"For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command or faith a dictum. I am my own God. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us." ---Charles BukowskiIt may seem a bit "goth" of me to post a mix of songs dedicated to mankind's mortal enemy: death. Trust me, I don't sleep in a coffin, nor do a fantasize about worms eating me when I'm six feet under (I plan on being cremated anyway). I'm just facinated by the beauty and mystery of that one place none of us have ever been but are all destined to go to someday. What better way to express death's confusion, beauty, and horror than to explore it throught music? So here's my homage to the Grim Reaper; I tried to convey the whole range of emotions one can experience when you think about death...you might be suprised that humor is in that list (just listen to the Smog tune "Dress Sexy at My Funeral"). A little tear always finds its way to the corner of my eye when I listen to Sufjan Steven's haunting and sweet "Casimir Pulaski Day." It's about losing a friend (and possible love of his life) to bone cancer. Leadbelly's cover of the old folk tune, "In the Pines" is probably better known to you as the Nirvana cover "Where Did you Sleep Last Night" off their 1994 Unplugged album. "His head was found ina driving wheel and his body was never found" still gives me the chills. Another big highlight would be the PJ Harvey and Nick Cave duet off the album, Murder Ballads, "Henry Lee." I admit I relate to the woman's side in this song when she, after being jilted by a lover, sends him falling to his death down in a well.
So I hope you all don't think I'm some weirdo who plans out what songs I want played at my funeral like Rob Gordon does in High Fidelity, but I must admit I'd be pleased as punch if they played Jeff Buckley's entire Grace album at my wake with everyone screaming along to "Grace." I want people to celebrate my life, not sitting there bawling about something that is inevitable for everyone. I just hope I don't meet my end by a crazed psychopath or jealous lover like in a couple of these songs. That's all I ask.
Efil's God by Eels"I'll bundle up and slip away
The count is down, and the drip is up
It's time to split this hunk of clay"
Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens"In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window
In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March on the holiday
I thought I saw you breathing"
Everywhere by Polaris"You left your glasses behind
And somebody said you were doing fine
I play a game, but you're not there
But it's no good, because you're everywhere"
Grace by Jeff Buckley"There's the moon asking to stay
Long enough for the clouds to fly me away
Though it's my time coming, I'm not afraid, afraid to die"
Dress Sexy At My Funeral by Smog"Dress sexy at my funeral my good wife
And when it comes your turn to speak before the crowd
Tell them about the time we did it
On the beach with fireworks above us"
Dead and Lovely by Tom Waits"What's more romantic than dying in the moonlight?
Now they're all watching the sea
What's lost can never be broken
Her roots were sweet but they were so shallow
And now she's dead
Forever dead
Forever dead and lovely now"
Susan by Subhumans"With the money from insuranceThe family went on holidayNothing left but rotting flowersOn an unattended graveThe epitaph has faded badlyNo one reads it anyway"In the Pines by Leadbelly"Her husband, was a hard working man,
Just about a mile from here.
His head was found in a driving wheel,
But his body never was found."
Country Death Song by The Violent Femmes"Gather round boys to this tale that I tell.
You wanna know how to take a short trip to hell?
Its guarenteed to get your own place in hell.
Just take your lovely daughter and push her in the well.
Take your lovely daughter and throw her in the well."
Henry Lee duet by PJ Harvey and Nick Cave"Lie there, lie there, little Henry Lee
Till the flesh drops from your bones
For the girl you have in that merry green land
Can wait forever for you to come home"
The Eternal by Joy Division"Stood by the gate at the foot of the garden,
Watching them pass like clouds in the sky,
Try to cry out in the heat of the moment,
Possessed by a fury that burns from inside."
Asleep by The Smiths"Dont try to wake me in the morning
cause I will be gone
Dont feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I will feel so glad to go"
With the wedding fast approaching, keeping a regular posting schedule is becoming increasingly impossible. Some of the tasks left to do include:
