27 Country Funeral Songs, Chosen by the Person You Are Honoring
Maya Bennett · Senior Lyricist — Family & Milestone Songs
Updated October 4, 2026 · 29 min read
The country funeral songs requested most often are "Go Rest High on That Mountain" by Vince Gill, "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" by Steve Wariner, "I Drive Your Truck" by Lee Brice and "Three Wooden Crosses" by Randy Travis. Each of them appears below, alongside twenty-three others, and every song has been grouped by the person it suits best rather than ranked by popularity: a father or grandfather who worked with his hands, a mother or grandmother, a husband or wife of many decades, a friend or a veteran, and the old-school fan who would have wanted Hank, Willie and Johnny Cash in the room.
Country music has always been comfortable with death in a way most popular music is not. Its songs name the cemetery, the hospital room and the empty chair, and they do it in plain language that people who never read poetry can still lean on. That is why so many families who would not call themselves music lovers still ask for one of these songs by name. Some of what follows is openly Christian and some of it is not religious at all, so read the notes before you promise a pastor anything. If the service will be built mostly around church music, our hymns arranged by the moment they fill in a church service is the better starting point, and you can borrow one or two country songs from this page for the visitation or the reception.
One pattern from our own work is worth holding on to while you read. When families write to us about a father or grandmother raised in the country, the details they send are rarely about achievements. They are about routine and place: the truck parked nose-out by the barn, work boots left by the back door, the AM station he kept the kitchen radio tuned to, the feed store where everyone knew her name. In my judgment, a country song works at a funeral when its small details rhyme with the ones the family already carries, and fails when the details belong to a stranger's life, however lovely the melody. So before you choose, write down three ordinary things your person did every week, and look for the song that sounds like it could live alongside them. If you would like to turn that list into words of your own, a guide for writing to someone you miss walks through it gently.
The songs most country families ask for first
1.Go Rest High on That Mountain — Vince Gill (1995)
Vince Gill's "Go Rest High on That Mountain" is the safest country choice for the center of the service, right after the eulogy, because nearly every country listener in the room will know it from the first steel-guitar phrase. Gill started the song after the death of his friend and fellow singer Keith Whitley in 1989, then set it aside for years; it was the loss of his older brother, Bob, in 1993 that finally gave him the rest of it. It came out as a single in 1995 from the album When Love Finds You and has been sung at the memorials of many country artists since, often by Gill himself. The song is reverent without being a hymn, which lets it bridge a church crowd and a honky-tonk crowd. It fits a brother, a son or a friend taken early. It is the wrong pick when the family has asked for nothing but cheerful music; consider "I Saw the Light" for that day.
2.Holes in the Floor of Heaven — Steve Wariner (1998)
"Holes in the Floor of Heaven" by Steve Wariner belongs beneath the photo slideshow, especially for a family that has lost more than one person over the years, since the song itself follows a man through two losses in one lifetime. Wariner wrote it with Billy Kirsch and released it in March 1998 as the lead single from Burnin' the Roadhouse Down. It peaked at number two, but the industry voted it the song of the year: it took Song of the Year and Single of the Year at the 1998 CMA Awards, along with Song of the Year from the Academy of Country Music. Its central image of rain as heaven looking down gives children something gentle to hold onto, which is why it turns up at so many services where grandkids are present. Choose something else if the family wants a song that faces the grief head-on rather than softening it; "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" does that.
3.Three Wooden Crosses — Randy Travis (2002)
Play Randy Travis's "Three Wooden Crosses" for someone whose faith was lived out through what they passed on to others, the kind of person whose influence is still being felt in people who never met them. Kim Williams and Doug Johnson wrote it, and Travis released it in November 2002 from his gospel-leaning album Rise and Shine. It climbed to number one in May 2003, his sixteenth and last chart-topper, and it collected the CMA's Song of the Year as well as a Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association, an unusual double that shows how comfortably it sits in both worlds. The song tells a full story with a twist at the end, so it rewards a room that is actually listening rather than talking over it. That makes it a good fit inside the service itself. Skip it if the death involved a road accident, because the story begins with one; for that family, "Angels Among Us" is far kinder.
