which would you choose for your eulogy...?

**DakotaRog** · 11-21-2016, 09:53 PM

The wife was watching the Voice tonight and my younger (16 years old) son and I were present doing other things when one of the contestants did a powerful song but it seemed so dark. T informed me it was a cover of Johnny Cash's last song "Hurt". I then watched Cash's video, a powerful performance but it left me wondering is that how'd I'd want to go out, broken hearted and lost the will to live...?? I made T look up one of my old favorite artist Warren Zevon and his last song. Zevon died from cancer over a year or so and personally leaves me more touched than Johnny's song. In the end, as a Christian, I'd rather remember the light than the dark. I don't know where either of these guys were spiritually in the end, just saying which song is more uplifting to me...

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s...8&action=click

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s...a&action=click

**aussiescrapper** · 11-22-2016, 08:52 AM

Originally recorded by nine inch nails
As mentioned Johnny Cash's cover is very powerful and it is like it was written for him.
The white stripes covering Dolly Partons joline is really good as well

**Scrappah** · 11-22-2016, 10:31 AM

The light and the dark are just two opposite sides of the same coin. It's not all rainbows & butterflies my friend. There are some aspects of the Christian faith that are pretty dark.

Once you're dead you're dead. It doesn't matter how others remember you. Soon enough ... their time will come too. It won't be all that long before all living memory of you has been lost and it will be as though you were never here.

See .... no worries !

It's not in the least bit important.

Later edited to add:

I was thinking about it and i wasn't quite sure what you were driving at Rog. Is it about how you want to be remembered ? For whatever it's worth i'm a keep it real kinda guy. Not one to put a pretty face on a thing.

To me: The Johnny Cash song rings closer to true. It's about the two sides of the coin thing. There's no joy without the suffering. It's like what happened with the founder of the faith. If the story is true, he died very badly at the hands of the Romans. In the end .... it all worked out just fine.

What happened during his final days wasn't at all important in comparison to what came afterward. You can't really know the mind of something so much greater than oneself. Perhaps that final bit of suffering was what was needed to purify the spirit within before it could be released to return home ? Perhaps it was that suffering that led to the rapture?

Sorry for the religious stuff. ~ I know it's best avoided here in order to keep the peace.~

**DakotaRog** · 11-23-2016, 08:55 AM

Scrapph- I can always count on you for some interesting and perhaps profound commentary. Keep on being you!!!

Happy Thanksgiving all!!!

**eesakiwi** · 11-23-2016, 09:34 AM

I'd have J.D.Blackfoot's "Coming down"

Its the last track on the album "The song of Crazy Horse".

The albums a bit of a enigma, it was only released in NZ, won the 'NZ record of the year 1974' award and slid into obscurity. But earned a well deserved cult following.
One day he will be recognised in a similar way that Jesus 'Sixto' Rodriguez has been.

Here's part of the album, side one was one single track/song/story

**auminer** · 12-11-2016, 03:32 PM

This is already in my will.

**t00nces2** · 12-11-2016, 08:01 PM

2016 was a very bad year for me. I have a feeling if I had done a coda in April of this year, it would have been a whole lot happier and optimistic than were I to do one now. He lost his wife after, what?, thirty years of marriage. The loss must have been horrible. He died five months later. Five months is not long enough to find happiness again when you have lost someone you love dearly. Perhaps had he lived for another 2 or 3 years, some of the sunshine might have returned to his soul, but I imagine he was still experiencing grave sorrow and loss. His rendition of that song is poignant. He was pouring his heart out into the song and, to me, it was an expression of his extreme sorrow. I doubt that he meant for that to be the last song that he wanted to encapsulate his life.

Warren Zevon was fairly young and had not experience the loss Johnney Cash had. He was probably singing the song you gave as an example to his wife and child(ren?). I think the two songs are looking at two different expressions and really should not be compared side by side as analogous.

Just my opinion, and since you asked.

**Sirscrapalot** · 12-11-2016, 09:25 PM

Freebird.

Anyone that knows me, knows this. lol.

Hurt, the Cash cover is pretty awesome. One of those songs you can feel..not always a common thing in music, current or past.

In the end...it won't matter what is played or said far as I go. I won't be here to it hear it anyway. Ha!

Sirscrapalot - Ah..humor..such an underappreciated thing. It can make you laugh, or cry. It can make you pee your pants or slap your knee..it can also get you through the good times and some pretty dark times. - Sirscrapalot word of wisdom #456

**DakotaRog** · 12-11-2016, 11:56 PM

I think Cash stopped taking his diabetic meds after June died. I don't think he was insulin dependent but at his age a person can get pretty messed up not taking the meds. So he basically died of an enabled broken heart.

So SirSL likes Freebird so let's dail up a version of that with the original crew.Enjoy.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s...9b1e0d64bafbf1

**Sirscrapalot** · 12-12-2016, 01:40 AM

Oh yes...Freebird is my jam.

An love me some old school Skynyrd.

An I agree about Johnny Cash. Once June passed, he didn't see a reason to continue. Selfishly I wish he had seen a reason but I can dig it. June was his rock through all his hard times, etc etc. We all know the story, most of us anyhow.

So I won't repeat it but..eh, you hear about it from time to time, couples as close as those two were,passing shortly after each other. The world lost a great voice but the folks above gained a helluva a band mate.

Either way, I really enjoyed the Cash version of Hurt. To this day the song still gives me chills it was just...real(I lack the word I seek)an full of emotion.

My backup plan is Simple Man. My luck neither will be available an someone will play Puff the Magic Dragon or somesuch. Ha!

Interesting thread tho, I look forward to seeing others replies..kind of fascinating and morbid I guess but still..fascinating seeing what other folks would choose as their 'song'.

Sirscrapalot - I read the obituaries every day. If I don't see my name, I know my day is off to a good start. - Someone I can't recall so we'll go with.."Sirscraplots words of wisdom #232".