What songs help you when thinking about death? What songs discuss death? Listen to the lyrics.
I heard this interview as I was leaving from Spring Grove Cemetery on Weds. http://www.npr.org/2014/10/22/358120457/music-review-youre-dead-by-flying-lotus
Here's a classic bluegrass song about death. Have you heard it? What does it tell you about the people who would have sung it?
Ralph Stanley's "O, Death"
Classic, country/bluegrass although this starts more jazzy.
May the Circle Be Unbroken
More Johnny Cash
Wayfaring Stranger
A song that helped me when my grandpa pasted away was nickelback's "If Today was Your Last Day." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrXIQQ8PeRs
ReplyDeleteThe lyrics question what someone would do if it was their last day on Earth. This song is helpful to think about if you were to die tomorrow what would you do today. This song helped me with the death of my Grandpa because the day before he died I spent almost all day with him watching our favorite television shows. Knowing that he was happy doing what he loved made his death easier to cope with. I hope everyone finds this song helpful when thinking and dealing with death.
Emily,
DeleteI think this is a good song choice. I think the song encourages people to think about what they would do id it was their last day on Earth. I think people get so caught up in life that we do not consider death. People need to slow down and take some time and consider their life and if they are living it how they would if today was their last day. The people on Earth do not know when their time will come, so I think this song is a great reminder of that and because of this, we need to live our lives to the fullest like it was our last day.
The song that helps me deal with death is "In My Life" by the Beatles. It is a love song, but it speaks of love that continuous throughout life, and extends to friends that have died. The message that a person's love can continue after death is comforting to people and this is what we all hope for. It also has a tragic meaning today because John Lennon wrote the song when he was 25 and he would die at 40. He did not know at the time that his life was already half over. This fact combine with John's wistful but happy vocals give the song a powerful meaning.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to pick one song that makes me feel at peace about death, it would be "I Can Only Imagine," by MercyMe: http://youtu.be/0xwzItqYmII
ReplyDeleteThis song is religiously based, in the Christian faith. It describes all the feelings and thoughts I imagine I will have after death. I have many questions in mind that I would like to ask Jesus once I finally meet Him, but the truth is that I have no idea what to expect. Strangely enough, I find comfort in that fact. This song is one of the most popular contemporary Christian songs ever written, and there’s no mystery of why. It is a beautiful song and has very powerful and meaningful lyrics for those who believe that Heaven is waiting for them.
I love your song choice. I am pretty sure that it causes the majority of people to tear up just thinking about it. It has to be one of the more popular funeral songs as it forces us to think about what life after death is like in the presence of God. Also, "How to save a life" by the Fray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF0zefuJ4Ys, is a song that really gets to me every time I hear it. This song has sentimental meaning because it reminds me of the personal encounters with suicide or suicidal attempts through friends and retreats. I don't know if you have the same experience but I think it is relevant to class and gets me thinking about death every time.
DeleteTori, before posting I was looking through to see what everyone else was choosing and I was going to pick the same one. Whenever I hear that song I immediately think of what it would be like in Heaven and what I would see and what I will say when I meet Jesus.
DeleteI am glad that both of you agree with my song choice and that it has the same effect on you. Music is very powerful and songs like this have the capability of bringing a lot of people together - I've seen it happen on retreats.
DeleteBrent, How to Save a Life is also a great song. I do not have personal experience of being with a friend through suicidal attempts, but I have had conversations with friends, and even some strangers, during retreats regarding their past of suicidal thoughts/attempts. This song describes the emotions that I felt during these conversations, and I imagine that they ring true for someone who has been there personally.
I would agree with Tori. The song " I Can Only Imagine" was played at my grandmothers funeral this summer. I agree that the song is very powerful and coming from a Christian background, It makes me feel very emotional and I really like how relatable it is.
ReplyDeleteThe song "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw makes me think about death. Just the song discussing the things a man would do if he knew he was going to die. This song is a reality for some people as we hear stories all the time with someone with a terminal illness that is living out somewhat of a bucket list type thing. Whenever this song comes on the radio I think of death and what would I do if I was the person that this song is about.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Craig. Whenever I hear this song on the radio I think about what I would do if I was dying. It really makes me think about how suddenly something could happen to cut your life short and you feel like you have a very short amount of time left and want to make the most of it.
DeleteI love this song it is truly about living life to the fullest! I think we can all learn from this! With so much death and dying in the world it is important to remember this! We can die any time any time so why wouldn't you want to live your day like your last it would make for a great life!