4.Live Like You Were Dying — Tim McGraw (2004)
"Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw suits a celebration of life for someone who received a diagnosis and then spent their remaining time doing exactly what they wanted. Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman wrote it after a friend went through a cancer scare, and McGraw recorded it in the months after his own father, the baseball pitcher Tug McGraw, died of brain cancer in January 2004. Released that summer, it spent seven weeks at number one on the country chart and won the Grammy for Best Country Song. The tempo is mid-paced and hopeful, so it works as the recessional, or at a reception where people are swapping stories about the bucket-list trip or the last fishing season. Families often print its title on the program because the phrase says what they want to say. It is a poor fit for a death that came without warning, where the idea of having time to plan can sting; there, choose "My Old Friend" instead.
For Dad, Grandpa, the cowboy and the working man
5.I Drive Your Truck — Lee Brice (2012)
Lee Brice's "I Drive Your Truck" is the song for a father, son or brother whose vehicle has become the family's private shrine, still smelling of him and still holding his receipts in the door pocket. Connie Harrington, Jessi Alexander and Jimmy Yeary wrote it after Harrington heard a 2011 radio interview with Paul Monti, whose son, Army Sergeant First Class Jared Monti, was killed in Afghanistan in 2006 and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor; Paul Monti kept driving his son's truck to feel near him. Brice recorded it for his 2012 album Hard 2 Love, and it reached number one and won the CMA's Song of the Year in 2013. The song is about grief rather than the person's life, so it lands hardest during the slideshow or at a graveside where the truck is parked nearby. Look elsewhere if the family wants a portrait of the man himself; "Small Town Southern Man" paints one.
6.Small Town Southern Man — Alan Jackson (2007)
"Small Town Southern Man" by Alan Jackson is the eulogy-in-a-song for a quiet father or grandfather who worked hard, stayed married, kept his word and never needed anyone to notice. Jackson wrote it alone and released it in November 2007 as the lead single from his album Good Time; in March 2008 it became his twenty-third number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. Jackson has said it grew from his Southern roots and the men he grew up around, and listeners have long heard echoes of his own father in it. The arrangement is unhurried and acoustic, and the song walks through a whole life from youth to old age, so it plays well under a slideshow arranged in chronological order. Older relatives tend to nod along as if it were describing someone they knew. It is the wrong choice for a man whose life was loud, restless or unconventional; "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" fits that kind of spirit.
7.Even Though I'm Leaving — Luke Combs (2019)
Play "Even Though I'm Leaving" by Luke Combs at a father's funeral when the children, now grown, will be sitting in the front row, because the song moves through three stages of a father and son's life together. Combs released it in September 2019 as a single from his second album, What You See Is What You Get, and it reached number one on Billboard's Country Airplay chart that November, holding the top spot for three weeks. The first scene is a small boy at bedtime, the second is a young man shipping out with the military, and the last is a bedside goodbye, so it speaks to a son who served as clearly as to one who stayed home. For more songs chosen with a father in mind, our memorial songs for Dad mixes country with classic rock. It is a weak fit for a mother's service; choose "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" there.
8.Five More Minutes — Scotty McCreery (2017)
"Five More Minutes" by Scotty McCreery is the grandchild's song for a grandfather, ideal when a grandson or granddaughter is speaking or reading at the service. McCreery wrote it with Frank Rogers and Monty Criswell after his paternal grandfather, Bill McCreery, died suddenly in January 2015, two days after turning eighty-six. Released in May 2017 and later included on the album Seasons Change, it became McCreery's first number one on the Country Airplay chart. The song moves through ordinary moments that never feel long enough, from childhood to the last visit, and it never strains for a big emotional peak, which lets the room cry quietly rather than all at once. It also works well at a reception slideshow featuring snapshots of fishing trips, ball games and holiday tables. If you are gathering more songs for a grandfather, the grandpa list we keep is a good next stop. It is a little young-sounding for a widow choosing for her husband; "Remember When" fits her better.
