---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Funny how a beautiful song could tell…"
description: "\"“Funny how a beautiful song could tell such an ugly story.”\" — Sarah Dessen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/sarah-dessen-110_song_funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-su_1016261.png"
---

#  Funny how a beautiful song could tell such an ugly story.

![“Funny how a beautiful song could tell such an ugly story.” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/sarah-dessen-110_song_funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-su_1016261.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/sarah-dessen-110_song_funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-su_1016261.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/sarah-dessen-110_song_funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-su_1016261.png)

> ““Funny how a beautiful song could tell such an ugly story.””

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A beautiful melody can mask a painful narrative, showing how art often hides harsh realities.

**In simple terms:** Music can hide ugly stories.

Key Takeaway

Look beyond appearances.

Themes

art music storytelling contrast

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary observational

When to use this quote

- listening to songs
- analyzing lyrics
- writing
- creating music
- understanding trauma

Key Concepts

Narrative duality emotional masking

Questions to Reflect On

- What hidden pain does your favorite song reveal?
- How do you reconcile beauty with sorrow?

A Different Perspective

The song may still cause distress despite its beauty.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/)

## Related quotes

> [“Funny how a beautiful song could tell such as ugly story. It seemed unfair, like a trick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-such-as-ugly-story-it-seemed/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Funny how a beautiful song could tell such a sad, sad story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-such-a-sad-sad-story/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [funny how a beautiful song could tell such a sad story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-such-a-sad-story/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I've never met a beautiful soul without an ugly story to tell.We judge when we don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-mcfatridge-terry/i-ve-never-met-a-beautiful-soul-without-an-ugly-story-to-tell-we/)

[Kris( McFatridge) Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-mcfatridge-terry/)

> [“Funny how someone can be so beautiful and totally fucked up at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-anne/funny-how-someone-can-be-so-beautiful-and-totally-fucked-up-at-the/)

Missy Anne

> [I love weird or funny or beautiful sentences; Joy Williams could write a microwave-oven manual and I'm sure I'd love it, because the sentences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/i-love-weird-or-funny-or-beautiful-sentences-joy-williams-could-write/)

[Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/)

> [Im crazy I'm funny I'm beautiful I'm nice I'm loving I'm mysterious but is that enough for life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-crosby/im-crazy-i-m-funny-i-m-beautiful-i-m-nice-i-m-loving-i-m-mysterious/)

[Cassandra Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-crosby/)

> [I saw 'Annie Hall' with a group of people working in comedy and television. We were all stunned. Stunned. It was like watching a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-brooks/i-saw-annie-hall-with-a-group-of-people-working-in-comedy-and/)

[James L. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-brooks/)

> [“The funny and the most beautiful thing about LOVE is.. you don't need any one else to fall in love with,, you can love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanhita-baruah/the-funny-and-the-most-beautiful-thing-about-love-is-you-don-t-need/)

[Sanhita Baruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanhita-baruah/)

> [I like any song that can tell a story that people can relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-alaina/i-like-any-song-that-can-tell-a-story-that-people-can-relate-to/)

[Lauren Alaina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-alaina/)

> [Give us Direction; the best of goodwill; Put us in touch with fair winds. Sing to us softly, hum the evening's song. Tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/give-us-direction-the-best-of-goodwill-put-us-in-touch-with-fair/)

[Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/)

> [It is a part of us, film-makers and audiences; what we can't say with dialogues, we say with a song. We tell stories through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoya-akhtar/it-is-a-part-of-us-film-makers-and-audiences-what-we-can-t-say-with/)

[Zoya Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoya-akhtar/)

> [When I write a song with somebody else in mind, it's putting the cart before the horse. The way I write best is when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-crowell/when-i-write-a-song-with-somebody-else-in-mind-it-s-putting-the-cart/)

[Rodney Crowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-crowell/)

> [Oh, no, no, no, no, no When you feel it in your body You found somebody who makes you change your ways Like hanging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/oh-no-no-no-no-no-when-you-feel-it-in-your-body-you-found-somebody/)

[Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/)

> [I'm not good at talking, but I can write a good song and tell a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorja-smith/i-m-not-good-at-talking-but-i-can-write-a-good-song-and-tell-a-story/)

[Jorja Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorja-smith/)

## More by Sarah Dessen

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“if i were a book i would be so open”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-i-were-a-book-i-would-be-so-open/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“At times, I found myself questioning his very existence, even though I knew I had, in fact, spotted him, with my own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/at-times-i-found-myself-questioning-his-very-existence-even-though-i/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [When you had to do something, you had to do it. And eventually, if you were lucky, you did it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-you-had-to-do-something-you-had-to-do-it-and-eventually-if-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [the truth about forever is that it is happening right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/the-truth-about-forever-is-that-it-is-happening-right-now/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I jammed my hand in my jacket pocket, bracing myself fo the next hit, and fel something. Something grainy and samll, sticking to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-jammed-my-hand-in-my-jacket-pocket-bracing-myself-fo-the-next-hit/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-had-no-illusions-about-love-anymore-it-came-it-went-it-left/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [call it chicken salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/call-it-chicken-salad/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“For me, however, it was a mix of the two, this constant push and pull. I loved it here. But I'd been in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/for-me-however-it-was-a-mix-of-the-two-this-constant-push-and-pull-i/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I think whenever a writer is really enjoying themselves and liking what they are doing, that shows on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-whenever-a-writer-is-really-enjoying-themselves-and-liking/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

[Explore all 1,251 Sarah Dessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

## More Song quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [ “Downloading's the same as what I used to do. I used to tape the charts of the songs I liked \[off the radio\]. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gallagher/downloading-s-the-same-as-what-i-used-to-do-i-used-to-tape-the-charts/)

[Liam Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gallagher/)

> [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/)

[Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/)

> [I want people to hear my lyrics and my melodies and say, 'That dude's in pain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-want-people-to-hear-my-lyrics-and-my-melodies-and-say-that-dude-s/)

[Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/)

> [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/)

[Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

Adam Ant

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [Eric Clapton's scales - when he comes off a high note and it's time for a refrain or a little bit of a rest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rea/eric-clapton-s-scales-when-he-comes-off-a-high-note-and-it-s-time-for/)

[Chris Rea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rea/)

> [I do a lot of vocal exercises and drink hot tea, which I hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darci-lynne-farmer/i-do-a-lot-of-vocal-exercises-and-drink-hot-tea-which-i-hate/)

[Darci Lynne Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darci-lynne-farmer/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/)

[Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/)

[Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/)

[Browse all 46,732 Song quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Funny how a beautiful song could tell such an ugly story.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Dessen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-such-an-ugly-story/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Song"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-such-an-ugly-story/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/sarah-dessen-110_song_funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-su_1016261.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/sarah-dessen-110_song_funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-su_1016261.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/sarah-dessen-110_song_funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-su_1016261.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Funny how a beautiful song could tell such an ugly story.” — Sarah Dessen",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sarah Dessen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Funny how a beautiful song could...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-such-an-ugly-story/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/funny-how-a-beautiful-song-could-tell-such-an-ugly-story/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
