Tear Jerker / The Burnt Part Boys

• Some of the songs fall into this category.
  • "Man I Never Knew". It's Pete's "I Want" Song, but rather than wanting something for himself, he just wants to protect his father's dignity. Or so he thinks: it's implied that he did what he did in order to protect Jake.
    • Pete then sticks by this ethos for the entire show. When his father asks why he did what he did, he says without missing a beat, "I was trying to protect you."
  • "Dusty Plays the Saw" is a song that pretty much exists to make the audience feel as sorry for him as possible. The whole song is basically Dusty just singing about how worthless and guilty he is. Try not to want to hug him after listening to it.
  • "Disappear" as well. Jake just sounds like he's trying to hold back tears the whole time.
    • To elaborate, his voice sounds sad enough. But then you listen to the lyrics and it hits you that the song is really about Jake not wanting to have a life in the mines. As he says later in the play, he doesn't want to rot away before he sees something else.
• When Pete blows up the mine, trapping the five of them inside. It really makes you think they're not going to make it.
  • Worse than that, when they keep berating Pete for getting them trapped in there. Yes, he screwed up big time, but the way they treat him just makes you want to hug him. An example:
  Jake: That's your problem, Pete! You're made of nothing but stupid dreams!
  Pete:: Do you really think so?
  Jake: Without a doubt. And those are my very last words to you.
  • Frances finally breaking down while they're trapped.
    Frances:I'll be the first to go.