9.Amarillo by Morning — George Strait (1983)
George Strait's "Amarillo by Morning" is the choice for a rancher, a rodeo man or anyone who spent more of his life on the road than at home and wouldn't have traded it. Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser wrote it, and Stafford recorded the first version in 1973; he reportedly began the song while driving the long way home from a rodeo in San Antonio to Amarillo. Strait released his cover in January 1983 from the album Strait from the Heart, and although it peaked at number four, it has become one of his signature songs and a staple of every rodeo arena in Texas. The fiddle opening is instantly recognizable, and it plays beautifully as the casket leaves or as the family walks out to the trucks. A saddle or a belt buckle on the memorial table pairs with it naturally. It may confuse a church crowd that never knew him outside the pew; "Three Wooden Crosses" sits more comfortably there.
10.My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys — Willie Nelson (1980)
"My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" by Willie Nelson fits a man who lived by his own code: the horse trader, the trucker, the grandfather who wore a hat to every family wedding. Sharon Vaughn wrote it, and Waylon Jennings recorded it first on the 1976 collection Wanted! The Outlaws, but Nelson's version from the soundtrack to The Electric Horseman is the one people know; it reached number one on the country chart in 1980 and stayed there for two weeks. The song is honest about the loneliness of that kind of life as well as its pride, which makes it truer to the real man than a pure tribute would be. Play it at the reception or as the final song while people file out, rather than in the middle of a solemn service. Keep it off the program if the family is uneasy about remembering his rougher edges; "Small Town Southern Man" honors a steadier kind of strength.
For Mom, Grandma and a woman of quiet faith
11.How Can I Help You Say Goodbye — Patty Loveless (1994)
"How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" by Patty Loveless is the country song for a mother, and it is especially fitting when a daughter cared for her through the final months. Karen Taylor-Good and Burton Banks Collins wrote it, and Loveless recorded it for her 1993 album Only What I Feel; released as a single in March 1994, it peaked at number three. The song moves through three kinds of goodbye, and the last one happens at a mother's bedside, which is why hospice nurses and chaplains so often recommend it to families. Loveless sings it with restraint, letting the words carry the weight instead of the vocal, so it fits a quiet moment right before or after the eulogy. Have tissues within reach of the front pew. For more choices made with a mother in mind, see our longer list for a mother's service. Avoid it if the family needs something brighter to end on; save "Angels Among Us" for the close instead.
12.Angels Among Us — Alabama (1993)
Alabama's "Angels Among Us" is the song for a grandmother, a Sunday school teacher or a nurse, anyone whose care for other people seemed to arrive exactly when it was needed. Don Goodman and Becky Hobbs wrote it, and Alabama released it in December 1993 from the album Cheap Seats, with choirs from the First Baptist Church of Fort Payne, Alabama, the band's hometown, singing behind them. Hobbs drew on a moment years earlier when a sudden premonition helped her band avoid a collision with an oncoming truck. The single entered the charts twice from listener requests rather than a big radio push, a sign of how personally people took it. It is gentle, faith-filled without being preachy, and the children's voices make it especially suited to a service where grandchildren will be present. It works well as the closing song. It is not the right fit for a family that is not religious; "Remember When" stays rooted in this life instead.
13.Temporary Home — Carrie Underwood (2009)
"Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood is the song for a mother or grandmother whose faith told her that this life was only one stop along the way, and it plays well right after the obituary is read. Underwood wrote it with Luke Laird and Zac Maloy, and has said the idea came from Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life, which describes earth as a temporary home. Released in December 2009 as a single from the album Play On, it tells three short stories, the last of them an elderly person at the end of a long life in a hospital bed. Because the verses span childhood to old age, it suits a service that wants to acknowledge the whole family, not only the person who died. Underwood's voice is clear and controlled here, never overpowering. If the family wants something they can sing along to rather than sit with, this is the wrong choice; Hank Williams's "I Saw the Light" invites everyone to join.
