Songs About Death: How Music Can Help You Cope With Your Grief

Hymns, poetry, music and favourite pieces of writing all feature in our thoughts after someone has died. Songs about death and mourning are something we are all forced to consider if we have any part in organising a funeral. Some reach for anthologies of poetry to find a favourite poem or a suitable reading. Many will turn to their favourite music or to the favourite music of the deceased. Whether or not this music features songs about death, or was just a favourite tune does not matter. The emotions can be stirred and help in our process of mourning.

First there may be times when we just want music to stir our own outpouring of grief. The right song might have lyrics that seem to understand how we feel and feeds our grief. The right tune may empathise with our sorrow.

Second there may be times when we want music which will be all about remembering the bereaved. Particular songs will have particular messages for individuals. There will be memories of times together. As the music is listened to initially in our bereavement, these songs main be painful as they trigger the acute sense of loss. Then as we hear them more, the acute sense of loss may fade and memories of the life together will be awakened.

Third there can be music will simply creates a mood. Musicians and composers know how to create a mood and we will all know our favourite songs to listen to at certain times. We can use these songs to help us through our mourning sometimes to change moods.

Finally, there will be songs that are simply and genuinely happy songs. Even in the deepest of depressions, feel-good songs cannot help but make us feel exactly that. We may not be ready for these in acute grief, but as time presses on, we may feel we need these as we find we need to rediscover ourselves in our new life without the one we loved.

Listening to songs about death and mourning may seem at first to be a little morbid, but in reality music can help us through our grief.

By: Emilie Warren

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Dr Emilie Warren has wide experience of helping people cope with grief and bereavement as well as understanding their own fears around death and dying. She is an accomplished writer on the subject, hosting her own website, www.dealingwithdeath.com. She has a Master's degree and a PhD from Cambridge University in England. For more information about music to help you deal with your loss please visit: www.dealingwithdeath.com/songs-about-death/