“Brokedown Palace” by Grateful Dead
Credit: Ecstatic Love
Music expresses an endless amount of human emotion. It soothes those dealing with grief and serves as a soundtrack to life and death. We use music to inspire, mourn, remember, signify and symbolize the life of another as we cope with death. We use it to heal and to express rage and love. Some music is straightforward, while other is more subtle or subliminal — sometimes, we can’t quite point to the specific feeling music touches.
But we all know a particular song or composition that speaks precisely to an emotion in us. This Grateful Dead funeral-appropriate song, “Brokedown Palace,” speaks to the many emotions in all of us.
Goin home, goin home by the waterside I will rest my bones Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul
Goin to plant a weeping willow
On the banks green edge it will grow grow growSing a lullaby beside the water
Lovers come and go – the river roll roll rollFare you well, fare you well I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul
You can find the rest of the lyrics here.
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My Best Friend died on 7/18/20 and i have been grieving heavily. I was very much in shock as it was an unexpected death. I was sort of numb at first with very short spurts of crying, which were not really soothing. i started listening to “Ripple” and “Brokedown Palace” and they both helped so much. The tears really flowed and I have been getting in touch with how sad I truly am. She was lovely. A deeply loving and committed friend who made Me feel so safe and cared for. .
I am very Grateful these beautiful songs exist to soothe and comfort
Thanks
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We are so sad to hear of the death of your best friend. Unexpected deaths can really make it all the more unreal in the experience. Your comment is the reason we post songs and the lyrics. Different songs can resinate based on what a person brings to it. It is nice to hear how this song was personal for you to help you get through part of your grief.
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