Country music is known for both it's storytelling as well as often having a depressing subject matter. However, not all the songs listed here are what most would consider depressing. Instead, they are songs that deal with the difficult subjects of loss, saying goodbye, and moving on.
There are a lot of different factors to consider when choosing music for a funeral or memorial service. Most often, people try to select at least one or two songs by an artist that the deceased had liked. You also want to consider picking music that symbolizes the person as well as music that will help people at the funeral deal with their grief.
If you have not selected such a song yet, you might consider one of the songs listed below. They list as some of the favorite country songs that have become popular for modern funerals or memorial services. For your convenience, we have included links to the sheet music on Sheetmusicplus.com as well as the CD on Amazon.com whenever available. If you are looking to purchase the mp3 or would like to listen to a sample, then click on either the Amazon, Rhapsody, or iTunes links.
Rhapsody provides both music subscriptions as well as individual mp3s for sale in WMA format and iTunes only provides MPEG-4 audio files for sale. However, Amazon does offer mp3s that are compatible with both Windows Media Player and iTunes. For more information about where to purchase music online, we provide it on our Music Downloads page or our Music Subscriptions page.
Performed by Alabama, this song starts out as a story about how the singer was walking home as a child, got lost, but was guided home by an unknown "angel." The rest of the verses talk about how angels are all around us to help us through the dark times of our lives. The song is very touching, especially when the children's choir chimes in.
Chorus:
I believe there are angels among us
sent down to us from somewhere up above
They come to you and me in our darkest hours
To show us how to live
To teach us how to give
To guide us with the light of love
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John Denver wrote this song for his wife, Ann. It is at it's heart a love song and, while the title mentions her by name, there is no mention of Annie in the song. It's one of Denver's most popular songs and appears on over twenty of his albums. Almost everyone will recognize it once Denver starts his opening line of "You stir up my senses."
Chorus:
Come let me love you
Let me give my life to you
Let me drown in your laughter
Let me die in your arms
Let me lay down beside you
Let me always be with you
Come let me love you
Come love me again
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Another classic by John Denver, this song talks about how good it is to be back home on the farm. The chorus of the song says "Hey its good to be back home again / Sometimes this old farm feels like a long-lost friend / Yes n hey, its good to be back home again."
Significant Verse:
Its the sweetest thing I know of, just spending time with you
Its the little things that make a house a home
Like a fire softly burnin' supper on the stove
The light in your eyes that makes me warm
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Rascal Flatts sings this soulful ballad that is very reminiscent to "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. The message of the song is about how all the heart break that the singer endured was necessary in order for him to find his one true love. It's a nice song that urges people not regret their past mistakes.
Chorus:
Every long lost dream lead me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
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An upbeat song by Dwight Yoakum, "Bury Me" talks about how he wants to be remembered after he dies. The song is typical of Yoakum with a strong honky tonk twang to it.
Chorus:
Now don't you mourn for me when my soul is free
Woman don't you cry
Just bury me along the big sandy
Under a blue Kentucky sky
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Ashley Gearing was just 12 years old when her country ballad "Can You Hear Me When I Talk to You" broke into the Billboard charts. However, her voice has a mature to sound it--few would guess she is so young when she sings it. While most of the song would be appropriate for any funeral, the very last line of the song says "I miss you Daddy." However, my favorite line of the song has to be " You know I never said some things that I meant to."
Significant Verse:
Time passes by so quickly
But I guess I thought you'd be here forever
I never even had a chance to say goodbye
There's so many things to tell you
Left unsaid until now
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Lyle Lovett sings this slow song, which is heavy on guitar. The lyrics lean towards being more about a break up than a death, but they are just generic enough that it could go either way.
Chorus:
So go if you must go
Turn if you must turn away
Don't cry a tear for me.
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Vince Gill began writing this song after the death of Keith Whitley, but didn't finish it until a few years later after the death of his brother. The song became a tribute to them both. The song is directed at the person who is passed on, and urges them to move on because they've earn the rest.
Significant Verse:
Oh, how we cried the day you left us
We gathered round your grave to grieve
I wish I could see the angels faces
When they hear your sweet voice sing
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Steve Wariner performs this song. Like many country songs, it tells a story about his life. It starts out with him as a small boy after his grandmother had died. His mother urges him not to be sad because the grandmother is still watching over them. As proof, the mother tells him that rain is actually her tears that come through "holes in the floor of heaven." The second verse fast forwards and shows how he married but his wife dies young. The third verse talks about his daughter's wedding day when it starts to rain, "She takes my hand says daddy don't be sad cause I know momma's watchin now."