DeleteThe song "Mad World" by Gary Jules (he did a cover for the song) makes me think about death. It holds a very characteristic somber tone that is so prevalent when I think about death or anything negative for that matter. I had only really first heard of the song from a trailer to the game "Gears of War" which, in of itself, holds a very war-related and grim theme. The link for the music video can be found at:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4
and the link for the video game trailer I was talking about can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy8LRlS1SCc
Sorry I'm replying to myself. Just wasn't sure who to reply to.
DeleteMusic is just that kind of medium where you can truly express yourself. Certain songs can make you feel happy. Certain songs can make you feel sad. That, in a way, seriously intrigues me. A specific song/ tune can make you experience something that you've never experienced before whether it be death or despair, happiness or joy.
All the song above are great choices and I actually though of quite a few that were above, But to avoid repetition, I chose a different song.
ReplyDeleteA song that helps me deal with death is "I will see you again" by Carrie Underwood. The song is about people passing away, but it is not the end. The songs talks about carrying the memories of the person with her and that one day, she will be reunited with her lost loved one. This is a very comforting idea. I believe that death is not merely an end, but rather the beginning of a wonderful life. That pain and sadness and suffering is no longer exist and I will get to see my loved ones again. I think this song helps me work through death because even though a person is gone, I can carry with me memories of them, and no one can take that away. And I can do this until the day I am reunited with them whenever I die.
What a great song! I agree with you Tonya. Music has a way of helping us through death sometimes more then support of actual people. When lyrics speak to us it helps us cope with death. I know it does for me!
DeleteTonya,
DeleteAmazing song selection! Carrie Underwood does a great job writing songs that are so easy to relate to. Another one is Jesus Take The Wheel, how she incorporates death as well. I love the song I will see you again as well! Such a good choice, I love how you said "its not the end", most people do think its the end but its not, not only will we go to heaven (hopefully), but our legacy will live on and we will be remembered.
I completely agree with your song choice Tonya. This song truly does help because it reminds us that we will see our loved ones again when we are reunited and it can bring people comfort being reminded of that when they hear this song.
DeleteI have never heard of this song until I read this post and then I gave it a listen. I have to say this is a really good song, especially in terms of the questions at hand. It is sad yet so happy at the same time. I loved the lyrics and the feeling of the song!
DeleteA song that doesn't necessarily remind me of death, but about living life every day to the fullest, so I guess that is about death because you only have so much time to live is "Live like we're dying" by Chris Allen. Chris came to my high school and ever since whenever I hear the song I get chills and it encourages me to live like your dying! It's crazy how much this song changed my outlook on life and how powerful a song can change your ways.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6jnynVLfLA
Emily, I also really like this song, one of the things that stands out to me from this song is the line "We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
DeleteTurn it all around or to throw it all away." That just really puts it into perspective because it sounds like a large number but each day is really so short when we think about it and there's so much we want to do in life but we never know how much time we will have to do those things.
Emily and Kristin,
DeleteI loved reading both of your comments to the song choice "Live like we're dying." Emily, I totally agree with you on the fact that it doesn't really remind me of death but, more as of a reason to live each day to the fullest. Also, I think it's really cool how you got to meet Chris Allen I am very jealous. Now Kristin, I just want to say that I really like how you quoted that specific line lyric from the song because it really does put into perspective that even though 86,400 seems like such a large number each day in reality seems short. Therefore, I would say that yes, you do have to think about what you want to do with life.
The song Halo by Beyoncé helps me cope with the death of a person. I first heard the song my sophomore year of high school after Maria Schaffstein died in a car accident. I heard the song on the radio and when I got home I you tubed the lyrics. Halo reminds me that the deceased people is looking down on me from above. The dead are angels in heaven looking after me. It is comforting to me.
ReplyDeleteLauren,
DeleteI too think that it is comforting to think that our loved ones are looking down on us. The song I chose that helped me cope with death is also about people looking down and watching us and that one day, we will be reunited with our loved ones again. I think it is truly astounding the power music has in helping people cope with the loss of someone or something close to them. I know that music has helped me get though some very tough times, ad I am glad to here it has helped you through some of your problems.