14.See You Again — Carrie Underwood (2013)
Carrie Underwood's "See You Again" fits the end of a service for a mother or grandmother whose family is certain they will meet her again. Underwood wrote it with Hillary Lindsey and David Hodges, and it was released in April 2013 as the fourth and final single from her album Blown Away. The song is built as a promise rather than a farewell, and it rises into a big closing chorus, which makes it a strong recessional as the family follows the casket out. It also suits a younger woman's service, since the sound is contemporary and grandchildren in their teens and twenties will recognize the voice. Be aware that it is a powerful vocal; do not ask a nervous relative to sing it live, and use the recording instead. It is not for a family whose grief is still raw and angry; there, the gentler "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" meets people closer to where they are.
For a husband or wife of many years
15.Love, Me — Collin Raye (1991)
Collin Raye's "Love, Me" is the song for a grandparent's funeral where the surviving spouse is sitting in the front pew, and many families search for it under a different name, borrowed from a line in its chorus. Skip Ewing and Max T. Barnes wrote it, and Raye released it in October 1991 as the second single from his debut album, All I Can Be; in early 1992 it became his first number one. The song is told by a grandson describing his grandparents' lifelong devotion, so it gives a widow or widower a way to hear their own marriage honored without having to stand up and speak. It is tender, slow and simple, and it fits right before the eulogy. Choose a recording rather than a live singer, so the widow or widower can simply listen. It is the wrong choice if the marriage ended in divorce or the spouse is not attending; choose "Small Town Southern Man" for a portrait of the person alone.
16.Remember When — Alan Jackson (2003)
"Remember When" by Alan Jackson suits a husband or wife whose marriage lasted through young love, children, hard years and a long, settled old age. Jackson wrote it alone about his own marriage to Denise, his high-school sweetheart from Newnan, Georgia, whom he married in 1979; it was released in 2003 from Greatest Hits Volume II and reached number one on the country chart in early 2004. The song looks back over a whole marriage, including its rough patches, which is why couples who stayed together through difficulty find it honest rather than sugary. It is ideal for a slideshow that begins with a wedding photo and ends with the two of them on the porch decades later. Played softly, it also suits the visitation. It is not the song for a young spouse lost early, where the long look back the song takes never got to happen; "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way" speaks to that loss.
17.Probably Wouldn't Be This Way — LeAnn Rimes (2005)
LeAnn Rimes's "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way" is the song for a young widow or a partner left behind far too soon, and it belongs at the graveside or in the quiet weeks after the service. John Kennedy and Tammi Kidd wrote it, and Rimes released it in March 2005 as the second single from her album This Woman; it reached number three on the Hot Country Songs chart. It is often mistaken for a breakup song, but Rimes has described it as the story of a woman grieving the loss of the man she loved, and the music video makes that plain with a wedding dress and funeral flowers. The song is honest about how strange daily life becomes after a death, which makes it more of a companion than a ceremony piece. For more music for that long stretch afterward, our songs about grief are grouped by stage. It is a poor fit for an elderly couple; "Love, Me" honors a long marriage instead.
18.Forever and Ever, Amen — Randy Travis (1987)
"Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis is the upbeat country choice for a couple married fifty or sixty years, played as the recessional so the room leaves smiling at the memory of them together. Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz wrote it, and Travis released it in 1987 from his album Always & Forever; it spent three weeks at number one and won the Grammy for Best Country Song. The tone is playful and devoted at once, which suits a husband who teased his wife every day of their marriage and never once forgot their anniversary. Many couples danced to it at their own weddings in the late eighties, so it often carries a memory of its own before anyone presses play. Pair it with something slower earlier in the program to balance the mood. It is the wrong song when the surviving spouse is not yet ready for anything light; "Remember When" lets the room look back more gently.