Chorus:
And there's holes in the floor of heaven
And her tears are pourin' down
That's how you know she's watchin'
Wishin' she could be here now
And sometimes when I'm lonely
I remember she can see
There's holes in the floor of heaven
And she's watchin' over you and me
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Patty Loveless sings this story song about dealing with loss in life. The song starts up when she is a little girl who is moving away from her best friend and her mother tries to help her deal with her grief. The song then talks about having to deal with her divorce, again with her mother's help. Finally, the mother is on her death bed and, for the last time, tries to help her daughter deal with loss.
Chorus:
I called up Mama, she said, time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, how can I help you to say goodbye
It's okay to hurt, and it's okay to cry
Come let me hold you, and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
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"How Do I Live" was written for the 1997 movie Con Air by Diane Warren, who intended Leanne Rimes to sing the song. However, the producers felt that Rimes's version was too "pop" and wanted her to re-record it. When Rimes refused, the producers chose to have Trisha Yearwood record the song for the soundtrack. Both versions became quite popular, with Yearwood taking home the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her version. However, Rimes version outsold Yearwood's by more than 3 million copies. Either version is beautiful.
Chorus:
And tell me now
How do I live without you?
I want to know,
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?
Click to find Rimes's version on
Click to find Yearwood's version on
Diamond Rio sings this song about love and loss. The singer is talking to a lost love who has died. More specifically, the song tells the person that, even though they are gone, at times it feels as if they are still together and that "And with all my heart I'm sure we're closer than we ever were / I don't have to hear or see I've got all the proof I need / There are more than angels watching over me."
Chorus:
I believe
That when you die your life goes on
It doesn't end here when you're gone
Every soul is filled with light
It never ends and if I'm right
Our love can even reach across eternity
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Something about Diane Warren songs seems to urge competition between artists (see "How Do I Live" above). "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" was written for the movie Armageddon soundtrack and became a number one hit for Aerosmith. Shortly there after, Mark Chestnutt recorded his own version of the song. Chestnutt's version spent two weeks at number one on the country charts.
Chorus:
I don't want to close my eyes
I don't want to fall asleep
cause I'd miss you
And I don't want to miss a thing
cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you
And I don't want to miss a thing
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This song would only be good for the funeral of a spouse since it says "I miss the power of your kiss when we made love." It also gives very specific descriptions of the person such as "those blue-green eyes" and "soft brown hair." Otherwise, the song is a very touching country song sung by Darryl Worley about all the things he misses about a person who has died.
Chorus:
I miss my friend
The one my heart and soul confided in
The one I felt the safest with
The one who knew just what to say to make me laugh again
And let the light back in
I miss my friend
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This song was written by Dolly Parton and not intended to be a traditional love song. It was aimed at her friend Porter Wagoner, after Parton decided to end their long-term partnership for a solo career. The song talks about how much she appreciates all they have shared but that its time for them to part ways. Parton later recorded a second version for the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and it became a Country hit. Ten years later, the song was recorded again, this time by Whitney Houston for the movie The Bodyguard. Both versions of the song are very nice.
Significant Lyrics:
Bittersweet memories
that is all I'm taking with me
So, goodbye. Please, don't cry
We both know I'm not what you, you need
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Reba McEntire sings this song. The song talks about what she would have done had she known that she was going to lose the person she loved. The song is perfect for a funeral of someone young, but would work for almost any type of funeral.
Significant Verse:
If I had only known
I'd never hear your voice again
I'd memorize each thing you ever said
And on those lonely nights
I could think of them once more
Keep your words alive inside my head
If I had only known
I'd never hear your voice again
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Lonestar sings this song about a man who missing home while being on the road, but realizes when he calls that he's heart has never left his family. It's a good song to pass on the feeling that despite the death, the person will always be with you.
Chorus:
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
I'm your imaginary friend
And I know I'm in your prayers
Oh, I'm already there
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Rascal Flatts sings "I'm Moving On. The song is a good choice if you are looking for one to represent the idea that the deceased has gone on to a better place. Probably the most significant line in the song is "For once I'm at peace with myself / I've been burdened with blame / trapped in the past for too long / I'm movin' on."
Significant Verse:
I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone
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