The Three of Swords — Heartbreak & Grief Playlist
Few cards strike as sharply as the Three of Swords. It’s heartbreak, betrayal, loss—the piercing truth that love and sorrow are always intertwined.
This card doesn’t shy from pain. It asks you to sit with it, to honor grief rather than bury it, and to see that even in sorrow, there’s a lesson about the depth of your heart.
And that’s where music comes in. A heartbreak playlist like this, full of songs for grief, acts as a spell. It holds your hand through the ache, giving voice to heartbreak while reminding you that healing begins with acknowledgment.
But first, let’s talk about what this card means.
The Three of Swords in Tarot
In the Rider–Waite–Smith deck, the Three of Swords shows a heart pierced by three blades against a stormy sky. It is grief in its rawest form.
At its core, this card represents:
✨ Heartbreak and Loss — the sting of betrayal, sorrow, or endings.
✨ Truth Through Pain — the lessons uncovered when illusions shatter.
✨ Emotional Release — the catharsis that comes from facing grief honestly.
When this card appears in a reading, it asks you to honor your heartbreak without numbing it—to let pain teach you resilience.
Music as Magic
To me, music is one of the simplest kinds of spellwork. A playlist can set the tone for an afternoon of creativity, a ritual, or even just a mood shift. The songs we choose become the energy we’re weaving around ourselves.
The Three of Swords playlist is one I imagine playing while:
Sitting with heartbreak, letting tears flow freely.
Journaling about betrayal or endings with honesty.
Lighting a candle to honor what has been lost.
Allowing music to companion grief without rushing healing.
It’s music for sorrow, release, and the truth of love’s lessons.
The Playlist
Here’s the soundtrack I curated to capture the essence of the Three of Swords:
I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt
This quiet ballad is heartbreak distilled. Bonnie Raitt’s weary vocals capture the sharp truth that no amount of pleading can change someone’s heart. It sets the tone for the playlist—quiet, devastating honesty—and ushers us into the hollow ache of acceptance and unrequited longing.Without You – Harry Nilsson
Nilsson’s soaring lament plunges deeper into heartbreak, turning resignation into unbearable loss. His vocals are almost desperate, carrying the sense that life cannot continue without the beloved. Placed here, it sharpens the emotions, showing how quickly grief can become all-consuming devastation.Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinéad O’Connor
Sinéad O’Connor transforms loss into a timeless and universal wound. Her stripped-back delivery mirrors the emptiness left in love’s absence, while her aching voice reminds us of how grief reshapes every corner of daily life. It deepens the ache, plunging us fully into the sharp wound of heartbreak.Say Something – A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera
This duet captures the fragile hope that clings in the final moments before love completely dissolves. The sparse piano mirrors silence stretching between lovers, while alternating voices embody the push and pull of letting go. It’s the desperate plea before surrender, an echo of love’s last flicker.Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye feat. Kimbra
Here grief leaves a bitter wound. The song voices the anger and disillusionment that often follow despair, both perspectives clashing as memory turns sour. It’s the natural progression after pleading, where blame, distance, and the painful realization that the intimacy is truly gone.The Scientist – Coldplay
Coldplay’s ballad pierces with regret and self-reflection. It’s the voice replaying what went wrong, wishing for a second chance, yet knowing it’s impossible. The melody’s swell mirrors heartbreak looping endlessly in the mind. Like the Three of Swords, the painful truth cuts again and again.All I Ask – Adele
Adele’s powerhouse ballad is the peak of devastation. With soaring vocals, she begs for one last perfect night before everything ends. It’s heartbreak’s crescendo: the raw cry of someone who knows they are losing everything but longs for a final memory to hold onto as love shatters.All Too Well – Taylor Swift
Swift’s masterpiece takes grief into obsessive detail. Every lyric clings to places, moments, and images that refuse to fade. Placed here, it shifts the arc toward remembrance. Heartbreak doesn’t vanish when the relationship ends; it lingers in shards, each one piercing the heart anew.Pictures of You – The Cure
This song expands on love’s haunting residue, where photographs become portals to everything lost. The Cure’s dreamlike sound reflects how grief suspends us in time, half-living in memory. Positioned near the end, it echoes the Three of Swords: wounds don’t vanish, cutting reminders of what was.Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
Joy Division’s iconic anthem closes the playlist with inevitability. Love itself is revealed as the very force of destruction, tearing apart the connection it once nurtured. Ending here leaves us suspended in the bleak clarity of the Three of Swords: sometimes love is not salvation, but the wound itself.
Journal Prompts for the Three of Swords
If you want to go deeper into the energy of this card, try reflecting with these prompts:
What grief or heartbreak am I holding in my heart right now?
How can I honor loss while also allowing healing?
What lessons has pain taught me about love and vulnerability?
If you want to explore these prompts more deeply, I created a free worksheet to guide you.
Blog Rewards Program
The Three of Swords speaks to loss, betrayal, and healing. 💔 Download the free Heartbreak Insight Kit with a 3-card spread and prompts to reflect on grief, love, and resilience. Available through the Blog Reward Program.
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Bringing the Three of Swords Into Your Life
This playlist offers space to feel loss while inviting healing.
Grief Ritual: Light a candle for what you’ve lost and listen to the playlist in stillness.
Emotional Release: Cry, sing, or move your body with the songs.
Memory Journaling: Write a letter to what you’ve lost while the music plays.
Affirmation Work: End with, “I honor my heart. I allow grief to move through me. Healing is possible.”
By making listening intentional, you transform music into magic.
Final Thoughts
The Three of Swords carries the ache of heartbreak and loss, but it also teaches us resilience. This playlist is here to let you feel deeply while holding space for healing. In this way, the playlist itself becomes a ritual—each song a blade that first wounds, then clears, carving space for the heart to heal.
So press play when your heart is heavy. Let the music move through the cracks, reminding you that grief and love are woven together.
✨ Want to go deeper? Pull a card for “what lesson has heartbreak brought me?” as you listen.
