Music For A Funeral

Sometimes I think about what music I'd want played at my funeral. I don't find this to be a morbid thing, but I really want a play list that gives people a taste of who I was and what I thought about when it comes to the end. Different things pass through my mind at different times. I encounter new songs and it becomes harder and harder to choose.

TAKE A STAND by Blind Willie Johnson
Lyrics Here: http://lyrics.wikia.com/Glenn_Kaiser:Take_Your_Stand

This is one of a handful of songs I think about because I like the simple advice contained within. Just admonishing people to keep on trucking. And I like the refrain: "I'll meet you on the Kingdom Shore."...that's a good message to leave people with, mostly because I believe it.

CEMETERY GATES by Pantera
Lyrics Here: http://www.lyrics.com/cemetery-gates-lyrics-pantera.html

This song rocks, and it is probably the only Pantera song I can actually conceivably expose a large group of people to. I like this song because it reveals a side of my musical tastes most people might be surprised by. I just like the idea of having some of my more reserved friends rocking out to this in a church. The one big problem with this one is every hard rock and heavy metal fan who grew up in the 90s is probably going to have this at their funeral...hey, can you blame me for wanting to be original?

FAIR THEE WELL by Oscar Isaac
Lyrics Here: http://www.metrolyrics.com/fare-thee-well-dinks-song-lyrics-oscar-isaac.html

This is a very recent addition to this list for me. It just seems to me to be a powerful, moving and beautiful way to say goodbye.

GOING UP HOME TO LIVE IN GREEN PASTURES by Ralph Stanley
Lyrics Here: http://www.songlyrics.com/stanley-ralph/going-up-home-to-live-in-green-pastures-lyrics/

Well there's no need for explanations here, is there? This is perhaps the most beautiful song ever written of it's kind. The one problem here is that there are so me early Stanley Brothers versions that flub the lines in ways I don't like. And since someone else is going to be doing the collecting, they may mess up the choice (BTW, if I ever kick the bucket, find that person and give them this link).

I'LL HAVE A NEW LIFE by Iron Horse
Lyrics Here: http://www.songlyrics.com/hank-williams/i-ll-have-a-new-body-i-ll-have-a-new-life-lyrics/

In the same vein as the last one, the thing I like about this song is it is eclectic. It isn't something most people have been exposed to. I just love this song, I'd love to share it people as a final goodbye.

SWING DOWN SWEET CHARIOT by Elvis Presley
Lyrics Here: http://www.songlyrics.com/presley-elvis/swing-down-sweet-chariot-lyrics/

There has to be at least one Elvis Presley song on this list. I just think it would be cool to have an Elvis song, because I don't think most people realize there are a few of his songs I absolutely love, this being a prime example.

THIS IS NOT THE END by the Bravery
Lyrics Here: http://www.songlyrics.com/the-bravery/this-is-not-the-end-lyrics/

This was a song written about a friend who was dying. It is a song of triumph and an insistence on the eternity of life. For a Christian, there can be no purer message at the end of one's life, I think.

DEATH MEETS ME HERE by Barker Band

This may be one of the most beautiful songs about death I've ever heard. It has a lot of great elements, encouraging people to let go, and looking forward to Heaven. I love this song, I hope to dance to it someday, preferably before I die, though it is a Viennese Waltz, which I'm not great at.

LET'S GO CRAZY by Prince
Lyrics here: http://www.metrolyrics.com/lets-go-crazy-lyrics-prince.html

The thing I like about Prince is that when his lyrics get religious, he seems to try to get people to THINK he's being ironic when's actually being straight with his message. He is a very religious man, focused on the next life. This song is also the kind that can turn a funeral into a party, and I like that very much.