Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast
To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak.
I’ve read, that things inanimate have mov’d,
And, as with living Souls, have been inform’d,
By Magick Numbers and persuasive Sound.
What then am I? Am I more senseless grown
Than Trees, or Flint? O force of constant Woe!
‘Tis not in Harmony to calm my Griefs.
Anselmo sleeps, and is at Peace; last Night
The silent Tomb receiv’d the good Old King;
He and his Sorrows now are safely lodg’d
Within its cold, but hospitable Bosom.
Why am not I at Peace?
– William Congreve, in The Mourning Bride, 1697
Music has emotional power. A good song can often touch our hearts, and express the feelings we can’t find words for. There seems to be a music genre for just about everything… so why not for grieving?
Here are some of the songs that have touched me. Some are by grieving parents. Some were written for grieving parents. Some just seem to have a message we need.
I have to give this quick warning though, grab a fresh box of tissues before you start listening.
To Where You Are – Josh Groban
This is one of those with an up lifting message. Maybe we need to hear that, “A breath away’s not far to where you are.”
Precious Child – Karen Taylor-Good
I was introduced to this song at our first Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting. I doubt it’s an exaggeration to say I’ve listened to it a thousand times since… usually with tears running down my face.
Here is the story of why the song came to be and some other interesting facts about it.
You can get a CD single from The Compassionate Friends website. You can download a free mp3 of the song from Karen Taylor-Good’s website. I’ve done both.
Where Beautiful Souls Go – P. Taylor Reed
We met P. Taylor Reed at the 2011 Frankfort KY Compassionate Friends Regional Conference. She’s a grieving mom and she wrote this song as a tribute to her son Jeremy. She performed it for us at the conference.
You can read her’s and Jeremy’s stories, and purchase a single CD of the song at her website.
Why by Rascal Flatts
This is one of my favorite groups. Having a child die is so hard to deal with. Having a child die of suicide seems like it would add even more burden and heartache to an already unbearable event. This song explores that pain.
As Long As You Love by Cindy Bullens
Cindy Bullens is an award winning singer/song writer and the bereaved mother of Jessie, a cancer victim at the age of 11 . She did the soundtrack for the documentary Space Between Breaths. I couldn’t find a video with my favorite song from the album, Better Than I’ve Ever Been, but as I write this she’s offering a free mp3 of that song on her official website.
You can get the soundtrack CD at the Space Between Breaths store. You’ll also find many of these songs on Cindy’s album Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth.
You can learn more about Jessie and the The Jessie Fund, a charity that helps support children with cancer.
Tonight I Hold This Candle” by Alan Pedersen
We’ve met singer/song writer Alan Pedersen at both of the Compassionate Friends of Frankfort regional conferences we’ve attended. He’ll be performing at this year’s conference as well. His daughter Ashley died in a 2001 auto accident.
He has been referred to as the James Taylor of grieving parent music. He currently has 4 CD’s which you can buy at his store.
He tours the country with his Angels Across the USA Tour.
ThePianoGuys with Craig Aven
ThePianoGuys co-founder Jon Schmidt lost his daughter Annie in November 2016. He tells the story at start of the video and shares the song that helped him deal with his grief.
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