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October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | As a singer/guitarist, I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man who had no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at a cemetery in the remote countryside, and this man would be the first to be laid to rest there.
As I was not familiar with the backwoods area, I became lost. Being a typical man, I did not stop for directions, and finally arrived an hour late. I saw the backhoe and the crew was eating their lunch, but the hearse was nowhere in sight. I apologized to the workers for my tardiness and stepped to the side of the open grave where I saw the vault lid already in place.
I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long, but this was the proper thing to do. Still eating their lunch, the workers gathered around the grave. I played with all my heart and soul.
As I played, the workers began to weep. I played and I sang like never before. I played everything from "Going Home," "The Lord is My Shepherd," to "Flowers of the Forest." I closed the lengthy session with "Amazing Grace" and walked to my car.
As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I overheard one of the workers saying to another, "Sweet Moses, I never seen nothin' like that before, and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years." |
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | :D |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Lovely!!! |
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May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | I cried too...after laughing so hard!
One of the funniest things I've heard in a long time, Randy. |
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February 2008
Posts: 747
| Thanks. I needed a good laugh today. |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Man, That was touching... Thank You So Much For Sharing That. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | So.. after all that, did you finally find the right gravesite? |
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | A couple of years ago I sang at a graveside service. I remember the funeral directors words of advice. "Be careful when you step backward." |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | it is a Polish tradition to sing around the grave. there is a special traditional song which asked the Blessed Mother to welcome the departed soul into heaven. It is sung in Polish and my Polish is unfortunately not that good any more so I can't translate the whole thing for you.n one thing for sure there is never a dry eye after that is sung.
at my mom's funeral we also played a recording of sarah brightman singing "time to say goodbye" which was one of my momn's favorites. |
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March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | The original joke features a new preacher who is on his way to his first funeral...gets lost, finds what he thinks is the gravesite and finally gets so wraped up in the service he uses quatations from nearly every book in the Bible...same ending...
Nice twist Randy... |
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September 2008
Posts: 757
Location: Melbourne Australia | Good one Randy!! :D |
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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | Randy,
That was the best mixture of Faith, sincerity and plagarism I've heard in long time.
We need to sit and work some slack-key versions of some Blind Boys of Alabama tunes! |
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October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | i stole the story from an old bagpiper |
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February 2008
Posts: 747
| Yeah, Flowers of the Forest is pretty much always played on the pipes particularly if it's at a funeral. |
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October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | Verry Funny!! |
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November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | I may have to plagarize that myself :) |
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funeral singing
