Sikh Funeral Songs
About Sikh Funeral Songs
Sikh funeral songs are drawn from the Guru Granth Sahib — Sikhism’s holy scripture and living Guru — and performed as kirtan (devotional singing) accompanied by harmonium and tabla. The Sikh approach to death is one of acceptance and faith: Guru Nanak taught that death is not to be feared but understood as the soul’s return to the Creator (Waheguru). This philosophy shapes the music — Sikh funeral songs express peaceful surrender, divine love, and the impermanence of worldly life rather than grief or sorrow. The Sukhmani Sahib (Psalm of Peace), composed by Guru Arjan Dev Ji, is the most commonly recited composition at Sikh funerals, offering comfort through its meditative verses on God’s nature and the soul’s journey. During the funeral procession to the cremation ground, the congregation recites "Waheguru" and sings shabads about the transient nature of life. At the Bhog ceremony (marking the end of the Akhand Path — a continuous 48-hour reading of the Guru Granth Sahib), extended kirtan sessions celebrate the deceased’s spiritual journey. Sikh funeral music is communal by nature: the sangat (congregation) participates in singing, creating a collective experience of devotion and comfort. Ragis (professional kirtan singers) may be invited for more elaborate musical arrangements, performing shabads in the classical raags specified in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Top Sikh Funeral Songs
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Mahalia Jackson
Its heartfelt plea for divine guidance through life's darkness resonates deeply with mourners.
When the Saints Go Marching In
Louis Armstrong
Embodies New Orleans jazz funeral tradition - mourning the loss while celebrating the soul's journey to heaven.
Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen
Cohen's masterpiece captures the bittersweet nature of life and love, resonating deeply at farewell moments.
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon and Garfunkel
Celebrates those who were sources of strength and refuge for others.
The Prayer
Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli
Combines English and Italian to create a universal prayer for peace and guidance.
Tips for Choosing Sikh Funeral Songs
Tip 1. Understand the Antam Sanskaar — The Sikh funeral ceremony includes Ardas (prayer), kirtan (devotional singing), reading from the Guru Granth Sahib, and cremation. Music is integral throughout.
Tip 2. Shabads are central — Shabads (hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib) are the core musical form at Sikh funerals. They are sung in kirtan style with harmonium and tabla accompaniment.
Tip 3. Sukhmani Sahib is key — The Sukhmani Sahib (Psalm of Peace) by Guru Arjan Dev Ji is commonly recited or sung at Sikh funerals and the subsequent prayer meetings (Bhog ceremony).
Tip 4. Respect the Bhog ceremony — After cremation, a complete reading of the Guru Granth Sahib (Akhand Path) over 48 hours concludes with the Bhog ceremony, featuring kirtan and Ardas.
Tip 5. Include Waheguru meditation — "Waheguru" (Wonderful Lord) chanting creates a meditative atmosphere and is appropriate throughout the mourning period.
Tip 6. Consult the Granthi — The Granthi (Sikh priest) or the family's Gurdwara committee will guide appropriate shabads and kirtan arrangements for the funeral service.
Complete List of Sikh Funeral Songs
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
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's darkness resonates deeply with mourners.
Best moment: Perfect for processional or during reflection moments.
When the Saints Go Marching In
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's journey to heaven.
Best moment: Recessional or second line celebration, especially for New Orleans funerals.
Hallelujah
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.
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon and Garfunkel
A promise of support and comfort through life's troubled waters.
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.
The Prayer
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.
Going Up Yonder
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.
Soon and Very Soon
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's memorial service.
Best moment: Celebratory recessional or closing hymn.
It Is Well With My Soul
Horatio Spafford
Written as Spafford sailed over the spot where his four daughters drowned, this hymn of faith emerged from unimaginable grief.
Why it's meaningful: Despite devastating loss, Spafford declared 'it is well' - a profound statement of faith that inspires mourners.
Best moment: Powerful testimony of faith during the darkest moments.
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's folk-rock classic about preparing for death, originally written for the film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
Why it's meaningful: The tired resignation in the lyrics honors those ready to rest after life's long journey.
Best moment: For honoring lives of struggle or those ready to lay down burdens.
A Change Is Gonna Come
Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke's civil rights anthem about hope and perseverance through struggle.
Why it's meaningful: Written shortly before Cooke's death, it carries prophetic weight about change and justice.
Best moment: Powerful for activists, civil rights advocates, or those who persevered through injustice.
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
The Carter Family
Classic American folk hymn about family reunion in heaven, with the Carter Family's iconic harmonies.
