Dictionary.com has a Word of the Day. Yesterday the word of the day was threnody [thren-uh-dee]. A threnody is a funeral song, dirge, a lament for the dead.
I know of a couple of instances of people who selected the songs (or threnodies) to be played at their funeral. Trooper, who had lived through the war, chose a song from the era: Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye. He was much loved by his family and the community, people attending his funeral filled the local hall. His coffin was carried from the hall to strains of the song he chose, we all joined together to sing.
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Cheerio, here I go, on my way
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Not a tear, but a cheer, make it gay
Give me a smile I can keep all the while
In my heart while I’m away
Till we meet once again, you and I
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Cheerio, here I go on my way
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Not a tear, but a cheer, make it gay
Give me a smile I can keep all the while
In my heart while I’m away
Till we meet once again, you and I
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye…
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Trooper with his plucky humour, gave us cause to smile through our tears while singing a farewell, just as he wished. A jolly threnody that embodied how he lived his life.