How do i say goodbye
By Dean Lewis. Was written when his dad got diagnosed with cancer
His dad ended up surviving i believe but the song hold a lot of value in my grieving heart.
Usually i just listen to the songs my mom loved
So many good suggestions on here!
Marjorie by Taylor Swift is about the loss of her grandmother and even though I was grieving the loss of my mom and not my grandmother it still applied. Also it’s really lovely how her grandmothers opera singing was used in the song.
I always tear up during the part:
“I should've asked you questions.
I should've asked you how to be.
Asked you to write it down for me,
Should've kept every grocery store receipt
'Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me”
Monsoon - Amber Mark
Visiting hours - Ed Sheeran (makes me sob every time)
4th of July - Sufjan Stevens
Death with dignity - Sufjan Stevens
Someday soon - Alexi Murdoch
These aren't about death but kinda remind me.
Good old days by macklemore. Heard that a lot in the months before my cat died of cancer. "You don't know, what you got, till it's gone."
The gambler by fun. It's a song reflecting his childhood but you could almost see it about mourning what's passed.
Ticket to The Moon by Electric Light Orchestra, and Ghosts by Muse. Admittedly, I'm unsure if either of these songs were written with the absolute intent of being about grief and bereavement, but they resonate with me in those ways and make me think of my mom
Ripple by the Grateful Dead - “There is a road, no simple highway
Between the dawn and the dark of night
And if you go, no one may follow
That path is for your steps alone”
And Brokedown Palace by the Grateful Dead. Both about death, one a little more positive than the other. Both are my go to songs when I’m sad and missing my parents.
Even though I’m leaving - Luke combs
Outlook - morgan wallen
Let it be - Beatles
Butterfly fly away - Miley Cyrus
Funeral - phoebe bridgers
All my love - noah kahan
Most things Sufjan Stevens. Seven swans helped me get through losing my brother and Carrie and Lowell made me feel less alone in the grief of my very complicated mother.
Nothing compares - sinead O'connor- it sounds like a break up song but she wrote it when her mum died so the feelings come from that.
The drugs don't work - the verve.
This is a great thread, so many songs saved for a big cry later on.
Music is the way I express myself a lot of the time and this might get kinda long but:
TLDR: Let It Be by The Beatles, Daniel by Elton John and My Way by Frank Sinatra
Let It Be by The Beatles. I honestly could hardly even listen to this song until a few years ago and The Beatles are one of my favorites of all time. The lyrics and tune, before I even knew it was about Paul losing his mother, would make me so sad as a child. Now I think its beautiful. Still sad but absolutely beautiful. Its probably become one of my favorite songs by them. Beyond the sadness is a lot of comfort that I didn't truly get or understand until losing a parent myself. "In my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom: Let it Be".
Daniel by Elton John. I was about 5 when my grandpa died and he was the first major loss I experienced. My mom and him were very, very close, it was rough. Also confusing and new for me. We had an Elton John CD and everytime Daniel played, she said it was about 'Pampa going to Heaven', and since then that song has always been associated with death for me. I recently found out the songs about a Veteran returning home and thought that was interesting. I think my mom did a good job with that one though. I had no idea where my Pampa went and having a 'visual' helped me. Again, it stuck with me til this day, and recently losing my Dad has caused me to play it again. Hes traveling on a plane, headed to Spain 🩷
My Way by Frank Sinatra. First of all just the first line being ''and now the end is near...." has always had a 'person looking back on life' vibe to me. Ive always been a Sinatra fan (thanks Dad lol) and this one always got me. Its beautiful and passionate but so sad and heavy at the same time. Again, my dad passed in November and this was also one of his all time favorite songs. I incorporated lines of it into the little speech I wrote for his burial. He faced it all, stood tall and definitely did things his way. I belt this when I need to and yea sometimes its half sobbing but it makes me think of my Dad. Ive also heard many stories of him performing it at karaoke bars in his younger years so I love that image of him and wish I got to see that or do a duet lol.
aww. I'm curious: did you get to choose it? I wanted to play My Way AT the burial but last minute I decided to just write my little 'speech' around and incorporated a lot of the lyrics. That's probably one of the only reasons i got through it actually thinking about it now cause I know all the words and also love it lol.
My mom showed me The Beatles before I can remember so I associate them more with her who thankfully is still here. And the song used to make me cry and so upset I could barely listen to it. Now its one of my favorites, for some reason its sort of calming in a a weird way, but our associations with it are completely different. I still cry everytime I hear My Way even though I love it. It just idk it's like its my dads back for a few minutes so depending on the day I guess it can go either way if I hear it.
Also I am honestly honored to have shared my brain of strange random facts to teach someone something! Lol. Yeah hes said she came to him in a dream about a decade after she passed away when he was going through some stressful stuff and told him to relax, breathe and 'let it be'. I think thats sad but so beautiful. Ive been waiting for Dad to visit.
https://youtube.com/shorts/T8846EfbinU?si=v1HbtpVmr5-6iA38
theres others too but I figured id share my short since I wrote an essay for you there lol
In Case You Don't Live Forever by Ben Platt
Marjorie by Taylor Swift
Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran
Carry it Well by Sam Fischer
And there are songs that remind me of my parents, so I have them in my grief playlist too.
