Maybe a morbid thread but...

[ashley0139]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:39pm

My grandmother just passed away and I am going to speak at her memorial service. I was hoping to include some comforting/uplifting/good closure quotes in my speech (which will not be very long). I'm having a major block on any to use, though. Any ideas? Can be lyrics or spoken lines.

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:42pm

Sometimes people leave you.
Halfway through the wood.
Others may decieve you.
You decide whats good.
You decide alone.
But no one is alone.

[Bret]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:42pm

No quotes, but I'm horribly sorry about your grandmother.

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:45pm

It's not morbid at all. I think it's a lovely idea. My condolences on your loss.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:46pm

This isn't from Broadway, but it's definitely very uplifting and inspiring.

"Death is no more than passing from one room into another. But there's a difference for me, you know. Because in that other room I shall be able to see."
- Helen Keller

Also, I'm terribly sorry for your loss.

-VB

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:47pm

No quotes, but I'm very sorry.

[BJC899]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:49pm

My condolences.

Just a thought. Listen to Bring on Tomorrow from Fame.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:51pm

There's a place called home
I can almost see, with a red front door, and
A roaring fire, and a Christmas tree.
Yes, a place called home
Full of love and family,
And I'm there at the door
Watching you come home to me.


(very sorry about your grandmother)

[Emcee4ever]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 9:54pm

From Wicked:

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
I do believe I have been changed for the better
And because I knew you
I have been changed for good
Updated On: 6/30/06 at 09:54 PM

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 10:01pm

You could maybe tweak the words to For Good.

This was just a moment in the woods
our moment
shimmering and lovely and sad
leave the moment just be glad
for the moment that we had
every moment is of moment
when you're in the woods

When my Godfather died I listned to:
I'll Cover You (Reprise)
One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey, Boys 2 Men)
Never Gone (The Backstreet Boys)
I Will Carry You (Clay Aiken)
Seasons of Love
- All very cliche I know, but they all helped me through it.

I'm very sorry for your loss.


ETA: I found a good quote online for you.-

“Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.” - Anonymous Updated On: 6/30/06 at 10:01 PM

[??]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 12:46am

Yeah sorry Neo, but a song about a quickie in the woods probably wouldn't be appropriate...while you're at it throw in some quotes from "Two Ladies".


A song that isn't broadway but deals with the death beautifully is Lullabye by Billy Joel. Just google the lyrics if you don't know them.

[softershade]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 1:36am

I'm so sorry for your loss.
The first thing that comes to my mind is a song I listened to quite a lot when my close friend was killed in a car accident last spring. "Goodnight" from the musical Piece. I'm pretty sure you can listen to it on the website piecethemusical.com.
I was able to find the lyrics from somone's livejournal.

dry away the tears
lay aside your fears
no more pain for my love
i am here go to sleep

and when the angels come
i know that they will treat you well
they will pull you through
and lift you from what has held you down

there's a heaven up there
and it waits just for you
so close your eyes and dream
there'll be a world you once knew
a world without the pain
that has stuck with you for far too long
a world that does contain
a love like mine to watch you grow strong

and when my time arrives
please wait and make a place for me
for when i do arrive
your face should be the first face i see

dry away the tears
lay aside your fears
no more pain for my love
you have now gone to sleep

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 1:39am

I wasn't really speaking within the context of the show. Extracted that quote is pretty poignant for any sort of goodbye. The woods being a metaphor for the life we lead in this out of context example. Notice The Internet is For Porn, You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want, and Sugar didn't make my list of possibilities.

Also There Will Be A Miracle from SWIWS might be appropriate. It all comes down to you and what your comfortable with and what you feel is the most appropriate for you.

Im very sorry again.

[Bret]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 1:40am

Taken out of context, Moments in the Woods is a fine lyric for the situation. Now your suggestion of Two Ladies, ??, though it may be a joke, is horrible, and I'm sure that Ashley does not appreciate your sarcasm.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 8:12am

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, and for all the kind thoughts.

Posted: 7/1/06 at 9:41am

First, my heartfelt condolences to you.

There are so many wonderful suggestions already, so you may well not need any more ideas. But there are a few songs that come to my mind, and later I can try to send you some lyrics. There are many extraordinary songs of loss, grief and comfort on William Finn's Elegies: A Song Cycle--a song that I find deeply inspiring is "Anytime (I Am There)" but the entire CD is filled with songs that, for me, help me to grieve at especially difficult times in my life; a song for closure as well as grief that I found to be of great comfort when my father died was "Wishing You Were Somwhow Hear (Near?) Again" from Phantom; a few other songs that I personally find comforting are "You Walk With Me" from The Full Monty, and the title song and "Try Not To Be Afraid" from Whistle Down The Wind. Also, while I haven't listened to The Secret Garden in a while, there are some songs of comfort and inspiration there---I guess what is best known to me is "Come To My Garden/Lift Me Up," though there are undoubtedly others.

I just thought of another song that is extremely inspiring to me: "The Heart Still Goes On" from the movie Titanic.

It would be my pleasure to give some thought to other ideas. These are just what come to mind on the spot.










