Don't forget Little Joe the Wrangler, Billy Venero, and When the Work's All Done This Fall. All tragic, all ending in death. We were raised on them and as young children begged dad to sing them over and over.

I love Handful of Songs, a lot because I first heard it on Art Thieme's CD, "The Older I Get, the Better I Was." And, many others which Art included on that CD. (I highly recommend it!)

I think part of the reason I love to sing these songs, including "O Death" is because they open up a part of my heart, deep down, and stir up very strong emotions. My mother's generation, at least the children of Victorian age parents in the west of Colorado, didn't talk about death, except in hushed tones. The only time I remember her or her family singing any death songs was at funerals, with the exception of my dad singing the old cowboy songs. Her only living sibling, my aunt, now 92 years old, is struggling against death, mightily, and will still not allow it to be discussed within her hearing.

All of which brings me to say, the songs everyone has mentioned are meaningful to me because they do not repress what is a natural part of life. They remind me that there once was a time when folks died at home, surrounded by their loved ones and often "sung" on into the next realm of existence, a much healthier, in my opinion, way of dealing with death than has been done in the recent past and even today, although with the advent of hospices we are seeing some change back to that caring and nurturing through transition.

Very interesting subject and thread, Leigh. Thanks for coming here and I look forward to reading your paper.

kat