My theological beliefs are, surprise...complicated ;) but I do take great satisfaction in some of the more traditional songs, with rather old-fashioned Christian themes. I suppose I like them because they are meant to be sung by groups, and I think there is something meaningful and healing about singing familiar songs together. Here are a few:
Wayfaring Stranger
performed by Emmylou Harris -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7kZrssy7KQ
performed by Johnny Cash -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIlbZAP8ASQ
performed by Anonymous 4 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiO6Swghf6I
May the Circle Be Unbroken
My dean, Curt Ellis, from undergraduate in the Western College Program at Miami University, taught us this song. It is old and well-known (although I didn't know it at that age). There are A LOT of versions and there are A LOT of verses.
- performed by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Johnny Cash/Ricky Skaggs -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bRJLkNqNXI
- performed by the Carter Family -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjHjm5sRqSA
- Gospel medley performed by a bunch of folks (big names in Country and Bluegrass). This version combines I'll Fly Away and others with May the Circle Be Unbroken -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e0EHs4zFNI
- performed by Old Crow Medicine Show et al. -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At-dhmItX4w
What are your favorites? Why are they comforting or meaningful to you?
One of my favorite songs to listen to when I am missing someone who has passed away is “See You Again” by Carrie Underwood. This song is meaningful to me because the words reflect my beliefs about what happens to a person after death. “I will see you again, this is not where it ends, I will carry you with me, till I see you again.” This is also the song that was played at a layout for the death of a friend I had gone to high school with. Although I may be extremely upset when a friend or family member passes away, I know that I can hope to see them again in Heaven.
ReplyDeleteThere is one song in particular that I have heard at every funeral I have attended and that is called On Eagle's Wings and it has stuck with me. However, a big song that touches my heart is called Friends are Friends by Michael W. Smith. I remember my mother picking this song at my grandpa's funeral and just watching tears stream down her face. She picked that song for my Nana who passed long before my grandpa. But this song always brings chills to my body whenever I heard it. It means a lot to my family and I and is a beautiful song.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite songs for grieving and for funerals is "How Great Thou Art." It reflects my Christian beliefs of how God is with us our suffering, because He too had to watch his own Son suffer. This is mentioned in the third verse:
ReplyDelete"And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin."
The song focuses more on the power God has over death than on how sad we are. It reminds Christians that this isn't the end:
"When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God, how great thou art!"
This song always gives me chills. Whenever I hear it, I think of singing through tears at my high school teacher's funeral last year. And like Dr. Cate, I think a really powerful aspect was singing it together as a group. One of my favorite versions of this song is by Carrie Underwood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca1EEYayu4M
I love this song too Katie! This was played at my grandfather's and aunts funeral and the words are amazing and it does bring me to my knees knowing tbat God too understands our pain and will help heal it...
DeleteI love this song too Katie! This was played at my grandfather's and aunts funeral and the words are amazing and it does bring me to my knees knowing tbat God too understands our pain and will help heal it...
DeleteWhen I think about songs in general about grieving, I turn to Christian music because the Christian radio stations always seem to play the right song for the mood I am experiencing. I have to agree with Maggie that the song "On Eagles Wings" is often played at funerals that I have attended. But a part of grieving is crying and I'd like to say that we all have a song that we turn on to cry to in situations. I song that I listen to to help me grieve is "Love's Divine" by Seal.
ReplyDeleteA song that comes to mind is See You Again from the Fast and Furious Movie. As most probably know, this song was written for Paul Walker. I like this song because it talks about good memories, but also enforces the fact that we will see our loved ones again one day to share all the new memories we have made. The lyrics used make it seem somewhat like a celebration of life and less about the actual death. The song also talks a lot about family and the importance of family. Whether blood related or not, your family, or the people that are close to you, are in the end, all that we have. It is a very personal song, but I think it is a song that everyone can connect to.
ReplyDeleteI also like the song See You Again because it reminds those who do believe in the afterlife that you will see your loved ones again, even though it is not in this world. There are people in this world who are like family even though they are not related by blood and therefore they mean as much to you when they die as your family does.
