I had a lovely conversation with a funeral director in West Tennessee about unusual funeral songs. As we rode along in the hearse across the farmland near Bells and Alamo after a graveside service, he told me this story.
He was in charge of the music for the funeral of a good man. They had requested a Randy Travis song. So, he hit the cd track number and began to prepare for the next song. But something didn’t sound right. He sqwunched his eyes, scratched his head, listened intently, and panicked when the chorus kicked in…
I’m diggin up bones…diggin up bones!
Whoops.
As this funeral director scrambled to bring a halt to Randy Travis’ deep voice singing an ill timed song, those who attended the funeral didn’t know how to react. Some laughed; some snorted; some cried. No one could believe it. What is the appropriate response to a moment like this?
Well, I don’t think they make an appropriate response, but in retrospect it is funny. And, it should be noted, this family received a free funeral.
The sacred ground is often soiled.
Worth Repeating
You should always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t come to yours.
-Yogi Berra
