Regret is a popular topic in country music, and one that comes in a wide variety of iterations. Often, the person singing is the one doing the regretting, whether they've mistreated a romantic partner or committed some grave sin in another aspect of their life. Sometimes, they're begging for forgiveness, while other times, they know the damage they've done is unforgivable, and they're resigned to their fate.

But not all of these stories are told from the perspective of the person who's in the wrong. Others, like two deep cuts from Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, describe the experience of being hurt so deeply by another person that they're not sure they can continue the relationship.

Some singers, like Bonnie Raitt, have devastating songs about a moment in time they wish more than anything they could take back. Others, like Vince Gill, offer meditations on the burdens all people carry, and reflect on the healing power of forgiveness. But not every song about regret is heavy: Toby Keith and Jon Pardi both have playful takes on the topic, while Mark Chesnutt, Chris Stapleton and Jelly Roll all prove that just because a song is down-and-out doesn't mean it has to be down-tempo.

Flip through the gallery below as Taste of Country counts down the greatest country mea culpa songs of all time, and let us know in the comments if we missed your favorite country song about regret.

The Top 30 Country Songs About Regret, Ranked

No matter what side of the apology you're on, country music has plenty of songs about regret, remorse, apologizing and forgiving — or, in some cases, deciding not to forgive. Here are the Top 30 songs the genre has to offer on the topic.

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