Death has been a constant subject in music for as long as songs have existed. Whether it’s grief, letting go, or trying to understand what comes next, songwriters keep finding new ways to cover it. From classic rock to modern pop and country ballads, these tracks deal with death and dying in all its forms.
Be sure to check out the Songs About Death Playlist at the bottom of this page.
Best Songs About Death
1. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” – Bob Dylan
Lyric Sample: “Mama, take this badge off of me, I can’t use it anymore.”
Dylan wrote this for the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, turning a dying lawman’s last words into a soft, haunting goodbye. The repetitive chorus makes the act of approaching the end feel peaceful and inevitable.
2. “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” – Blue Öyster Cult
Lyric Sample: “Seasons don’t fear the reaper, nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain.”
This ’70s rock classic suggests that death doesn’t have to be terrifying, portraying it instead as part of a natural cycle. It’s eerie, catchy, and surprisingly comforting all at once.
Related: Best Songs for Halloween
3. “One More Light” – Linkin Park
Lyric Sample: “Who cares if one more light goes out in the sky of a million stars?”
Written in memory of a friend, “One More Light” became even more heartbreaking after Chester Bennington’s death. It’s about noticing the people who fade from our lives before it’s too late.
4. “If I Die Young” – The Band Perry
Lyric Sample: “If I die young, bury me in satin, lay me down on a bed of roses.”
This hit country song imagines what might happen if someone dies before their time. It’s about someone hoping people celebrate their life rather than mourn them when they pass away.
Related: “If I Die Young” Song Meaning
5. “Death With Dignity” – Sufjan Stevens
Lyric Sample: “I forgive you, mother, I can hear you, and I long to be near you.”
In this mid-2010s track, Stevens looks back on his relationship with his late mother and how their past shaped him. The song moves through memory, loss, and moments of regret.
6. “Funeral” – Phoebe Bridgers
Lyric Sample: “Jesus Christ, I’m so blue all the time, and that’s just how I feel.”
Bridgers sings about performing at a funeral and how it deepens her own sense of sadness and detachment. The song blends grief, self-awareness, and exhaustion without seeking a resolution.
7. “Spirit in the Sky” – Norman Greenbaum
Lyric Sample: “When I die and they lay me to rest, gonna go to the place that’s the best.”
This popular 1960s psychedelic rock track is about having faith and a peaceful transition to the afterlife. The song’s signature fuzzy guitar sound gives it a celebratory, almost garage-rock feel.
Related: “Spirit in the Sky” Song Meaning
8. “Whiskey Lullaby” – Brad Paisley ft. Alison Krauss
Lyric Sample: “He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger.”
One of the saddest country songs about death, “Whiskey Lullaby” is about two lovers destroyed by guilt and alcohol. It is a profoundly depressing track dealing with a slow, self-destructive spiral.
9. “A Tout Le Monde” – Megadeth
Lyric Sample: “These are the last words I’ll ever speak, and they’ll set me free.”
Megadeth created a surprisingly gentle farewell to the world, written as a last message from someone preparing for death. The song’s title is French for “To all the world, to all my friends.”
10. “Suicide Is Painless” – Johnny Mandel
Lyric Sample: “Suicide is painless, it brings on many changes.”
Originally the theme for the movie M*A*S*H, this ironic song presents the grim notion that dying is a path to ending suffering. The lyrics were actually penned by the then-14-year-old son of the movie’s director.
11. “Angel of Death” – Slayer
Lyric Sample: “Angel of death, monarch to the kingdom of the dead.”
Slayer’s notorious 1980s thrash metal track is a brutal historical commentary about the horrors committed by Josef Mengele during the Holocaust. The song deals with death on an industrial, cruel scale.
12. “Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)” – Powfu ft. Beabadoobee
Lyric Sample: “Yeah, I don’t wanna fall asleep, I don’t wanna pass away.”
This lo-fi hip-hop hit, Powfu sings about leaving life too soon and thinking about the future he won’t get to live. It’s about memories, everyday moments, and goodbyes.
