Explore 54 funeral songs tagged as "spiritual". Each song has been carefully curated to help you create a meaningful memorial service.
by Mahalia Jackson
Written by Thomas Dorsey after losing his wife and infant son, this deeply personal hymn has become the quintessential gospel funeral song.
Why it's meaningful: Its heartfelt plea for divine guidance through life\\
Best moment: Perfect for processional or during reflection moments.
by Louis Armstrong
The quintessential New Orleans jazz funeral song, starting somber then exploding into joyful celebration during the second line.
Why it's meaningful: Embodies New Orleans jazz funeral tradition - mourning the loss while celebrating the soul\\
Best moment: Recessional or second line celebration, especially for New Orleans funerals.
by Leonard Cohen
A haunting meditation on love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.
Why it's meaningful: Cohen's masterpiece captures the bittersweet nature of life and love, resonating deeply at farewell moments.
Best moment: Perfect for reflection during the service or viewing.
by Simon and Garfunkel
A promise of support and comfort through life\\
Why it's meaningful: Celebrates those who were sources of strength and refuge for others.
Best moment: Perfect for honoring someone who was always there for others.
by Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli
A beautiful duet prayer for guidance and protection in multiple languages.
Why it's meaningful: Combines English and Italian to create a universal prayer for peace and guidance.
Best moment: Creates a transcendent moment during the service.
by Walter Hawkins
This uplifting anthem celebrates the promise of heaven and eternal life, transforming grief into hope.
Why it's meaningful: A staple in Black Protestant funeral traditions, it focuses on the glorious reunion awaiting believers in heaven during homegoing services.
Best moment: Powerful as a recessional or celebration of life moment.
by Andraé Crouch
This triumphant song anticipates the joy of seeing Jesus and being reunited with loved ones in heaven.
Why it's meaningful: Based on Revelation 21:3-4, it speaks of no more crying or dying. Performed at Michael Jackson\\
Best moment: Celebratory recessional or closing hymn.
by Horatio Spafford
Written as Spafford\\
Why it's meaningful: Despite devastating loss, Spafford declared
Best moment: Powerful testimony of faith during the darkest moments.
by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan\\
Why it's meaningful: The tired resignation in the lyrics honors those ready to rest after life\\
Best moment: For honoring lives of struggle or those ready to lay down burdens.
by Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke\\
Why it's meaningful: Written shortly before Cooke\\
Best moment: Powerful for activists, civil rights advocates, or those who persevered through injustice.
by The Carter Family
Classic American folk hymn about family reunion in heaven, with the Carter Family\\
Why it's meaningful: The promise of reuniting in an unbroken circle offers hope that families separated by death will be together again.
Best moment: Perfect for family patriarchs/matriarchs or emphasizing heavenly reunion.
by Josh Groban
An uplifting tribute to someone who was a source of strength.
Why it's meaningful: Celebrates how loved ones lift us up and continue to inspire even after death.
Best moment: Powerful during tributes or as a recessional.
by Donna Taggart
An Irish singer\\
Why it's meaningful: Honestly expresses the envy we feel toward heaven for taking our loved ones.
Best moment: Particularly moving with its Celtic arrangement and heartfelt delivery.
by Richard Smallwood
Written while Smallwood cared for his mother with dementia, this powerful song based on Psalm 121 became an anthem of worship and surrender.
Why it's meaningful: Performed at Aretha Franklin\\
Best moment: Powerful during worship moments or as a solo performance.
by Ethel Waters
Inspired by a disabled couple\\
Why it's meaningful: The message of divine care and protection brings comfort, reminding us loved ones remain in God\\
Best moment: Beautiful during quiet reflection or meditation.
by GMWA Women of Worship
This passionate prayer for divine guidance resonates deeply at funerals as families seek comfort in knowing their loved one walked in God\\
Why it's meaningful: Initially rejected before being embraced, the song\\
Best moment: Meaningful during worship or reflection time.
by Marvin Sapp
Written after the death of Sapp\\
Why it's meaningful: Its message of God\\
Best moment: Powerful testimony song during eulogies or tributes.
by Traditional Spiritual
This African American spiritual uses the biblical story of Elijah being taken to heaven in a chariot as a metaphor for death and spiritual liberation.
Why it's meaningful: For enslaved people, it represented hope for freedom—either escape or eternal freedom in heaven—a profound symbol of deliverance.
