General funeral songs:
StS121 / FFS50 Nothing is lost on the breath of God (Colin Gibson). A beautiful song and very easy to sing even if new. "Nothing is lost on the breath of God, nothing is lost for ever; God's breath is love, and that love will remain, holding the world for ever. No feather too light, no hair too fine, no flower too brief in its glory; no drop in the ocean, no dust in the air, but is counted and told in God's story." Words and full sheet music. Sound sample.
Iona (Common Ground, Enemy of Apathy) / CH730 / GC(II)864 / CP489 From the falter of breath / The Last Journey (Bell) Beautiful words to a Celtic folk tune. Organ sample. Lyrics and sample music. Another sound sample.
CP(E) 397 Christ the way of life possess me (Dudley-Smith) Not strictly a funeral song, but very suitable song about following Christ in life until death. Old fashioned, but inclusive. Nice imagery "Path of life before me shining". Lyrics.
TiS 695 Fare well we come to send you on your way (Thwaites) Good words to a very familiar tune (Finlandia). Has masculine language for God.
VU496 / W&R516 Grief of ending wordless sorrow (Wren) Beautiful words. A sample of a choral arrangement can be found here (loads a pdf).
GC(II)574 God weeps with us who weep and mourn (Troeger) Excellent words, but the tune is not intuitive. Could probably be sung to another tune (8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6). I will try to look this up at some stage. Sheet music and lyrics. Sound sample.
NCH368 Shelterd by God's loving spirit (Patterson) Helpful words to a traditional hymn tune that would be easy to sing (BEECHER).
FFS45 Lord turn our grieving into grace Excellent words "Lift up the stone that weighs us down". Best sung in two parts if you have enough singers to do that, but can be sung well without the 2nd part.
Iona (LFB) / CH734 / CP296 O Christ you wept when grief was raw Lovely honest words. There are a couple of tune options. I like best ROCKINGHAM. Lyrics here.
AA91 Lord of all love A good hymn of trust. Can also be sung to ROCKINGHAM. Lyrics can be viewed here (loads a word document with many other useful funeral resources).
CH735 / StJ / GC(II)868 Go Silent Friend (Bell) To the tune of Londonderry Air, this would be very simple to sing at a funeral. The language for God is masculine. It can also be read by a single voice as a poem, and this is what is suggested in CH.
CH731 When grief is raw and music goes unheard (Wren) A poem for a funeral with communion.
*TiS 682 / ATW 490 / GA236 / AA151 When human voices cannot sing (Murray) Lovely words of healing in the face of grief. I prefer this sung to ST COLUMBA, which is the tune in GA and TiS. Lyrics (loads a word document with many other useful funeral resources).
NCH297 / CH736 / VU706 / StJ / AA45 HPSS528 / W&R518 / Cha649 (Murray) Give thanks for life the measure of our days Good and joyful words of remembrance. Sung to the familiar tune SINE NOMINE "Give thanks for those whose lives shone with a light caught from the Christ flame, gleaming through the night, who touched the truth, who burned for what is right: Alleluia! Alleluia!"
Here in This Place In birth, behold a mystery (Wiltshire) These words can be sung to many tunes (88.88), and notes the phases of life, including birth, joy, pain, death, love and life. Good, straightforward words. Free sheet music available here.
G(3)976 Dwellers in the Holy City (Dufner) Funeral song about calling the residents of heaven to welcome the one who has just died. Boring tune, but very easy to sing. Lyrics and lead sheet. Sound sample.
NCH476 / CH565 / VU716 / WoV781 / LBW294 / ELW596 / GA454 / SFFS 2212 / HPP395 / G(II)427 / GC603 / GC(II)598 / G(3)685 / CP401 / W&R424 / Cha619 / SP296 / URW170 My life flows on in endless song (Lowry) A wonderful hymn. Lots of great recordings of this are available too. It's not so great if it is not familiar to your congregation, but once known, it is worth hanging on to.
*Tune In: All will finish well: (Brown) I think this song would be appropriate for an unexpected or untimely death, particularly of someone who risked life for the sake of the gospel. "You, in all our darkness, you offer peace. You of the ages, in this world where injustice reigns you are in the midst of pain". Lyrics and sound sample.
To remember multiple people:
FFS05 Be their names remembered (Murray/Jillian Bray) Simple chant, good for singing in response to a list of names of those who have died (e.g. catastrophe, ANZAC day). "Be their names remembered in the heart of God"
To remember a victim or victims of violence:
W&R632 / Cha512 When Aimless Violence Takes Those We Love (Patterson) Excellent words sung to the well known tune SURSUM CORDA. Lyrics.
To remember a child:
FFS44 / W&R683 Little one born to bring us such love Hymn for a funeral of a small child; very simple tune and beautiful words of comfort. Words and melody line here (search for "little one").
CH733 We cannot care for you the way we wanted (Bell) Heartbreaking and realistic. Deals extremely well with the particular grief and regrets of losing a child, and would also be useful for one stillborn. This hymn could be sung by the congregation (it's not too hard if they are musical), by a soloist, or read over an instrumental accompaniment. It requires addition of he or she and his or her where appropriate, so careful not to just copy and paste into your order of service.
CH732 When Jesus longed for us to know (Bell) A simple, and beautiful song for the death of a child. It requires addition of he or she and his or her where appropriate, so careful not to just copy and paste into your order of service.
To remember an older person:
FFS56 Sing no sad songs today Murray/Johann Gruger Specifically suitable for someone who has lived a long life; sung to NUN DANKET (now thank we all our God) so would be easy to sing for everyone. Lyrics can be viewed here (loads a word document with many other useful funeral resources).
