I’ve been thinking about funeral music lately. The songs played at funerals while photos of the person’s life are being shown. Why was that particular song selected? What meaning does it have that perhaps only a few of the visitors know?
For instance:
Standing around my mother’s grave, my family sang “Leaving on a Jet Plane” Not a normal selection indeed, but it was a song that we all knew and sang together anytime the family gathered for any reason. The guitars would come out, someone would start playing it.. and we’d all join in. Singing the family favorites. Leaving on a Jet Plane, Family Tradition, Sloop John B, I Walk the Line and many, many others.
So on that very sad day – ALL of us…. standing around my mother’s fresh grave right next to my daddy’s grave, and filled with sadness & grief … well, we did what we always did. . . .
The guitars came out and we just started singing.
When we thought of the words, “I’m leaving on a jet plane” we started looking sideways at each other and smiling. Soon, we were giggling. What a send off!!
Then we got quiet/ One by one we started placing flowers on her grave. We held each other. We cried while looking around at our family.. our big crazy family… and knew that Lt. Col Charles & Mrs. Doris Parrish would be pleased.
The Parrish family.
I’m curious…. what songs have you chosen for your funeral?
My choices, so far, are “In My Life” by the Beatles, and “What a Wonderful Life” by Louis Armstrong. And both my kids know this.
**Note – I do not own any copyright to any of the attached videos. I shared the links from YouTube.
I wouldn't be caught DEAD wearing that! 