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.
Spirit in the Sky
Norman Greenbaum
Psychedelic rock-gospel fusion with a gritty fuzz guitar riff. The most direct funeral instruction in rock history.
Why it's meaningful: Reframes death as preparation for the 'place that's the best.' The stomping beat forces a march-like exit, turning the recessional into a parade.
Best moment: Recessional. The definitive choice for the 'cool dad' or rock-and-roll enthusiast.
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon & Garfunkel
A secular hymn of support. Dignified, grand, and speaks to the endurance of care. The 'silver girl' verse is often associated with aging gracefully.
Why it's meaningful: Functions as a non-religious hymn of unconditional support. The gospel-influenced piano builds to a cathartic climax.
Best moment: Reflection. Universally known and respected across all demographics.
Redemption Song
Bob Marley
Bob Marley's acoustic masterpiece about freedom and emancipation, written as he faced his own mortality.
Why it's meaningful: Marley wrote this knowing he was dying. The call to 'emancipate yourselves from mental slavery' becomes a farewell blessing.
Best moment: Reflection or eulogy accompaniment. The stripped-back acoustic guitar demands attention.
Imagine
John Lennon
John Lennon's vision of a world without barriers — no heaven, no hell, just peace. Influenced by Buddhist philosophy.
Why it's meaningful: Lennon's Buddhist-influenced vision of peace resonates at non-traditional Buddhist funerals. The absence of afterlife dogma aligns with Buddhist impermanence.
Best moment: For secular or Western Buddhist funerals. Bridges Eastern philosophy with Western culture.
Ave Maria
Franz Schubert
Schubert's sublime prayer to the Virgin Mary, among the most beloved sacred melodies ever composed.
Why it's meaningful: A prayer for peace and protection that transcends denomination. Universally comforting.
Best moment: Processional or during communion. The gentle melody creates sacred space.
Redemption Song
Bob Marley
Marley's acoustic farewell—his final message to the world, recorded as he was dying of cancer.
Why it's meaningful: Written in the shadow of death, it's Marley's plea to 'emancipate yourselves from mental slavery.'
Best moment: For someone who valued freedom and justice. The acoustic simplicity is powerful.
Imagine
John Lennon
Lennon's vision of a world without barriers—no heaven, no hell, just people living in peace.
Why it's meaningful: For the non-religious, it offers a vision of peace without requiring belief in an afterlife.
Best moment: During reflection. The simple piano arrangement creates contemplative space.
You Raise Me Up
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.
Jealous of the Angels
Donna Taggart
An Irish singer's poignant ballad about being jealous of heaven for taking someone too soon.
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.
Total Praise
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's funeral, it's become a signature gospel funeral song.
Best moment: Powerful during worship moments or as a solo performance.
His Eye Is on the Sparrow
Ethel Waters
Inspired by a disabled couple's unwavering faith, this hymn assures God watches over the smallest creatures and us.
Why it's meaningful: The message of divine care and protection brings comfort, reminding us loved ones remain in God's watchful care.
Best moment: Beautiful during quiet reflection or meditation.
Order My Steps
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's path.
Why it's meaningful: Initially rejected before being embraced, the song's journey mirrors how grief transforms into acceptance.
Best moment: Meaningful during worship or reflection time.
Never Would Have Made It
Marvin Sapp
Written after the death of Sapp's wife, this powerful testimony about surviving with God's help became a gospel standard.
Why it's meaningful: Its message of God's sustaining power through tragedy speaks directly to mourners.
Best moment: Powerful testimony song during eulogies or tributes.
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
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.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
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's personal tragedy inspired words that comfort millions facing loss.
Best moment: Comforting during quiet reflection or congregational singing.
Oh Happy Day
Edwin Hawkins Singers
This joyful arrangement of an 18th-century hymn became a crossover hit, reaching #4 on Billboard Hot 100.
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.
Angels Among Us
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.
When I Get Where I'm Going
Brad Paisley ft. Dolly Parton
A hopeful country duet about heaven's promise of reunion with loved ones who've gone before.
Why it's meaningful: While emotional about separation, the focus on eventual reunion and heaven's peace brings comfort.
Best moment: Bittersweet choice balancing sorrow with hope of reunion.
Just a Closer Walk With Thee
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.
His Eye Is On the Sparrow
Mahalia Jackson
Classic gospel song about God's watchful care over even the smallest sparrows, beautifully interpreted by the Queen of Gospel.
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.
