Some popular contemporary music for a Funeral/ Memorial Service/ Celebration of Life:
(Lyrics to some songs are found after the alphabetical list.)
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Diana Ross)
"All You Need Is Love" (Beattles, upbeat)
"Aloha Oe", a hymn (for someone who lived in Hawaii)
"Amazing Grace" (Elvis Presley)
"Angel” (Sarah McLachalan)
"As Long As I Can See the Light" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
"Annie's Song" (John Denver)
"Autumn Leaves" (Nat King Cole)
"Ave Maria”, (Perry Como)
"Baby Mine” (Bette Midler)
"Bang the Drum Slowly" (Emmylou Harris)
"Because You Loved Me" (Celine Dion)
"Believe" (Brooks & Dunn)
"Bridge Over Troubled Waters" (Simon and Garfunkel)
"Bright Eyes” (Art Garfunkle)
"Butterfly" (Mariah Carey)
"Candle in the Wind (Elton John)
"Carry On" (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
"Change The World" (Eric Clapton)
"Circle Of Life" (Elton John, from The Lion King)
"Close to You" (The Carpenters)
"Come on Up to the House" (Tom Waits)
"Con Te Partiro/”Time to Say Goodbye " (Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman)
"Death Is Not The End" (Bob Dylan)
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" (the Christmas Carol)
"Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” (Elton John)
"End of the End" (Paul McCartney)
"Evergreen" (Barbra Streisand)
"Fly” (Celine Dion)
"Fly Away" (John Denver)
"Go Rest High on That Mountain" (Vince Gill)
"Good Riddance (Time of your Life)" (Green Day)
"Good-bye My Lover" (James Blunt)
"Have I Told You Lately" (Rod Stewart or Van Morrison)
"Hero" (Mariah Carey)
"Hey Jude" (Beattles)
"Homeward Bound" (Simon and Garfunkel)
"Homeward Bound" (Marta Keen)
"I Am Your Child" (Barry Manilow)
"I Can Only Imagine" (Mercy Me)
"I Can See Clearly Now" (Johnny Nash)
"I Will Always Love You" (Dolly Parton or Whitney Houston)
"I Will Remember You" (Sarah McLaughlin)
"I Wish You Peace" (The Eagles)
"If I Had Only Known” (Reba McEntire)
"If" (Bread)
"I'll Be Missing You" (P. Diddy, Faith Evans)
"I’ll be seeing you, in all the old familiar places" (Frank Sinatra, Irving Kahal and Sammy Fain)
"I'll be There" (George Strait)
"I'll be There" (The Jacksons)
"I'll Remember April" (Frank Sinatra)
"I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers" (Alison Krause)
"I'll See You Again" (Frank Sinatra)
"I'm Already There" (Lonestar)
"Imagine" (John Lennon)
"In My Life" (The Beatles)
"Jubilee" (Alison Krause)
"Just The Way You Are" (Billy Joel)
"Keep me in Your Heart for Awhile" (Warren Zevon, he wrote it before he died of cancer)
"Knocking of Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan, The Band)
"Lean on Me" (Bill Withers)
"Let There Be Peace on Earth" (Jill Jackson and Sy Miller)
"Life Is A Highway (Tom Cochrane)
"Life Ain't Always Beautiful" (Gary Allan)
"Life Without You" (Stevie Ray Vaughn)
"Little help From My Friends" (Beattles)
"Live Like You Were Dying" (Tim McGraw)
"Longer Than" (Dan Fogelberg)
"Many Rivers To Cross" (Jimmy Cliff)
"May It Be" (Enya)
"Memory" (From the Musical Cats)
"Memories” (Elvis Presley)
"Memories" (Barbra Streisand)
"Missing You" (Diana Ross - written in memory of friend Marvin Gaye)
"Moon River" (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer)
"Morning Has Broken" (Cat Stevens)
"My Way" (Frank Sinatra)
"On Eagles Wings" (Joncas and various performers)
"On My Way Home" (Enya)
"Only the Good Die Young (Billy Joel)
"Only Time" (Enya)
"Over The Rainbow" (Judy Garland, from Wizard Of Oz)
"Run to Paradise" (Choirboys)
"Seasons in the Sun" (Terry Jacks)
"She's Got A Way" (Billy Joel)
"Simply the Best" (Tina Turner)
"Skin" (Rascal Flatts)
"Someday we'll be together" (Diana Ross)
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World (Isreal Kamamawiwo'ole)
"Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" (Frank Loesser, Ella Fitzgerald or Carly Simon)
"Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin)
"Stand by Me" (Ben E. King)
"Teach Your Children" (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
"Tears in Heaven” (Eric Clapton)
"The Best I Ever Had" (Gary Allan)
"The End (The Love You Take Is Equal To The Love You Make)" (The Beatles)
"The End" (The Doors)
"The End of the End" (Paul McCartney)
"The Gift You Are" (John Denver)
"The Greatest Love Of All" (Whitney Houston, George Benson)
"The Rose" (Bette Midler)
"The Way We Were" (Barbra Streisand)
"The Wings That Fly You Home" (John Denver)
"They Can't Take That Away from Me" (Gershwin)
"Those Were the Days (My Friend)" (Mary Hopkins)
"Time After Time" (Cyndi Lauper, Miles Davis)
"Time In A Bottle" (Jim Croce)
"To Where You Are" (Josh Groban)
"Turn, Turn, Turn" (To Everything... turn, turn, turn... there is a season..., by The Byrds)
"Unchained" (Johnny Cash)
"Unchained Melody" (Righteous Brothers)
"Unforgettable" (Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole)
"Up Where We Belong" (Joe Cocker, Jennifer Warnes)