For a friend, a veteran or a life cut short
19.My Old Friend — Tim McGraw (2004)
"My Old Friend" by Tim McGraw is the song for a lifelong buddy, a hunting partner or the friend from high school who became family, and it fits best when the friends themselves are planning part of the service. Craig Wiseman and Steve McEwan wrote it during a summer trip to London, and both said the song grew out of friends they had lost even though they had not set out to write about death. It appeared on McGraw's 2004 album Live Like You Were Dying and later went to radio as a single, peaking in the country top ten. The song is easygoing rather than mournful, more like a toast than a dirge, which makes it ideal for the reception or for the moment when a friend shares a story at the microphone. It works for women's friendships as well as men's. It feels too casual for a formal church service; at that service, "Go Rest High on That Mountain" carries more dignity.
20.Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground — Willie Nelson (1980)
Willie Nelson's "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" suits someone gentle who seemed only briefly here, often a younger person or someone who struggled and whom the family wants to remember with tenderness. Nelson wrote it years before he released it and saved it for the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose, in which he starred as a touring country singer; issued as a single from the soundtrack in early 1981, it became his seventh solo number one. The song is spare, mostly Nelson's voice and his nylon-string guitar, which keeps it intimate even in a large room. It suits the visitation, the graveside or a quiet moment before the closing prayer. Because its subject is ambiguous, it can honor a lost friend, a partner or a grown child without forcing a single reading. It is not the song for a long, full life ending peacefully in old age; "Small Town Southern Man" or "Remember When" honors that better.
21.Arlington — Trace Adkins (2005)
"Arlington" by Trace Adkins is the song for a service member killed in the line of duty, and it is often played at military funerals and Memorial Day services. Jeremy Spillman and Dave Turnbull wrote it after Turnbull met the father of Marine Corporal Patrick Nixon, who was killed in Nasiriyah, Iraq, in March 2003. Adkins released it in June 2005 as a single from Songs About Me, and the song is sung from the perspective of a soldier who has been laid to rest among those who served. Adkins has said that the Nixon family gave its blessing to the song. It works at the graveside before taps, or in a slideshow featuring photographs in uniform. Families should check with the honor guard about timing so the song does not overlap with the rifle salute. It is the wrong choice for a veteran who returned home and lived a long life afterward; "Some Gave All" honors that kind of service.
22.Some Gave All — Billy Ray Cyrus (1992)
Billy Ray Cyrus's "Some Gave All" is the song for a veteran who came home from Vietnam, or any war, and carried it quietly for the rest of his life. Cyrus wrote the song after meeting a Vietnam veteran at a club where he was playing in Huntington, West Virginia, in the late 1980s, and the conversation gave him the title. It became the title track of his 1992 debut album, which spent seventeen weeks at number one on the Billboard 200. The song speaks for veterans who rarely talked about what they saw, which is why so many families of men from that era ask for it. Display the flag, the medals or the dog tags while it plays, and invite fellow veterans in attendance to stand. It also suits a Veterans Day memorial. It is the wrong fit for an active-duty death, where "Arlington" speaks more directly to the family's loss.
Old-time gospel and outlaw country for a celebration of life
23.I Saw the Light — Hank Williams (1948)
"I Saw the Light" by Hank Williams is the song to close a celebration of life with the whole room clapping, and it suits anyone raised on the Grand Ole Opry or a country church that sang on Sunday nights. Williams wrote it in January 1947 on the drive home from a show in Fort Deposit, Alabama, after his mother, who was driving, pointed out the beacon at the airport outside Montgomery and said they were nearly home. He recorded it at his first session for MGM, released it in September 1948, and it went on to become the closing number of his live shows. It is short, cheerful and easy to sing even for people who never heard it before. A guitar and a few voices are plenty. The song is a poor match for a service that has asked for quiet reflection throughout; there, "Why Me" by Kris Kristofferson carries faith in a more personal, hushed way.