People Get Ready
The Impressions
Curtis Mayfield's gentle gospel-soul masterpiece about boarding the train to heaven.
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.
Wayfaring Stranger
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.
El Malei Rachamim
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.
Broken Halos
Chris Stapleton
Written after news of a friend's death. Addresses the theological confusion of why good people die young.
Why it's meaningful: Validates the anger and confusion of grief without offering trite platitudes. Powerful for sudden tragedy.
Best moment: Sudden deaths, young deaths, or for anyone questioning why.
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
John Greenleaf Whittier / Hubert Parry (Repton)
A hymn calling for silence, calm, and the 'still small voice.' The Repton tune is one of the most beautiful melodies in English hymnody.
Why it's meaningful: Its meditative quality provides genuine rest from grief: 'Drop Thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease.' A sonic sedative.
Best moment: Post-sermon reflection or during prayers. Perfect for those who valued inner peace.
Here I Am, Lord
Dan Schutte
Based on the calling of Samuel and Isaiah. Reframes the deceased's life as one of answering God's call and service to others: 'Whom shall I send?'
Why it's meaningful: Celebrates a life of service. The call-and-response format between cantor and congregation creates communal participation.
Best moment: Offertory or Entrance. Works for anyone who dedicated their life to serving others.
Nearer, My God, to Thee
Sarah Flower Adams / Lowell Mason (Bethany)
Based on Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28), reframing suffering and death as the mechanism bringing the soul closer to the Divine. Legendary association with the Titanic.
Why it's meaningful: Transforms death from an ending into an ascent. The Titanic association gives it unmatched emotional resonance regarding acceptance of fate.
Best moment: During the Committal or as a quiet meditation piece. Works as instrumental string quartet.
It Is Well with My Soul
Horatio Spafford / Philip Bliss
Written after Spafford lost his four daughters in a shipwreck. A hymn of profound acceptance born from unimaginable tragedy: 'When peace like a river attendeth my way.'
Why it's meaningful: Projects deep spiritual maturity. The backstory of its composition makes it perhaps the most emotionally credible hymn ever written.
Best moment: Committal or reflection. The story behind it adds weight that mere melody cannot.
The Lark Ascending
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Romance for solo violin and orchestra. The violin mimics a bird (or soul) ascending into the sky, losing itself in light. Consistently voted the UK's favourite classical piece.
Why it's meaningful: Offers a sense of release into nature rather than heavy mourning. The violin's flight into the upper register is the sound of a spirit set free.
Best moment: Reflection or committal. Duration: ~13-16 minutes (use excerpt or full for extended tribute). Ethereal and transcendent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What music is played at a Sikh funeral?
Sikh funeral music consists of shabads (hymns) from the Guru Granth Sahib, sung in kirtan style with harmonium and tabla. Key compositions include the Sukhmani Sahib, Japji Sahib (morning prayer, often recited at the ceremony), and shabads addressing death and the soul's journey. "Waheguru" chanting provides meditative continuity. The specific shabads are chosen by the family in consultation with the Granthi, often reflecting the deceased's favourite compositions.
What is the Sikh funeral ceremony called?
The Sikh funeral ceremony is called Antam Sanskaar (final rite). It includes: washing and dressing the body (in the five articles of Sikh faith for baptised Sikhs), Ardas (communal prayer), kirtan (devotional singing), the funeral procession with "Waheguru" chanting, cremation (the eldest son or close relative lights the pyre), and the subsequent Bhog ceremony after the Akhand Path (continuous 48-hour scripture reading). The entire process emphasises spiritual acceptance rather than mourning.
Can secular music be played at a Sikh funeral?
Traditional Sikh funeral practice focuses exclusively on Gurbani (scripture-based music). However, at the reception or gathering after the formal ceremony, some families — particularly in Western diaspora communities — may play music that the deceased loved. This is a personal family decision. The Gurdwara ceremony itself is strictly Gurbani-based. Many families find that Sikh funeral kirtan, with its beauty and depth, provides all the musical comfort needed without secular additions.
How long is a Sikh funeral?
The cremation ceremony itself takes 1-2 hours, including Ardas, kirtan, and the cremation. However, the full Sikh funeral process extends over several days: the Akhand Path (continuous scripture reading) runs for 48 hours, concluding with the Bhog ceremony that includes extended kirtan. Some families hold a Sahaj Path (slower reading) over 7-10 days. The mourning period typically lasts 10-13 days, with daily prayers and kirtan at the family home or Gurdwara.