I love this question because it is very interesting to see everyone else's responses and because I LOVE music. Anyways, the song that I thought of when thinking about death was "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by: Green Day. The reason why I chose this song is because one its kind of sad and depressing but also because the lyrics almost seem like it was made for dealing with death. For instance one line from the song says: "As my memory rests, but never regrets what I lost..." makes me think of all of my pets, relatives, and close friends/peers who I have lost through out my life, while turning everything else in my memory off. There are many other lines in this song that make me think about death but, here are two other ones that I just want to share real quick. 1) "Like my father's come to pass, seven years has gone so fast..." and 2) "Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars." The reason why the first one makes me think of death is because it sounds like it is talking about his dad who has seemed to have passed away from earth. This first one also points out that life seems to go so fast, which is why he says that he can't believe it has already been 7 years. On the other hand, the reason why I chose the second one is because when it says "here comes the rain again..." I think of it as maybe its the loved ones sending down the rain mourning with you while the stars are shining in the sky above. Overall, this is just what I think about when hearing this specific song and would love to hear what you all think as well.
ReplyDeleteRachael, what a really good song choice. I think sometimes we think for a song to be meaningful about death it has to have a certain beat or style and Green Day might not be the band that comes to mind. I particularly like the line you pointed out about memory and regret. Especially when its a sudden or traumatic death it can be hard to move past. Music can often be therapeutic and I think this song definitely falls under that category.
DeleteOne song that I always think of in regards to this topic is "Over You" by Miranda Lambert. This song is something that I feel really hits home. If you do not know Miranda and Blake Shelton wrote this song about Blake's brother passing. Because of the deep personal meaning and the feeling behind this song that they put into it, I feel like many people can really relate to it. This is one line that really stands out to me "They say I’ll be Ok, but I’m not going to ever get over you". I feel that with this line, especially when you first loose someone, hits close to home. When you loose someone you care about they are always going to be with you and other people may say that it time it will all be better and that it will be okay but you know that while things may get better you will never truly be over loosing that person. Another line is "It really sinks in, you know, when I see it in stone". When you loose someone you really don't want to believe that they are gone from your life and it may be extremely hard to accept. However, when you see that gravestone it is like reality sets in and you know that that person is gone.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a particular song when it comes to this topic, but in general I think it is absolutely amazing how much emotion a song can pull from an individual. I feel like at one time or another, we have all looked to music after some sort of traumatic and emotional event in our lives. Not to be sexist in the least, but how often do you see girls posting lyrics of songs and tweeting these things after they just got dumped? It happens fairly regularly.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to pick a song though that covered the topic of death, I would highly recommend everyone looking up the song "One last christmas" by Mathew West. It truly embodies the power of death, and how good things can come from it. I saw this video and heard the song back in High School, and I remember how moving it was for me, and I hope it is moving for you as well!
Being raised Pentecostal, we sang "will the circle be unbroken" and "way faring stranger" often when I was growing up. At funerals, the preacher would be sympathetic and address the family's grief, but, if the deceased had claimed to have a conversion experience, the preacher would also preach a fiery message in the "old time Pentecostal way" about how we would soon be with the dead again in heaven. So, funerals for us were sad, but much lighter than the funerals I had been to for non-churched people. There was an element of "not goodbye, but rather see you soon" that made it possible to continue after someone had passed without being consumed with grief. Besides these songs I mentioned, there are countless others that describe our state as strangers and pilgrims in this world that remind me that death, in my opinion and belief, is a homegoing, not an eternal loss. So, I actully tend to listen to music very similar to those posted by dr. Cate because they make it an exciting thing that one day I will close my eyes in death and be at home, rather than be lost in eternity or reincarnated into another form.
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a few songs that I enjoy that really help when thinking about death or relate to living and dying in really interesting ways.
ReplyDeleteOne song I absolutely love is "Self Conclusion" by The Spill Canvas. The song is actually a story/conversation between a girl about to jump off a ledge of a really tall building and a guy who is trying to save her. The song talks about how "we all flirt with the notion of self conclusion in one simplified notion." There is much more to the song but it helps me think about the love of others and the permanence of death. (not a cry for help nor am i in any way suicidal, it is just a really good song!)
Another song I love is "Forever and Always" by Parachute. Once again this song is a story about a couple falling in love, the man gets in an accident, and the fiance rushes to the hospital and talks to him as he fades away. This song helps remind me how important love is and how precious my time with my loved ones is. I give credit to anyone who can listen to this song without getting emotional.
Finally, the last song I really like when thinking about death is "When its my Time" by Rodney Atkins. The song tells the story of a man who gets accidentally caught up in a funeral precession and decides to go to the funeral because he was shocked by how many people showed up. The lyrics go "When it's my time to go, the end of my road I hope it looks like this
200 cars stretched out as far as the hearts I touched while I lived
And I hope I leave half as much love behind when it's my time." Once again, this song helps put everything into perspective for me when thinking about the end.