Best moment: Traditional choice for processional or recessional.
by Traditional Hymn
Written by Joseph Scriven to comfort his mother after his fiancée drowned, this hymn emphasizes Jesus as the ultimate friend who bears our sorrows.
Why it's meaningful: Scriven\\
Best moment: Comforting during quiet reflection or congregational singing.
by Edwin Hawkins Singers
This joyful arrangement of an 18th-century hymn became a crossover hit, reaching #4 on Billboard\\
Why it's meaningful: Exuberant celebration of Jesus washing sins away brings uplifting, celebratory tone to homegoing services.
Best moment: Perfect for celebration of life and joyful homegoing services.
by Alabama
A country classic about angels walking among us and watching over us from heaven, offering comfort that loved ones become our guardian angels.
Why it's meaningful: Provides comfort in believing your son is now an angel watching over you, transforming devastating loss into ongoing spiritual presence.
Best moment: Uplifting choice for celebrating the belief that your son is still with you.
by Brad Paisley ft. Dolly Parton
A hopeful country duet about heaven\\
Why it's meaningful: While emotional about separation, the focus on eventual reunion and heaven\\
Best moment: Bittersweet choice balancing sorrow with hope of reunion.
by Traditional Gospel
Traditional gospel hymn often played by jazz bands in New Orleans funerals, combining spiritual yearning with musical celebration.
Why it's meaningful: Expresses desire for divine closeness during grief while honoring the New Orleans tradition of jazz funerals.
Best moment: Processional for New Orleans-style funerals or spiritual services.
by Mahalia Jackson
Classic gospel song about God\\
Why it's meaningful: If God watches over sparrows, how much more does He care for us - offering deep comfort in faith during grief.
Best moment: Christian funerals emphasizing faith in divine care and protection.
by The Impressions
Curtis Mayfield\\
Why it's meaningful: The gentle gospel message of boarding the train to glory offers comfort that the deceased has begun their spiritual journey.
Best moment: Perfect for Christian funerals with soul music appreciation.
by Traditional Spiritual
Appalachian spiritual about a traveler going over Jordan to the promised land, with stark beauty.
Why it's meaningful: The image of being a stranger just passing through this world offers comfort that we\\
Best moment: Beautiful for spiritual services honoring Appalachian or American folk traditions.
by Traditional Jewish Prayer
Sacred Jewish memorial prayer meaning 'God Full of Mercy,' chanted at graveside.
Why it's meaningful: Traditional prayer requesting eternal peace for the departed soul.
Best moment: Essential at Jewish funerals, particularly during graveside service.
by Vince Gill
A country gospel song about finding eternal rest after life
Why it's meaningful: Written after personal loss, it authentically captures grief and hope.
Best moment: Powerful choice for country music lovers with faith.
by Celtic Woman
A gentle song about the journey home to peace and rest.
Why it's meaningful: Offers comfort with imagery of returning to a place of peace.
Best moment: Beautiful as a recessional or committal song.
by Diamond Rio
A wish for just one more day with someone who has passed.
Why it's meaningful: Captures the universal desire for more time with those we love.
Best moment: Helps express gratitude for the time we had while acknowledging our wish for more.
by Cat Stevens
A celebration of new beginnings and the beauty of creation.
Why it's meaningful: Offers hope of renewal and the continuation of life\\
Best moment: Uplifting choice for celebrating a life lived in appreciation of simple joys.
by Alan Jackson
Written after a tragic loss, finding faith in the midst of grief.
Why it's meaningful: Offers comfort through faith while acknowledging the pain of sudden loss.
Best moment: Meaningful for unexpected losses and young lives cut short.
by Tamela Mann
This deeply vulnerable song about bringing brokenness to God became the highest-certified gospel song in US history (2x Platinum).
Why it's meaningful: Raw honesty about weakness and need for divine intervention makes it profound for funerals where mourners feel overwhelmed.
Best moment: Powerful during moments of surrender and seeking comfort.
by Donnie McClurkin
This song acknowledges human frailty while celebrating the holiness of God, offering hope to mourners struggling with grief.
Why it's meaningful: The message that
Best moment: Uplifting during worship or as a congregational hymn.
by Kirk Franklin
From the groundbreaking
Why it's meaningful: Message of overcoming resonates at funerals as celebration that the deceased has reached peaceful shore of heaven.
Best moment: Celebratory recessional or victory song.
by James Cleveland and The Angelic Choir
This 1963 recording became one of the best-selling gospel albums ever, selling over one million copies.