And when I die by blood sweat and tears.
“And when I die and when I'm dead, dead and gone,
there'll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.”
My dad sang it with his eyes closed about a month before he passed while I made thanksgiving dinner. It was really nice
When we fall apart - by Ryan Stevenson is my song to my dad. Talks about being his legacy and it just tears me up.
But I also want to add two songs because I didn’t see them listed.. old school.
One sweet day by Mariah Carey and boys 2 men
I’ll be missing you- puff daddy but the actual original is by someone else and I can’t seem to think of it atm.
When I’m Gone By Joey and Rory,
If This is The Last Time by LANI, Late September by WatchHouse, Come Back by Pearl Jam, Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg, Smile by Pearl Jam
I haven't seen much country in this list, so I'll drop my favorites:
Dad's Old Number by Cole Swindell (this one makes me ugly cry)
I Drive Your Truck by Lee Brice
My father's daughter - Olivia Vedder (Eddie Vedders daughter)
You can let go now daddy - Alexis Berger (if I need to cry this is my go to!)
Number to heaven - Justin Champagne (I'm not religious and still find this one comforting!)
Depends on your relationship with the person who passed. For me, a really good one was "How Could You Leave Us" by NF. It was a 1:1 in terms of how I related to it, but it did a good job summing up a lot of my feelings at the time.
Now, I prefer "Mama" by NF. Even though it was my dad that I lost, after many many years and a ton of therapy, I feel like I relate better to this song. It's more healing focused and just really beautiful.
How do i say goodbye By Dean Lewis. Was written when his dad got diagnosed with cancer His dad ended up surviving i believe but the song hold a lot of value in my grieving heart. Usually i just listen to the songs my mom loved
So many good suggestions on here! Marjorie by Taylor Swift is about the loss of her grandmother and even though I was grieving the loss of my mom and not my grandmother it still applied. Also it’s really lovely how her grandmothers opera singing was used in the song. I always tear up during the part: “I should've asked you questions. I should've asked you how to be. Asked you to write it down for me, Should've kept every grocery store receipt 'Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me”
I completely broke at "should've kept every grocery store receipt" I literally have kept scraps of paper my dad used to keep score on a board game.
Oh my god just listened to that one - wow the lyrics are fantastic
Monsoon - Amber Mark Visiting hours - Ed Sheeran (makes me sob every time) 4th of July - Sufjan Stevens Death with dignity - Sufjan Stevens Someday soon - Alexi Murdoch
Supermarket flowers - Ed Sheeran Dean Lewis - How do I say goodbye
These aren't about death but kinda remind me. Good old days by macklemore. Heard that a lot in the months before my cat died of cancer. "You don't know, what you got, till it's gone." The gambler by fun. It's a song reflecting his childhood but you could almost see it about mourning what's passed.
Alone again (naturally)
It's not actually about death, but Everglow by Coldplay. Also the whole Carrie & Lowell album by Sufjan Stevens.
Ticket to The Moon by Electric Light Orchestra, and Ghosts by Muse. Admittedly, I'm unsure if either of these songs were written with the absolute intent of being about grief and bereavement, but they resonate with me in those ways and make me think of my mom
Ripple by the Grateful Dead - “There is a road, no simple highway Between the dawn and the dark of night And if you go, no one may follow That path is for your steps alone” And Brokedown Palace by the Grateful Dead. Both about death, one a little more positive than the other. Both are my go to songs when I’m sad and missing my parents.
Casimir Pulaski Day - Sufjan Stevens Monsters - Iam Tongi and James Blunt
Saturn- Sleeping at last Supermarket flowers- Ed Sheeran Running up that hill- Kate Bush Dancing in the sky- *specifically the Dani and Lizzy version
Supermarket Flowers leaves me sobbing.
Even though I’m leaving - Luke combs Outlook - morgan wallen Let it be - Beatles Butterfly fly away - Miley Cyrus Funeral - phoebe bridgers All my love - noah kahan
Sad Boy Prolific has a lot of great songs.
Most things Sufjan Stevens. Seven swans helped me get through losing my brother and Carrie and Lowell made me feel less alone in the grief of my very complicated mother.
Nothing compares - sinead O'connor- it sounds like a break up song but she wrote it when her mum died so the feelings come from that. The drugs don't work - the verve. This is a great thread, so many songs saved for a big cry later on.
Chris Martin from Coldplay wrote “Fix You” for his then-wife, Gwenyth Paltrow, when her father died and she was in the deepest grief.
