Fresh Horses Bridade: Funeral Songs

I haven't really thought too much about my death, although, for any of us, it is something that could occur at any time. I'm not all of a sudden thinking about it morbidly now, although I do hope that I go peacefully. Eden, the speaker of truth, the writer of things that we are often to scared to give voice to, has started a weekly meme called Fresh Horses Brigade over at her blog, Edenland. You should check it out. I missed the last week, which was the first meme, but I'm not going to miss out this time. Eden is full of the awesome. This week's theme is Funeral songs.








Given that I haven't thought much about my death, I haven't thought much about the songs I would like played at my funeral if (cos I'm totes going to live 4eva!) and when I die. I've been pondering all weekend, and perusing our CD collection. It's an eclectic mix of artists, the Sailor and I share a love of quite a few artists (Pearl Jam, Green Day, Lamb...), but he does not appreciate my appreciation of Lady Gaga, and in the words of Bikeboy, when it comes to Rage Against the Machine, "I don't love it".

Picking your own funeral songs is harder than I expected. There are so many songs that I love, that I would come to my own funeral, just so I could listen to them and watch people rock out. You'd find me dancing on the table, singing at the top of my lungs. That said, this post could go on forever, listing all the songs I'd want played, so I've decided to only include three songs that are on my "funeral play list".

The Devil was in my Yard - The Sleepy Jackson

Now the Devil was in my yard then
But the Devil ain't in my yard no more
Now the Devil was in my car then
But the Devil ain't in my car no more

How long, long girl? How long?
How long 'til you know that?
How long, long girl? How long?
How long?

Devil was in my yard then
But the Devil ain't in my yard no more
Now the Devil was in my car then
But the Devil ain't in my car no more

I'm gonna make it
I'm gonna make it
But whenever I break you I will not see you
But whenever I break you I will not see you

I'm gonna make it
I'm gonna make it
But whenever I break you I will not see you
But whenever I break you I will not see you

But whenever I break you I will not see you
But whenever I break you I will not see you

Oh, Devil was in my yard
Oh, Devil was in my yard

Tonight, Tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins

Time is never time at all
You can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth
And our lives are forever changed
We will never be the same
The more you change the less you feel
Believe, believe in me, believe
That life can change, that you're not stuck in vain
We're not the same, we're different tonight
Tonight, so bright
Tonight
And you know you're never sure
But you're sure you could be right
If you held yourself up to the light
And the embers never fade in your city by the lake
The place where you were born
Believe, believe in me, believe
In the resolute urgency of now
And if you believe there's not a chance tonight
Tonight, so bright
Tonight
We'll crucify the insincere tonight
We'll make things right, we'll feel it all tonight
We'll find a way to offer up the night tonight
The indescribable moments of your life tonight
The impossible is possible tonight

Believe in me as I believe in you, tonight

And just for a laugh

Cows with Guns - Dana Lyons

Fat and docile, big and dumb
They look so stupid, they aren't much fun
Cows aren't fun

They eat to grow, they grow to die
They die to be eaten at the hamburger fry
Cows well done

Nobody thunk it, nobody knew
No one imagined the great cow guru
Cows are one

He hid in the forest, read books with great zeal
He loved Che Guevera, a revolutionary veal
Cow Tse Tongue

He spoke about justice, but nobody stirred
He felt like an outcast, alone, in the herd.
Cow doldrums

He mooed we must fight, escape or we'll die
Cows gathered around, cause the stakes were so high
Bad cow pun

But then he was captured, stuffed into a crate
Loaded onto a truck, where he rode to his fate
Cows are bummed

He was a scrawny calf, who looked rather woozy
No one suspected he was packing an Uzi
Cows with guns

They came with a needle to stick in his thigh
He kicked for the groin, he pissed in their eye
Cow well hung

Knocked over a tractor and ran for the door
Six gallons of gas flowed out on the floor
Run cows run!

He picked up a bullhorn and jumped up on the hay
We are free roving bovines, we run free today
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/d/dana_lyons/cows_with_guns.html ]
We will fight for bovine freedom
And hold our large heads high
We will run free with the Buffalo, or die...
Cows with guns

They crashed the gate in a great stampede
Tipped over a milk truck, torched all the feed
Cows have fun

Sixty police cars were piled in a heap
Covered in cow pies, covered up deep
Much cow dumg

Black smoke rising, darkening the day
Twelve burning McDonald's, have it your way

We will fight for bovine freedom
And hold our large heads high
We will run free with the buffalo, or die
Cows with guns

The President said "Enough is Enough!
These uppity cattle, it's time to get tough"
Cow dung flung

The newspapers gloated, folks sighed with relief
Tomorrow at noon, they would all be ground beef
Cows on buns

The cows were surrounded, they waited and prayed
They mooed their last moos,
They chewed their last hay
Cows out-gunned

The order was given, turn cows to Whoppers
Enforced by the might of ten thousand coppers
But on the horizon, surrounding the shoppers
Came the deafening roar, of chickens, in choppers!

We will fight for bovine freedom
And hold our large heads high
We will run free with the buffalo, or die
Cows with guns

I just may have to write my will, to ensure my funeral song list is played in full.