Finding the right song to play at your husband's or wife's funeral can be difficult. You might want to choose the song that was playing when you first met, a song from your wedding or wedding reception, or the one that the two of you always consider "your song."
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However, sometimes you want a song that expresses your feelings about the loss of your partner. For that reason, The Best Songs.net have compiled a list of some of the best songs specifically for this purpose. 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.
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Crowded House singer Neil Finn wrote this after having a terrible fight with his wife, Sharon. It has also been recorded by Sixpence None the Richer. The song really speaks about how two people should be together to help resolve the problems that they face. My favorite line is "But you'll never see the end of the road / While you're traveling with me."
Chorus:
Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win
Click to find it on
This song is performed by Linda Eder, whose voice often graces Broadway performances in-between albums. It is very moving song that talks about how two people who love each other are never really apart. The best line of the entire song has to be "Through my tears I still hear your laughter even now."
Significant Verse:
Stars still shine when they're gone
Hearts that break will still beat on
Letting go's the hardest thing to do
'Cause all those feelings start
And time can't change my heart
It all leads back to you
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This 3 Doors Down's song is about a couple who used to be together, but they are separated after the girl has died. The song talks about how much he misses her. While it seems most appropriate for the funeral for a husband or wife, it is also generic enough that it can be used for other funerals. Case in point, it was used by World Wrestling Entertainment for a video tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero.
Chorus:
I'm here without you baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you baby
But you're still with me in my dreams
And tonight it's only you and me
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This classic song is a favorite of many people. Few could ever sing it as beautifully as Mariah Carey does--although some have tried. There are several songs with the same title with different lyrics. We've given this song a prominent place on this page because of the line in they lyrics that says "You can find love / If you search within yourself / And the emptiness you felt / Will disappear."
Chorus:
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
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This song by the Indigo Girls talks about a person who traveled over the world trying to make peace with the love that is now gone. Eventually, she comes to the determination that we have no choice but to accept each moment as it is and that pain is a part of love.
Significant Verse:
So we must love while these moments are still called today
Take part in the pain of this passion play
Stretching our youth as we must, until we are ashes to dust
Until time makes history of us
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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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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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If you've never heard Linda Eder sing, then you're missing out. She's performed in several Broadway musicals as well as released numerous records including It's Time which contains this song. One of the best lines in the song is "The house we used to share / Still looks as if you're there / And I won't change a single thing / Not even the wedding ring I wear.
Significant Lyrics:
The world moves on
With no regret
And though you're gone
There are feelings I'll never forget
So I remember you and though I try
I don't know how to say goodbye
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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
Click to find Aerosmith's version on
Click to find Chestnutt's version on
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
Click to find Parton's version on
Click to find Houston's version on
"If Tomorrow Never Comes" was the very first country hit for Garth Brooks. It was also a hit for Ronan Keating in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, Garth Brooks is what is known as an "online holdout" and his songs are not currently available as mp3s. So, country fans will have to purchase the entire album or learn to love Ronan Keating or Westlife. Luckily, both of those versions happen to be very nice
Chorus:
If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she's my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face the world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes
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This song is performed by Trisha Yearwood. It is a very beautiful song that talks about how she would have loved the person anyway despite the feelings of heartache that she's experiencing. It would be appropriate for almost any funeral of a loved one since it contains no specific reference to a loved one. One of the best lines in the song is "And even if I'd seen it coming / You'd still've seen me running / Straight into your arms"
Chorus:
I would've loved you anyway
I'd do it all the same
Not a second I would change
Not a touch that I would trade
Had I known my heart would break
I'd have loved you anyway
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The author of this song obviously wrote this with the military in mind. The song takes the format of a letter written by a soldier in case he died in battle. The song talks about how he has no regrets over his choices, share his thought about the daughter he's never seen, and even urges his wife to move on with her life. One of the best lines in the song is "If you're reading this I'm already home."
Significant Verse:
Well I'm laying down my gun
I'm hanging up my boots
I'm up here with God
And we're both watching over you
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Keep Me In Your Heart was written and recorded by Warren Zevon shortly before he died of mesothelioma. The song encompasses his feelings about his upcoming death and what will occur afterwards. The song is very reminiscent of a folk tune, and the line "Keep me in your heart for awhile." However, one of my favorite lines in the song is "Sometimes when you're doing simple things around the house / Maybe you'll think of me and smile."
Significant Verse:
Hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you
Click to find it on
Collin Raye sings this song about two people (his grandparents in the song). According to the lyrics, he is just a boy when he is accompanying his grandfather to church to pray for his grandmother in the hospital. At the church, the grandfather tells the grandson about how he and the grandmother eloped. When he went to the spot they were going to meet, she had left him a letter (see the chorus below). The second verse talks about how the grandfather now reads the letter to his wife on her deathbed.
Chorus:
If you get there before I do, don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But I'm not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then, Til I see you again
I'll be loving you
Love, Me.
Click to find it on
"My Heart Will Go On" was written for the movie Titanic and Celine Dion. Lyricist Will Jennings said that he "wrote everything from the point of view of a person of a great age looking back" on a great love story. It won the 1998 Oscar for Best Song.
Chorus:
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
Once more you open the door
And you're here in my heart
And my heart will go on and on
Click to find it on
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