35 Songs About Losing Your Mom, for the Funeral and the Days After

What is a good song about losing your mom?

The song most people name first is "Supermarket Flowers" by Ed Sheeran, written from the point of view of a mother who has just lost her own mother, packing up the hospital room. Others find comfort in "Mom" by Garth Brooks, "Amor eterno" by Juan Gabriel, or hymns their mother loved. There is no right answer: the best song is the one that lets you feel close to her for three or four minutes.

Songs written about a mother's memory

1. "Supermarket Flowers", Ed Sheeran: the small, everyday details after a mother is gone.
2. "Mom", Garth Brooks: a conversation in heaven about the mother waiting on earth.
3. "Mama Liked the Roses", Elvis Presley: a son remembering his mother through the roses she grew.
4. "Amor eterno", Juan Gabriel, also sung by Rocío Dúrcal: written after the death of his mother, and a staple at Latino funerals.
5. "La Mamma", Charles Aznavour: a family gathering around their mother.
6. "A Song for Mama", Boyz II Men: a thank-you that many families play at the service.
7. "Coat of Many Colors", Dolly Parton: a mother's love sewn into every patch.

Songs for your mom's funeral

8. "Amazing Grace": for a mother of faith.
9. "Go Rest High on That Mountain", Vince Gill.
10. "Angel", Sarah McLachlan.
11. "I Will Remember You", Sarah McLachlan.
12. "Hallelujah", Leonard Cohen or Jeff Buckley.
13. "Wind Beneath My Wings", Bette Midler: for the woman who lifted you up.
14. "Because You Loved Me", Celine Dion: gratitude for everything she gave.
15. "Ave Maria", Schubert: for a Catholic service or a mother who loved classical music.

Songs about missing her

16. "Tears in Heaven", Eric Clapton.
17. "My Immortal", Evanescence: about a presence that never quite leaves.
18. "To Where You Are", Josh Groban: feeling someone near even when they are gone.
19. "See You Again", Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth.
20. "Fly", Celine Dion: a gentle song about letting go.
21. "Temporary Home", Carrie Underwood.
22. "Dancing in the Sky", Dani and Lizzy: imagining her at peace.
23. "I Can Only Imagine", MercyMe.

Songs that celebrate who she was

24. "You Are My Sunshine": the song she may have sung to you.
25. "What a Wonderful World", Louis Armstrong.
26. "I Hope You Dance", Lee Ann Womack: the advice she would have given.
27. "Mother Like Mine", The Band Perry: gratitude for a steady, loving mother.
28. "Smile", Nat King Cole.
29. "Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World", Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

Songs for the hard days after

Grief does not end with the funeral. These songs are for the drive home, the empty Sunday afternoon, the moment you reach for the phone to call her and remember, all over again, that you can't.

30. "Bridge Over Troubled Water", Simon & Garfunkel.
31. "Here Comes the Sun", The Beatles.
32. "Three Little Birds", Bob Marley.
33. "Rainbow", Kacey Musgraves: about the storm finally passing.
34. "Fix You", Coldplay: for when nothing feels right.
35. "Keep Holding On", Avril Lavigne: a reminder that you are not alone.

Songs about losing your mom, from a daughter

Daughters often choose "The Best Day" by Taylor Swift, a list of childhood memories written as a thank-you to her mother, or "Slipping Through My Fingers" by ABBA, about the years that went by too fast. "Supermarket Flowers" speaks to daughters especially, because it is written from a daughter's point of view.

Songs about losing your mom, from a son

Sons often turn to "A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men, "Mama Liked the Roses" by Elvis Presley or "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, which is built around a mother's advice to her boy. For many sons, hearing the advice in someone else's song is easier than saying it themselves.

Songs for her memorial slideshow

For a slideshow, "In My Life" by The Beatles, "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran and "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac carry the photos gently from her childhood to her last years. Two songs are usually enough, and a song she loved makes a good closing track.

Ways to honor her beyond the music

Small details often mean the most: copies of her recipe cards at the reception, her favorite flowers on the tables, a table with her photos and her handwriting, a playlist of her songs during the meal afterward. Ask her friends to bring one story each to share, and let the youngest grandchildren draw something for her to place with the flowers.

Songs for her birthday

On her birthday, some families play the song she always asked for at parties, or the one she sang while baking the cake. "You Are My Sunshine", "What a Wonderful World" and "I Hope You Dance" are gentle choices for a family gathering, and a song that tells her story gives the grandchildren a way to know her.

The first Mother's Day without her

The first Mother's Day after losing your mom can be one of the hardest days of the year. Some people spend it at her favorite place, cook her recipes, or gather the family to listen to her favorite songs. Others write her a letter, or play a song that tells her story with her name in it. If you have children, it can be a way to tell them about the grandmother they will remember through you.

Her birthday and the anniversary

Her birthday and the anniversary of her death are days to plan for. A small ritual helps: a walk where she loved to go, her favorite meal, flowers she liked, a song played at the time she was born or the time she passed. Over the years, these rituals become a way for the whole family to keep her present.

Music at the funeral: practical tips

• Choose three to five songs: a prelude, one after the eulogy, one for the slideshow and one hopeful song at the end.
• Ask the family which songs she sang, hummed or played most.
• Read the lyrics in full before you choose.
• Send the files to the funeral home a few days early and name one person to give the cue.

For a full list by style, see our songs for a memorial service.

A song that tells her story

Every song above was written about someone else's mother. A personalized tribute song is about yours: her name, her laugh, the kitchen, the phone calls, the way she signed her cards, the things she said that you now hear yourself saying. Families play it at the service, during the slideshow, on Mother's Day or her birthday. Some keep it for themselves, for the days when they need to hear her name. Our guide to a memorial song for mom explains how families approach it with care.

How to create a song in memory of your mom

1. Choose a gentle style from 14 genres: acoustic, country, soul, gospel-inspired, folk.
2. Add her name, or what you called her, and up to two more names, such as siblings or grandchildren.
3. Share two or three memories that capture who she was.
4. Review the lyrics, edit or regenerate them for free, and take the time you need.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose the one that feels like her.

The full song is 3 to 4 minutes long and costs $24.99, or $29.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a page to share with family and the lyrics as a PDF.

You do not have to grieve alone

Music can help, but it is not the only support. Talking to friends, family, a faith leader or a grief counselor, or joining a support group for people who have lost a parent, can make the weight a little lighter. There is no timeline for missing your mom.

If you would like a song that keeps her story: create a song in her memory and hear the previews for free.