Why it's meaningful: The command to life\\
Best moment: Calming choice during reflection or meditation.
by Rev. Paul Jones
This powerful testimony song about enduring life\\
Why it's meaningful: Message of gratitude despite trials and refusal to complain even when
Best moment: Meaningful for honoring those who faced life with grace.
by Donnie McClurkin
This powerful anthem about standing firm through adversity speaks to the strength required to face life\\
Why it's meaningful: Message that after you\\
Best moment: Encouraging during moments of strength and perseverance.
by Annie Hawks
Written by housewife Annie Hawks during a moment of spiritual nearness to God, this hymn expresses constant dependence on divine presence.
Why it's meaningful: Recognition of continual need for God provides comfort to those facing the hourly reality of grief.
Best moment: Tender choice during quiet meditation or prayer.
by Gabriel Fauré
A sacred choral piece from Fauré\\
Why it's meaningful: The angelic soprano and Latin text create transcendent beauty, offering spiritual comfort through musical prayer for eternal rest.
Best moment: Sacred, reverent choice for religious services or moments of spiritual reflection.
by Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye\\
Why it's meaningful: Gaye\\
Best moment: For families of faith who appreciate soul music\\
by Ralph Stanley
Appalachian spiritual with Ralph Stanley\\
Why it's meaningful: The stark confrontation with Death acknowledges its power while expressing the human desire to resist.
Best moment: Haunting choice for traditional Appalachian funerals or stark honesty about death.
by Traditional Jewish Prayer
Prayer for peace that concludes the Mourner's Kaddish.
Why it's meaningful: Offers comfort through prayer for peace in the heavens and on earth.
Best moment: Sung at conclusion of Kaddish during shiva and memorial services.
by Naomi Shemer
Beloved modern Israeli song celebrating Jerusalem's eternal beauty.
Why it's meaningful: Expresses deep connection to Jewish heritage and the land of Israel.
Best moment: Meaningful for Zionists or those with strong ties to Israel.
by Andrew Lloyd Webber
A beautiful Latin prayer meaning
Why it's meaningful: This sacred piece offers comfort through its gentle plea for eternal rest.
Best moment: Perfect for the meditation or offertory during a Catholic funeral Mass.
by Johnny Lang featuring Blind Boys of Alabama
A soulful prayer for guidance on the journey home.
Why it's meaningful: Blends gospel tradition with modern soul to express the longing for eternal rest.
Best moment: Powerful for those with strong faith seeking comfort in spiritual traditions.
by Aretha Franklin
One of Aretha Franklin\\
Why it's meaningful: Aretha\\
Best moment: Christian services honoring women or celebrating gospel heritage.
by Traditional Shaker Hymn
Old Shaker melody about finding joy in simplicity and being in the right place at the right time.
Why it's meaningful: The gentle message that there\\
Best moment: For those who lived simply or valued spiritual authenticity.
by Mahalia Jackson
Duke Ellington composition from his sacred concert, sung by Mahalia, blending jazz sophistication with gospel fervor.
Why it's meaningful: The meeting of jazz and gospel honors the sacred in the sophisticated, celebrating spiritual devotion with artistic excellence.
Best moment: Beautiful for Christian funerals honoring jazz and gospel traditions.
by Traditional Jewish Prayer
Powerful prayer meaning 'Our Father, Our King,' expressing hope and supplication.
Why it's meaningful: While traditionally sung during High Holidays, it has been requested at funerals for its profound spiritual message.
Best moment: Meaningful when specifically requested by the deceased or family.
by Traditional Jewish Hymn
Hebrew hymn based on Maimonides' thirteen principles of faith.
Why it's meaningful: Affirms core Jewish beliefs about God and eternal life.
Best moment: Appropriate during memorial services or yahrzeit observances.
by Traditional (Hannah Szenes)
Prayer-poem by Holocaust heroine Hannah Szenes: 'May these things never end.'
Why it's meaningful: Celebrates eternal beauty of nature and human spirit in face of mortality.
Best moment: Powerful for Holocaust survivors or those who valued nature and resilience.
by César Franck
A sacred Latin hymn about the bread of angels becoming bread for mankind.
Why it's meaningful: This sacred piece connects earthly departure with heavenly communion.
Best moment: Traditionally sung during communion or as a meditation.
by Traditional Jewish Song
Joyful psalm celebrating unity: 'How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together.'
Why it's meaningful: Honors someone who brought people together and valued community.
Best moment: Beautiful for honoring community leaders or those who fostered unity.