24.Why Me — Kris Kristofferson (1973)
"Why Me" by Kris Kristofferson is the gospel song for someone who lived hard, found faith late, and was humbled by it. Kristofferson wrote it after attending a service led by the Reverend Jimmie Rodgers Snow at Evangel Temple in Nashville, and it appeared on his album Jesus Was a Capricorn; in July 1973 it reached number one on the country chart, his only solo single to do so. Larry Gatlin and Rita Coolidge sing on the recording, and the arrangement stays plain, like a man praying aloud in an empty room. That simplicity makes it ideal for the moment just before the closing prayer, or for a family who knows their person had a complicated past and wants it acknowledged with grace. It also suits a recovery community memorial. Avoid it if the person was a lifelong churchgoer with no such turning point, since the song is about late redemption; "Daddy Sang Bass" fits a family that always sang together.
25.Daddy Sang Bass — Johnny Cash (1968)
Johnny Cash's "Daddy Sang Bass" is the song for a family that sang gospel together around the piano or in the car, and it works beautifully at a reception where the cousins pick up guitars. Carl Perkins wrote it, borrowing the chorus of the old hymn "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and drawing on memories of his own childhood as a sharecropper's son; Cash released it in November 1968, and it stayed at number one on the Billboard country chart for six weeks. The song pictures a family singing together and imagines that circle restored in heaven, which makes it especially fitting for a father or grandfather who led the singing. It is upbeat, and the harmonies leave room for anyone who wants to join in. It is a poor fit for a formal service led by a pastor who prefers traditional hymns; play it at the gathering afterward instead and keep the service itself simpler.
26.Highwayman — The Highwaymen (1985)
"Highwayman" by the Highwaymen is the song for the old outlaw-country fan, the one who owned every Waylon record and argued about Willie versus Johnny at every family barbecue. Jimmy Webb wrote it after a dream that felt like a memory of a past life, and the supergroup of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash released it in May 1985; each of them sings one verse, it reached number one, and it won Webb the 1986 Grammy for Best Country Song. The song follows a single soul through several lives, which offers a stirring, nondenominational way to say that someone is not entirely gone. It is best at the reception, played loud, or as the final track while people linger at the graveside. It is not right for a strictly Christian service, since reincarnation sits uneasily with most church teaching; "Why Me" honors the same outlaws in a gospel key.
27.The Gambler — Kenny Rogers (1978)
"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers is the celebration-of-life song for a card player, a horse-racing fan, or the uncle who always knew when to fold and loved telling everyone about it. Don Schlitz wrote it in his early twenties, and Rogers released it in November 1978; it reached number one on the country chart, won Rogers the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and inspired a series of television films. The song tells a story about wisdom passed from an old man to a younger one on a train, which is why it lands so well when a grandson or nephew gives the eulogy. Expect people to sing the chorus whether invited or not, which is part of its charm. Play it at the reception, or as a lighthearted recessional at a service that has already allowed some laughter. Leave it off a solemn church service entirely; there, "Go Rest High on That Mountain" belongs.
How to choose the country songs for the service
Start with who they were on an ordinary Tuesday, not who they were in the obituary. A man who spent every morning at the feed store and every evening on the porch is better served by "Small Town Southern Man" than by the most famous song on the list, and a woman who kept a prayer list taped to the refrigerator may be better honored by "Angels Among Us" than by anything the radio played in her later years. Then think about who will be in the room. If most of the mourners are church people, choose at least one song that sounds at home under a steeple; if most of them knew the person from the sale barn or the VFW hall, give them something they would have heard on the jukebox. Most country services have room for three or four songs, and the strongest programs use one well-known standard, one song that matches the person's life closely, and one brighter song to leave by.
Check the practical details early. Ask the funeral home or the church whether they can play recorded tracks and how they prefer to receive them; a few want a thumb drive, others take a phone with the right cable. If a relative wants to sing live, choose a song with a modest range, and rehearse it once in the actual room. Keep the cowboy songs and the outlaw songs for the reception or the graveside if the pastor has asked for sacred music inside, and remember that songs played at the visitation can be more personal and more casual than anything in the service itself.
