 1986 album Guitar Town, “Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left” is an upbeat country song about saying goodbye in a relationship- “I could tell it when I woke up this mornin’ / ‘Cause I can smell it when a heartache’s comin’ / Not that I’m in such a hurry to lose you / I’d call you up but there’s nothin’ that I can do / Talkin’ won’t do any good anyway / ‘Cause goodbye’s all we’ve got left to say.”
8. Robbie Fulks- Goodbye, Cruel Girl
You may not be too familiar with Robbie Fulks, but he’s an alternative country artist that has been putting out albums for over 30 years. “Goodbye, Cruel Girl” is a really fun, up-tempo song about leaving a woman who is putting you through hell- “Goodbye cruel girl / And don’t forget the hurt / These boots of mine are about to hit the dirt / And I know I’m bound for a better world / So hello soft kind city lights, goodbye cruel girl.”
9. Rascal Flatts- Here Comes Goodbye
Probably the saddest country song about saying goodbye on this list, “Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts is an emotional song about saying goodbye to a loved one who has either died or left you in a relationship. The music video seems to depict a death of a man’s wife, but the lyrics don’t specifically mention someone dying- “I can hear the truck tires coming up the gravel road / And its not like her to drive that slow, nothin’s on the radio / Footsteps on the front porch, I hear my doorbell / She usually comes right in, now I can tell.”
10. Zac Brown Band- Goodbye in her Eyes
The second single from their 2012 album Uncaged, “Goodbye in her Eyes” is a smooth song by Zac Brown Band about breaking up with someone you love. Sometimes you can just tell things aren’t right just by looking into someone’s eyes, which is exactly what the narrator describes in the song- “She didn’t have to say a word / It was just so plain to see / She had found what she’d been looking for / And I knew it wasn’t me.”