DeleteMy Pappaw has definitely been the hardest funeral i have ever been too. Whenever i am missing him or a song that remind me of him is, "Crying for me" by Toby Keith or "If heaven wasn't so far away" by Justin Moore. They comfort me in ways that there are happy things that can come from death, and it reminds me that he is looking down on me every single day. I love the song that Marisa mentioned, that is a beautiful song and is played at most of our funerals, another one that is similar that i love hearing is "Raise you up". The songs played at catholic funerals are always so pretty, and make you want to sing. I think that these songs just have such an easy connection to them that makes me want to listen to them.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, I have never been to a Catholic funeral, so a part of me wonders what all goes into it. The one funeral I attended was for a friend and she was only 15 at the time. Because she was so young, her parents and friends had a difficult time with her death and therefore the music was more somber. I think for her friends, we all grieved differently depending on how close we were with everyone, because she was the one person who was never mean to anyone and so she was missed and still is missed greatly. I agree that songs that make you want to sing help with a connection and therefore help with the grieving process easier. If there was more songs then to help with grieving I feel as if most of us would have had an easier time coping with her loss.
DeleteI have attached the news story from the The Blade, which is one of the major newspapers in my hometown.
http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2010/01/22/Northview-freshman-15-hit-killed-on-way-to-bus-in-Sylvania.html
I personally have a variety of songs that I listen to when I am grieving or thinking about someone who has passed on. I am a big country music fan, but I also ave some favorite alternative rock songs that I listen too. One of my favorite country songs though is "When I get where Im going" by Brad Paisley. I also agree with Maggie about the song "On Eagles Wings". I personally believe that it is a great song and it emphasizes my beliefs
ReplyDeleteBen, I am also a very big country music fan. I tend to find myself listening to country music when I am sad or grieving. I love "When I Get Where I'm Going." I think it is a great song for people grieving. Another song that I really like is "I Drive Your Truck" but Lee Brice. I think it has a very good message because it describes one of the many different ways in which people grieve, and for me it is very personal because I find myself grieving much like the song describes. When I am missing my grandma, I often times visit her house and sit in her favorite recliner chair. I find this more comforting than visiting my grandma's grave, much like Lee Brice sings about in his song.
DeleteOne of the songs I like from the options you gave to us was Will the Circle be Unbroken performed by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,Johnny Cash, and Ricky Skaggs. I like how this song has a more upbeat tempo to it because I feel as if it helps to lift your spirits in a time of sadness. The lyrics are also tell a story of how someone goes through the grieving process. I feel as if the song can help someone through their own grieving of a loved one by showing that there is a way to make it easier. I also enjoy this song because I have heard it before and remember it as a helpful tool for when my great uncle, whom I was close to when I was younger. The link for the lyrics is attached below.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/johnnycash/willthecirclebeunbroken.html
"If Heaven wasn't so far away" by Justin Moore is the one song I can never get completely through without shedding a tear. Not only is Justin my favorite music artist, so his voice rings through my ears a little differently than others but hearing him sing that song live, which is about 5 times now, grabs onto my soul more than any other song. While attending a funeral, Amazing Grace, is the song that usually brings everyone together, especially when it's sung a cappella.