Updated On: 7/1/06 at 09:41 AM

[&OneForMahler]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 10:14am

I agree that there are several beautiful and appropriate songs on William Finn's Elegies a Song Cycle (my personal favorite is "When the Earth Stopped Turning," but as the previous person mentioned- the entire CD is filled with amazing songs).

And I'm very sorry to hear about your loss.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 2:01pm

Not from a show, but you can quote Emily Dickinson,

My life closed twice before it's close
And I have yet to see if immortality unveil a third event to me
So huge, so helpless
As these that twice befell
Parting is all we know of Heaven
And all we need of Hell.

Whats the verse from "Les Miserables" that ends "To love another person is to see the face of God"?

Can I give you a word of advice, if you're having someone sing at the service, don't have it be someone close to her. I offered to sing at a friend's service and by the time they got to my song, I was in tears and so choked up, I could barely get the song out.

I hope that I didn't make a spectacle of myself, but, after the service, people came up to me to ask how I was doing before they went over to my friend's mother.

Sorry to hear about your loss.

[JudasIscariot]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 2:55pm

The first song I listened to when my grandfather died was, "Christmas Lullaby," the lyrics to that might work for you.

I'll never have the power to control the land
Or conquer half the world
Or claim the sun
I'll never be the kind who simply waves her hand
And has a million people do
The things I wish I'd done

But in the eyes of Heaven
My place is assured
I carry with me heaven's grand design
Gloria, glory, I will sing the name of the Lord
And He will make me shine

And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And I will give the world my eyes
So they can see
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And the future of the world inside of me

In the eyes of Heaven
My place is assured
I carry with me heaven's grand design
Gloria, glory I will sing the name of the Lord
And He will make me shine

And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And I will give the world my eyes
So they can see
And I will be like Mother Mary
With a blessing in my soul
And the future of the world inside of me

And I will be like Mother Mary
With the power in my veins
To believe in all the things
I've yet to be
And I will be like Mother Mary
And I'll suffer any pains
For the future of the world
For the future of the world
Inside of me...

It might be weird, but it's a very nice song.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/1/06 at 3:43pm

My sincerest condolences.

How about a little of "I Don't Know How to Say Goodbye"? Linda Eder sings it on one of her albums. It's very quiet and understated.

The leaves must turn
The wind must blow
The heart must learn
When it's time for the heart to let go
But when I think of you
My heart knows why
I don't know how to say goodbye

The world moves on
With no regret
And though you're gone
There are feelings I'll never forget
So I remember you
And though I try
I don't know how to say goodbye The house we used to share
Still looks as if you're there
And I won't change a single thing
Not even the wedding ring I wear

The evenings fall
Much harder now
The stars grow small
And the moon seems so different somehow
But every time I think of you
The moon and I
Know you're the only reason why
I don't know how to say goodbye

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 4:54pm

FOAnatic, wouldn't the latter lyrics be more appropriate.

Sometimes people leave you
Halfway through the wood
Do not let it grieve you
No one leaves for good
You are not alone
No one is a lone

The verse you posted has a negative conotation.

[Hawker]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 7:11pm

If you can deftly apologize for taking the artistic license todo so, Shakespeare's passage from Romeo and Juliet is always gorgeous:

And, when he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.

Updated On: 7/2/06 at 07:11 PM

[imafantu]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 7:39pm

Hi...

I wish you and your family comfort and peace during this time. don't know if either one of these helps, but two songs from The Color Purple come to mind:

Somebody Gonna Love You

Got nothin to give you but a prayer
God's gonna see you through
to part with you more than I can bear
But somebody gonna love you

Sweet Baby, Sweet
This much I know is true
Sleep Baby, Sleep
Cause somebody gonna love you
Oh, I'm always gonna love you
(you can even replace baby with another term of endearment that you might have used for your gran)

The other one is the Color Purple (the first one not the reprise)

God is inside you and everything else
that was or ever will be
We come into this world with God
But only them who look inside, find it

God is the flowers and everything else
that was or ever will be
and when you feel the truth so real
and when you love the way you feel, you've found it
Just as sure as moonlight bless the night.

Like a Blade of corn
like a honey bee
like a waterfall
all a part of me

Like the color purple
where do it come from
open up your eyes look what god has done.

I hope I havent overstepped by assuming anything about your grandmother. But I hope it is a sure bet that she was a classy lady. the last song would make a wonderful tribute to the beauty and splendor of her life


peace to you and yours

[DreamFlyer22]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 12:07am

Mmmm. Wow. Some wonderful suggestions, everyone. My deepest condolences go out to you, Ashley..

The extended passage from "Les Mis"...
--------------------------------------
Come with me where chains will never bind you
All your grief at last, at last behind you
Lord in heaven, look down on him in mercy
Forgive me all my trespasses
And take me to your glory.
Take my hand, I'll lead you to salvation
Take my love, for love is everlasting
And remember the truth that once was spoken
To love another person
is to see the face of God...

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 5:35am

It's not original (and not from a Broadway show), but what about MY HEART WILL GO ON?