Finding the words to say when you lose your other half can be difficult. But over the years, poets have come up with lots of verses based on emotions you might be experiencing. We’ve gathered a few different funeral poems for a husband that work well as funeral readings, passages in a book of remembrance, captions for memories on social media and more.
Poems for your husband’s funeral
Should You Go First – Albert K. Rowswell
While this poem was turned into a hymn shortly after it was written, it remains a popular choice when it comes to non-religious funeral poems for a husband too. Its words reflect on how it feels to lose your partner and hopes for a reunion later down the line. We’ve just quoted the two first verses below. You can find a full version of the poem here.
“Should you go first and I remain
—To walk the road alone,
I'll live in memory's garden, dear,
—With happy days we've known.
In Spring I'll watch for roses red
—When fades the lilac blue,
In early Fall when brown leaves call
—I'll catch a glimpse of you.
Should you go first and I remain
—For battles to be fought,
Each thing you've touched along the way
—Will be a hallowed spot.
I'll hear your voice, I'll see your smile,
—Though blindly I may grope,
The memory of your helping hand
—Will buoy me on with hope.”
If you’re looking for a funeral song for your husband, you may want to consider Beyond the Sunset – a 1950s hit by Hank Williams that uses this poem as lyrics.
You’ve Just Walked On Ahead of Me – Joyce Grenfell
Like the poem above, You’ve Just Walked on Ahead of Me is about being left behind by someone who’s passed away. It speaks about difficulty in letting go and explains a deep sense of loss. But it works well as an uplifting poem for a husband’s funeral, because it focusses on staying positive and living your own life as best you can.
“And I've got to understand
You must release the ones you love
And let go of their hand.
I try and cope the best I can
But I'm missing you so much
If I could only see you
And once more feel your touch.
Yes, you've just walked on ahead of me
Don't worry I'll be fine
But now and then I swear I feel
Your hand slip into mine.
If I should die before the rest of you
Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone
Nor, when I'm gone, speak in a Sunday voice,
But be the usual selves that I have known.
Weep if you must
Parting is hell.
But life goes on.
So sing as well.”
Funeral Blues – W.H.Auden
Funeral Blues is a modern funeral poem and a popular choice of funeral poem for a husband. Its most famous recital is in 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral. When you lose a partner, it’s normal to feel that the rest of the world seems to carry on as usual. This poem is celebrated for how it shows this type of grief.
“Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.”