ReplyDeleteLiving In the Light of Death: Music for funerals, dying, the dead, the survivors...: You ask what music I would like to listen to when it comes to coping with death, funerals, etc. Honestly, it depends on how I want to remember that person at the time. For instance, being happy... a happy moment. An example of this would be Brother Iz's rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A wonderful world. When I think of my mother, in how she used to smile and laugh, and her outlook on life, I think of that song. When I want to remember her as my mother, someone who raised me, someone who cared for me... of course I have to go with any version of Lynard Skynard's Simple Man. When I think of my sister Gabriel, I think of one song in particular. Orgy's "Eva". This song is about some girl who had died, and is now watching the lead singer. In it, the phrase "Are you proud of me now?" strikes me hard. Many of my musical tastes, aesthetic tastes, and movie tastes stem from h er. In many ways, she was one of my heroes. When it comes to my own death, two songs strike me hard: Neuroticfish's Wake Me UP. In it, the singer talks about how he wants no one to try and revive him when he's dead. Another song is Combichrist's All Pain Is Gone. In this song, the lead singer speaks about how he wants to be released from this world, all the pain, all the stress, all the failure. "Come set me free, all pain is gone". - Christian Shodahl
ReplyDeleteLiving In the Light of Death: Music for funerals, dying, the dead, the survivors...: You ask what music I would like to listen to when it comes to coping with death, funerals, etc. Honestly, it depends on how I want to remember that person at the time. For instance, being happy... a happy moment. An example of this would be Brother Iz's rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A wonderful world. When I think of my mother, in how she used to smile and laugh, and her outlook on life, I think of that song. When I want to remember her as my mother, someone who raised me, someone who cared for me... of course I have to go with any version of Lynard Skynard's Simple Man. When I think of my sister Gabriel, I think of one song in particular. Orgy's "Eva". This song is about some girl who had died, and is now watching the lead singer. In it, the phrase "Are you proud of me now?" strikes me hard. Many of my musical tastes, aesthetic tastes, and movie tastes stem from h er. In many ways, she was one of my heroes. When it comes to my own death, two songs strike me hard: Neuroticfish's Wake Me UP. In it, the singer talks about how he wants no one to try and revive him when he's dead. Another song is Combichrist's All Pain Is Gone. In this song, the lead singer speaks about how he wants to be released from this world, all the pain, all the stress, all the failure. "Come set me free, all pain is gone". - Christian Shodahl
ReplyDeleteLiving In the Light of Death: Music for funerals, dying, the dead, the survivors...: You ask what music I would like to listen to when it comes to coping with death, funerals, etc. Honestly, it depends on how I want to remember that person at the time. For instance, being happy... a happy moment. An example of this would be Brother Iz's rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A wonderful world. When I think of my mother, in how she used to smile and laugh, and her outlook on life, I think of that song. When I want to remember her as my mother, someone who raised me, someone who cared for me... of course I have to go with any version of Lynard Skynard's Simple Man. When I think of my sister Gabriel, I think of one song in particular. Orgy's "Eva". This song is about some girl who had died, and is now watching the lead singer. In it, the phrase "Are you proud of me now?" strikes me hard. Many of my musical tastes, aesthetic tastes, and movie tastes stem from h er. In many ways, she was one of my heroes. When it comes to my own death, two songs strike me hard: Neuroticfish's Wake Me UP. In it, the singer talks about how he wants no one to try and revive him when he's dead. Another song is Combichrist's All Pain Is Gone. In this song, the lead singer speaks about how he wants to be released from this world, all the pain, all the stress, all the failure. "Come set me free, all pain is gone". - Christian Shodahl
ReplyDeleteMy favorite music to go with death and dying is Christian Rock, because it expresses my beliefs and can put my thoughts into a calming song that i can wrap my head around. This music talks about God, and when we believe it talks about how God will take us to Heaven we just need to put all of our faith in His hands. It gives me comfort knowing where my loved one's are going after they die. At first a death can be very unsettling and i'm not quite sure how to react, but if i listen to Christian Rock then it can put my feelings together and help me relax having the hope that my loved one has gone to Heaven and is in a better place. I don't have a particular song because most of them outline my belief in God and the mercy He has with everyone.
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ReplyDeleteIf there is one song that I associate with death and dying it is “On Eagle’s Wings”. When I was 9 years old, my aunt lost her baby in the third trimester who was to be named Maria. I remember the phone ringing in the middle of the night and finding out the news in the morning. At Maria’s funeral, my Aunt and Uncle picked out the song On Eagle’s Wings and it forever reminds me of the day when we had to lay to rest baby Maria. I will never forget that tiny coffin being buried at her gravesite. It brings tears to my eyes whenever I hear that song.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite hymns is Holy God, we praise Thy Name and Psalm 23. I am not a fan of secular songs played during funeral services. I chose these two because of the lyrics and they gave me peace when they were played for my best friend's funeral
ReplyDelete