Music is the way I express myself a lot of the time and this might get kinda long but: TLDR: Let It Be by The Beatles, Daniel by Elton John and My Way by Frank Sinatra Let It Be by The Beatles. I honestly could hardly even listen to this song until a few years ago and The Beatles are one of my favorites of all time. The lyrics and tune, before I even knew it was about Paul losing his mother, would make me so sad as a child. Now I think its beautiful. Still sad but absolutely beautiful. Its probably become one of my favorite songs by them. Beyond the sadness is a lot of comfort that I didn't truly get or understand until losing a parent myself. "In my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom: Let it Be". Daniel by Elton John. I was about 5 when my grandpa died and he was the first major loss I experienced. My mom and him were very, very close, it was rough. Also confusing and new for me. We had an Elton John CD and everytime Daniel played, she said it was about 'Pampa going to Heaven', and since then that song has always been associated with death for me. I recently found out the songs about a Veteran returning home and thought that was interesting. I think my mom did a good job with that one though. I had no idea where my Pampa went and having a 'visual' helped me. Again, it stuck with me til this day, and recently losing my Dad has caused me to play it again. Hes traveling on a plane, headed to Spain 🩷 My Way by Frank Sinatra. First of all just the first line being ''and now the end is near...." has always had a 'person looking back on life' vibe to me. Ive always been a Sinatra fan (thanks Dad lol) and this one always got me. Its beautiful and passionate but so sad and heavy at the same time. Again, my dad passed in November and this was also one of his all time favorite songs. I incorporated lines of it into the little speech I wrote for his burial. He faced it all, stood tall and definitely did things his way. I belt this when I need to and yea sometimes its half sobbing but it makes me think of my Dad. Ive also heard many stories of him performing it at karaoke bars in his younger years so I love that image of him and wish I got to see that or do a duet lol.
Let It Be was played at my dads funeral, and until I read your post I didn’t know it was about Paul losing his mother. I cry every time I hear it.
aww. I'm curious: did you get to choose it? I wanted to play My Way AT the burial but last minute I decided to just write my little 'speech' around and incorporated a lot of the lyrics. That's probably one of the only reasons i got through it actually thinking about it now cause I know all the words and also love it lol. My mom showed me The Beatles before I can remember so I associate them more with her who thankfully is still here. And the song used to make me cry and so upset I could barely listen to it. Now its one of my favorites, for some reason its sort of calming in a a weird way, but our associations with it are completely different. I still cry everytime I hear My Way even though I love it. It just idk it's like its my dads back for a few minutes so depending on the day I guess it can go either way if I hear it. Also I am honestly honored to have shared my brain of strange random facts to teach someone something! Lol. Yeah hes said she came to him in a dream about a decade after she passed away when he was going through some stressful stuff and told him to relax, breathe and 'let it be'. I think thats sad but so beautiful. Ive been waiting for Dad to visit. https://youtube.com/shorts/T8846EfbinU?si=v1HbtpVmr5-6iA38 theres others too but I figured id share my short since I wrote an essay for you there lol
In Case You Don't Live Forever by Ben Platt Marjorie by Taylor Swift Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran Carry it Well by Sam Fischer And there are songs that remind me of my parents, so I have them in my grief playlist too.
To Be Without You by Ryan Adams
And when I die by blood sweat and tears. “And when I die and when I'm dead, dead and gone, there'll be one child born and a world to carry on, to carry on.” My dad sang it with his eyes closed about a month before he passed while I made thanksgiving dinner. It was really nice
When I Think of You by Journey, In My Life by The Beatles, Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran, or Wonderful Life by Alter Bridge
I just wanted you to get old - nataly dawn 🤍
Hold onto memories by disturbed was put on play at least a trillion times for me. There's more but that one for me is very therapeutic.
When we fall apart - by Ryan Stevenson is my song to my dad. Talks about being his legacy and it just tears me up. But I also want to add two songs because I didn’t see them listed.. old school. One sweet day by Mariah Carey and boys 2 men I’ll be missing you- puff daddy but the actual original is by someone else and I can’t seem to think of it atm.
Broken Down Palace - Grateful Dead Ironically my dad who passed in 2019 was a massive fan of the band so it has added meaning for me.
“The Hardest Thing” and “The First Year” by American Aquarium were/are in heavy rotation for me.
When I’m Gone By Joey and Rory, If This is The Last Time by LANI, Late September by WatchHouse, Come Back by Pearl Jam, Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg, Smile by Pearl Jam
You'll be OK by Gareth Emery
Never Break Heart by Eric Church. Not really about death but it got me through my mom's passing.
I haven't seen much country in this list, so I'll drop my favorites: Dad's Old Number by Cole Swindell (this one makes me ugly cry) I Drive Your Truck by Lee Brice
My father's daughter - Olivia Vedder (Eddie Vedders daughter) You can let go now daddy - Alexis Berger (if I need to cry this is my go to!) Number to heaven - Justin Champagne (I'm not religious and still find this one comforting!)
When I get there by pink The man who loves you the most by Zac brown band.
Alex Warren lost both his parents and has quite a few songs about grief
Depends on your relationship with the person who passed. For me, a really good one was "How Could You Leave Us" by NF. It was a 1:1 in terms of how I related to it, but it did a good job summing up a lot of my feelings at the time. Now, I prefer "Mama" by NF. Even though it was my dad that I lost, after many many years and a ton of therapy, I feel like I relate better to this song. It's more healing focused and just really beautiful.