StS121 / FFS50 Nothing is lost on the breath of God (Colin Gibson). A beautiful song and very easy to sing even if new. "Nothing is lost on the breath of God, nothing is lost for ever; God's breath is love, and that love will remain, holding the world for ever. No feather too light, no hair too fine, no flower too brief in its glory; no drop in the ocean, no dust in the air, but is counted and told in God's story." Words and full sheet music. Sound sample.
Iona (Common Ground, Enemy of Apathy) / CH730 / GC(II)864 / CP489 From the falter of breath / The Last Journey (Bell) Beautiful words to a Celtic folk tune. Organ sample. Lyrics and sample music. Another sound sample.
CP(E) 397 Christ the way of life possess me (Dudley-Smith) Not strictly a funeral song, but very suitable song about following Christ in life until death. Old fashioned, but inclusive. Nice imagery "Path of life before me shining". Lyrics.
TiS 695 Fare well we come to send you on your way (Thwaites) Good words to a very familiar tune (Finlandia). Has masculine language for God.
VU496 / W&R516 Grief of ending wordless sorrow (Wren) Beautiful words. A sample of a choral arrangement can be found here (loads a pdf).
GC(II)574 God weeps with us who weep and mourn (Troeger) Excellent words, but the tune is not intuitive. Could probably be sung to another tune (8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6). I will try to look this up at some stage. Sheet music and lyrics. Sound sample.
NCH368 Shelterd by God's loving spirit (Patterson) Helpful words to a traditional hymn tune that would be easy to sing (BEECHER).
FFS45 Lord turn our grieving into grace Excellent words "Lift up the stone that weighs us down". Best sung in two parts if you have enough singers to do that, but can be sung well without the 2nd part.
Iona (LFB) / CH734 / CP296 O Christ you wept when grief was raw Lovely honest words. There are a couple of tune options. I like best ROCKINGHAM. Lyrics here.
AA91 Lord of all love A good hymn of trust. Can also be sung to ROCKINGHAM. Lyrics can be viewed here (loads a word document with many other useful funeral resources).
CH735 / StJ / GC(II)868 Go Silent Friend (Bell) To the tune of Londonderry Air, this would be very simple to sing at a funeral. The language for God is masculine. It can also be read by a single voice as a poem, and this is what is suggested in CH.
CH731 When grief is raw and music goes unheard (Wren) A poem for a funeral with communion.
*TiS 682 / ATW 490 / GA236 / AA151 When human voices cannot sing (Murray) Lovely words of healing in the face of grief. I prefer this sung to ST COLUMBA, which is the tune in GA and TiS. Lyrics (loads a word document with many other useful funeral resources).
NCH297 / CH736 / VU706 / StJ / AA45 HPSS528 / W&R518 / Cha649 (Murray) Give thanks for life the measure of our days Good and joyful words of remembrance. Sung to the familiar tune SINE NOMINE "Give thanks for those whose lives shone with a light caught from the Christ flame, gleaming through the night, who touched the truth, who burned for what is right: Alleluia! Alleluia!"
Here in This Place In birth, behold a mystery (Wiltshire) These words can be sung to many tunes (88.88), and notes the phases of life, including birth, joy, pain, death, love and life. Good, straightforward words. Free sheet music available here.
G(3)976 Dwellers in the Holy City (Dufner) Funeral song about calling the residents of heaven to welcome the one who has just died. Boring tune, but very easy to sing. Lyrics and lead sheet. Sound sample.
NCH476 / CH565 / VU716 / WoV781 / LBW294 / ELW596 / GA454 / SFFS 2212 / HPP395 / G(II)427 / GC603 / GC(II)598 / G(3)685 / CP401 / W&R424 / Cha619 / SP296 / URW170 My life flows on in endless song (Lowry) A wonderful hymn. Lots of great recordings of this are available too. It's not so great if it is not familiar to your congregation, but once known, it is worth hanging on to.
*Tune In: All will finish well: (Brown) I think this song would be appropriate for an unexpected or untimely death, particularly of someone who risked life for the sake of the gospel. "You, in all our darkness, you offer peace. You of the ages, in this world where injustice reigns you are in the midst of pain". Lyrics and sound sample.
To remember multiple people:
FFS05 Be their names remembered (Murray/Jillian Bray) Simple chant, good for singing in response to a list of names of those who have died (e.g. catastrophe, ANZAC day). "Be their names remembered in the heart of God"
To remember a victim or victims of violence:
W&R632 / Cha512 When Aimless Violence Takes Those We Love (Patterson) Excellent words sung to the well known tune SURSUM CORDA. Lyrics.
To remember a child:
FFS44 / W&R683 Little one born to bring us such love Hymn for a funeral of a small child; very simple tune and beautiful words of comfort. Words and melody line here (search for "little one").
CH733 We cannot care for you the way we wanted (Bell) Heartbreaking and realistic. Deals extremely well with the particular grief and regrets of losing a child, and would also be useful for one stillborn. This hymn could be sung by the congregation (it's not too hard if they are musical), by a soloist, or read over an instrumental accompaniment. It requires addition of he or she and his or her where appropriate, so careful not to just copy and paste into your order of service.
CH732 When Jesus longed for us to know (Bell) A simple, and beautiful song for the death of a child. It requires addition of he or she and his or her where appropriate, so careful not to just copy and paste into your order of service.
To remember an older person:
FFS56 Sing no sad songs today Murray/Johann Gruger Specifically suitable for someone who has lived a long life; sung to NUN DANKET (now thank we all our God) so would be easy to sing for everyone. Lyrics can be viewed here (loads a word document with many other useful funeral resources).
1 comment:
Nice song of funeral!!!!! I love your blog of funeral songs. A lot of people still choose non-religious funerals, so they incline towards contemporary songs with which they closely identify.
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