"We'll Meet Again, Don't Know Where, Don't Know When" (Ross Parker, Hughie Charles, Johnny Cash, Vera Lynn)
"What A Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong)
"What Hurts the Most" (Rascall Flatts)
"When I Get Where I'm Going" (Brad Paisley)
"When the Saints Come Marching In" (Louis Armstrong)
"Who You'd Be Today" (Kenny Chesney)
"Will the Circle Be Unbroken" (for the death of a Mother - by Joan Baez, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and others)
"Wind Beneath My Wings" (Bette Midler)
"Wish You Were Here" (Pink Floyd)
"Wishing You Were Here" (Chicago)
"You Are So Beautiful To Me" (Joe Cocker)
"You Are The Sunshine of My Life" (Stevie Wonder)
"You'll be in my Heart (Phil Collins)
"You'll Never Walk Alone" (Rodgers and Hammerstein)
"Your Song" (Elton John)
"You're My First, My Last, My Everything" (Barry White)
"You're the Inspiration" (Chicago)
"You've Got a Friend" (James Taylor)
Bridge Over Troubled Waters
By Simon and Garfunkel
When youre weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
Im on your side. when times get rough
And friends just cant be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
When youre down and out,
When youre on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
Ill take your part.
When darkness comes
And pains is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Sail on silvergirl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
Im sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Carry On/Questions
by Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
One morning I woke up and I knew
You were really gone
A new day, a new way, I knew
I should see it along
Go your way, I'll go mine and
Carry on
The sky is clearing and the night
Has gone out
The sun, he come, the world
Is all full of light
Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but
To carry on
The fortunes of fables are able
To sing the song
Now witness the quickness with which
We get along
To sing the blues you've got to live the tunes and
Carry on
Carry on
Love is coming
Love is coming to us all
Where are you going now my love?
Where will you be tomorrow?
Will you bring me happiness?
Will you bring me sorrow?
Oh, the questions of a thousand dreams
What you do and what you see
Lover can you talk to me?
Girl when I was on my own
Chasing you down
What was it made you run?
Trying your best just to get around.
The questions of a thousand dreams
What you do and what you see
Lover can you talk to me?
Change
By Tracy Chapman
If you knew that you would die today,
Saw the face of God and love,
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you knew that love can break your heart
When you're down so low you cannot fall
Would you change?
Would you change?
How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?
Makes you change?
If you knew that you would be alone,
Knowing right, being wrong,
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you knew that you would find a truth
That brings up pain that can't be soothed
Would you change?
Would you change?
How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?
Makes you change?
Are you so upright you can't be bent?
If it comes to blows are you so sure you won't be crawling?
If not for the good, why risk falling?
Why risk falling?
If everything you think you know,
Makes your life unbearable,
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you'd broken every rule and vow,
And hard times come to bring you down,
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you knew that you would die today,
If you saw the face of God and love,
Would you change?
Would you change?
Would you change?
Would you change?
If you saw the face of God and love
If you saw the face of God and love
Would you change?
Would you change?
Fly
by Celine Dion
Fly, fly little wing
Fly beyond imagining
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven's love
Past the planets and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again
Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness
Far too beautiful for this
Cross over to the other shore
There is peace forevermore
But hold this mem'ry bittersweet
Until we meet
Fly, fly do not fear
Don't waste a breath, don't shed a tear
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don't wait for me
Above the universe you'll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won't forget
Fly, fly little wing
Fly where only angels sing
Fly away, the time is right
Go now, find the light
'n Dis Life
by Mike Reid and Allen Shamlin
sung by Israel Kamakawiwo`ole
For all I've been blessed with in my life
There was an emptiness in me
I was imprisoned by the power of gold
With one kind touch you've set me free
Chorus:
Let the world stop turning
Let the sun stop burning
Let them tell me love's not worth going through
If it all falls apart, I will know deep in my heart
The only dream that mattered had come true
In this life, I was loved by you.