Every song on this page was written about somebody else: Vince Gill's brother, Scotty McCreery's grandfather, Alan Jackson's wife. None of them can mention the truck he kept nose-out by the barn, the station she kept the kitchen radio on, or the name of the creek where he taught the grandkids to fish. Some families want those details sung, and that is where our songwriters can help, gently and only if it feels right. You share his or her stories in a questionnaire of about five minutes, and a real songwriter writes an original tribute song shaped from those memories, sung by a real vocalist in a country, gospel or acoustic style. It never needs to replace the songs above; most families play it at the visitation or the reception, next to the music the person loved.
- For the center of the service: "Go Rest High on That Mountain" or "Three Wooden Crosses."
- For a father or grandfather: "Small Town Southern Man," "Five More Minutes" or "Even Though I'm Leaving."
- For a mother or grandmother: "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" or "Angels Among Us."
- To send everyone out: "I Saw the Light," "Forever and Ever, Amen" or "The Gambler."
Where each song fits in a country service: visitation, service, graveside and the reception
A country funeral usually unfolds in four settings, and each one can carry a different kind of music. The visitation, often held the evening before at the funeral home or the family church, is the most relaxed: people stand in line, trade stories and look at the photo boards, so soft recorded music like "Remember When," "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" or "Amarillo by Morning" can play quietly in the background for an hour or more. This is the best place for the songs that were simply his or her favorites, even the ones that have nothing to do with death.
The service itself asks for fewer songs and more care. One song before the eulogy, one after, and one to close is a common pattern. "Go Rest High on That Mountain," "Three Wooden Crosses" and "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" all hold up well in a sanctuary or chapel. The graveside is shorter still, often a single song or a hymn; "Arlington" at a military burial, "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way" for a young spouse, or a plain guitar and one voice for anyone else. Older relatives may be standing on uneven ground, so keep it brief.
The reception or meal afterward is where country music truly comes alive. This is the place for "The Gambler," "Daddy Sang Bass," "Highwayman" and "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys," and for the cousins to bring out their guitars. Families who want to mix in a few non-country favorites can find more ideas in secular songs for a celebration of life. And if a grandchild wants to give something of their own that day, a song written for the grandfather the kids remember can be played at the reception after the stories are told.
- Visitation: two or three soft favorites, played low on repeat.
- Service: one standard before the eulogy, one personal song after, one to close.
- Graveside: a single song, short enough for people standing outside.
- Reception: the upbeat, sing-along and outlaw songs.
Making it personal: a song written from their own stories
Some families come to the end of a list like this one and realize that no song quite sounds like the person they lost. He was a dairy farmer who hummed George Jones while milking, or she raised six children on a pastor's salary and still made pies for every funeral in the county. When that happens, you can write something yourself; these steps for writing your own tribute lyrics start with gathering the memories before thinking about rhyme. Or you can let a songwriter take the stories and shape them into a song.
With us, you answer a questionnaire of about five minutes about the person, the places and the small habits that defined them, and real songwriters write an original song in the style they loved, whether country, gospel, acoustic or folk, sung by a real vocalist. Delivery takes up to 24 hours, and an express option can have it ready in about an hour when the funeral is only days away. The song lives on a private page that relatives anywhere can open, and it can be downloaded for the funeral home's sound system. You can ask for changes as many times as you need, and the order is covered by a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee. For a keepsake, the Forever Memory bundle includes a frameable card printed with the lyrics and a QR code that plays the song when scanned, plus a second version in another style: a full country band for the reception, say, and a quiet acoustic take for the family at home. More than 500,000 songs have been delivered, and more than 12,000 gift-givers rate the experience 4.9 out of 5.
A custom song to honor their life
Written from your story, with their name in the chorus.