For every mountain I have climbed
Every raging river crossed
You were the treasure that I longed to find
Without your love I would be lost.
(E hana hou i ka hui)
(Repeat chorus)
I know that I won't live forever
But forever I'll be loving you.
I'll Fly Away
By Alison Krause
Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
[Chorus]
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)
[Chorus]
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)
[Chorus]
I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).
I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers
by Alison Krause
When the curtains of night are pinned back by the stars
And the beautiful moon sweeps the sky
Dewdrops from Heaven are kissing the rose
It's then that my memory flies
Well, upon the wings of a beautiful dove
I'll hasten this message of cheer
And I'll bring you a kiss of affection and say
I'll remember you love in my prayers
Now the angels of Heaven are guarding the good
As God has ordained them to do
In answer to prayers that I offer to Him
I know there's one waiting for you
Now go where you will upon land or on sea
And I'll share all your sorrows and cares
At night as I kneel by my bedside to pray
I'll remember you, love, in my prayers
Well at night as I kneel by my bedside to pray
I'll remember you, love, in my prayers
Imagine
John Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
I Wish You Peace
by the Eagles
I wish you peace when the cold winds blow
Warmed by the fires glow
I wish you comfort in the, the lonely time
And arms to hold you when you ache inside
I wish you hope when things are going bad
Kind words when times are sad
I wish you shelter from the, the raging wind
Cooling waters at the fevers end
I wish you peace when times are hard
The light to guide you through the dark
And when storms are high and your, your dreams are low
I wish you the strength to let love grow on,
I wish you the strength to let love flow,
I wish you peace when times are hard
A light to guide you through the dark
And when storms are high and your, you dreams are low
I wish you the strength to let let grown on,
I wish you the strength to let love flow,
I wish you the strength to let love glow on
I wish you the strength to let love go on.
I Will Remember You
lyrics by Sarah McLaughlin
I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
Remember the good times that we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad
How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun
Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one
I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
I'm so tired but I can't sleep
Standin' on the edge of something much too deep
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard
But I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light
And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
And I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
Weep not for the memories
Jubilee
by Alison Krause
The sun came up on Monday morn.
The world was all in flame.The sun came up on Monday morn.
The world was all in flame.
It's all a mortal man can do
To make it right again.
Swing and turn, Jubilee. Live and learn, Jubilee.
The moon came up. I stood my ground
And swore to not give in,
To never rest and do my best
To rid this world of sin.
Swing and turn, Jubilee. Live and learn, Jubilee.
The one who spoke cried tears of hope,
That we might change in time.
And when I looked into her eyes
The fear I saw was mine.
Swing and turn, Jubilee. Live and learn, Jubilee.
The time had come to travel on.
I made my way alone.
My soul will mend at journey's end.
This road will take me home.
Swing and turn, Jubilee. Live and learn, Jubilee.
It's all a mortal man can do
To make it right again.
Swing and turn, Jubilee. Live and learn, Jubilee.
The moon came up. I stood my ground
And swore to not give in,
To never rest and do my best
To rid this world of sin.
Swing and turn, Jubilee. Live and learn, Jubilee.
The one who spoke cried tears of hope,
That we might change in time.
And when I looked into her eyes
The fear I saw was mine.
Swing and turn, Jubilee. Live and learn, Jubilee.
The time had come to travel on.
I made my way alone.
My soul will mend at journey's end.
This road will take me home.
Swing and turn, Jubilee. Live and learn, Jubilee.
Teach Your Children
by Graham Nash (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.
And you, of tender years,
Can't know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.
Teach your parents well,
Their children's hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you
Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven
Will it be the same
If I saw you in heaven
I must be strong, and carry on
Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven
Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven
I'll find my way, through night and day
Cause I know I just can't stay
Here in heaven
Time can bring you down
Time can bend your knee
Time can break your heart
Have you begging please
Begging please
(instrumental)
Beyond the door
There's peace I'm sure.
And I know there'll be no more...
Tears in heaven
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven
Will it be the same
If I saw you in heaven
I must be strong, and carry on
Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven
Cause I know I don't belong
Here in heaven
Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds
To every thing, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn,
and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born, a time to die, a time to plant, a time to reap.
A time to kill, a time to heal, a time to laugh, a time to weep.
To every thing, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn,
and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to build up, a time to break down, a time to dance, a time to mourn.
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together.
To every thing, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn,
and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time of love, a time of hate, a time of war, a time of peace.
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing.
To every thing, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn,
and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to gain, a time to lose, a time to rend, a time to sew.
A time to love, a time to hate, a time for peace, I swear it's not too late.