13. “Lazarus” – David Bowie
Lyric Sample: “Look up here, I’m in heaven.”
Bowie’s theatrical farewell is told from the perspective of a man already facing his own impending death. The sad song feels like the artist’s own defiant closing statement.
14. “Exit Music (For a Film)” – Radiohead
Lyric Sample: “We hope that you choke, that you choke.”
Originally written for Romeo + Juliet, this haunting song feels like a requiem for doomed love. It tells the story of two lovers trying to run away together, ending with a sense of tragedy and finality.
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15. “I Will Follow You into the Dark” – Death Cab for Cutie
Lyric Sample: “Love of mine, someday you will die, but I’ll be close behind.”
A modern acoustic classic, “I Will Follow You into the Dark” is about staying with someone after they die. It moves through memories, travel, and shared experiences, and is mostly about loyalty even in the face of death.
16. “Dust in the Wind” – Kansas
Lyric Sample: “All we are is dust in the wind.”
This 1970s ballad is about accepting life’s impermanence with almost Buddhist calm. It’s one of the most recognizable songs about dying and what it means to live humbly.
Related: “Dust in the Wind” Song Meaning
17. “The Mercy Seat” – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Lyric Sample: “And the mercy seat is waiting, and I think my head is burning.”
Told from the viewpoint of a man facing execution, “The Mercy Seat” has themes of guilt, justice, and faith. Cave’s relentless delivery mirrors the claustrophobia of dying unredeemed.
Related: Best Songs About Jail
18. “Suicide Solution” – Ozzy Osbourne
Lyric Sample: “Wine is fine, but whiskey’s quicker, suicide is slow with liquor.”
Despite early controversy, this track is actually a warning about self-destruction. Ozzy sings about alcohol abuse being a slow, fatal path.
19. “Tha Crossroads” – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Lyric Sample: “See you at the crossroads, so you won’t be lonely.”
This ’90s hip-hop hit is a tribute to those who have passed away, particularly the loss of the group’s friend and mentor, Eazy-E. It’s about their collective grief and their wish for one more chance to see those they lost.
20. “Go Rest High on That Mountain” – Vince Gill
Lyric Sample: “Go rest high on that mountain, son, your work on earth is done.”
This is a powerful country song about the death of a loved one, written after the death of Vince Gill’s brother. It moves through grief, memories, and the hope that the person is at peace.
Related: CMA – Single of the Year
21. “Like a Stone” – Audioslave
Lyric Sample: “In your house I long to be, room by room patiently.”
Audioslave’s hit song is about a man sitting alone, thinking about death and the afterlife. It’s about waiting for a reunion with those who have passed and questioning what comes next.
Related: “Like a Stone” Song Meaning
22. “The Long Black Veil” – Lefty Frizzell
Lyric Sample: “I spoke not a word, though it meant my life.”
This 1959 country classic tells the story of a man who goes to the gallows for a murder he didn’t commit, choosing to protect the reputation of a married woman. His loved one visits his grave in a long black veil, keeping his true story a secret.
23. “Soldier Side” – System of a Down
Lyric Sample: “Young men standing on the top of their own graves.”
This rock song is about the soldiers who die in wars, questioning the honor and the reason for their sacrifices. It’s an anti-war statement recognizing the finality of people dying in conflict.
24. “Sissy’s Song” – Alan Jackson
Lyric Sample: “She flew up to heaven on the wings of angels.”
Jackson wrote “Sissy’s Song” about his housekeeper, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2007. It’s about loss, faith, and saying goodbye to someone gone too soon.
25. “In My Time of Dying” – Led Zeppelin
Lyric Sample: “Oh, Saint Peter, at the gates of heaven, won’t you let me in?”
Led Zeppelin’s version of the old gospel song centers on a man preparing for death and asking Jesus to take him home. It blends blues, gospel, and rock while focusing on faith and redemption.
26. “Fade to Black” – Metallica
Lyric Sample: “Growing darkness taking dawn, I was me, but now he’s gone.”
One of Metallica’s darkest songs, “Fade to Black” follows someone who’s lost the will to live and sees death as a release from pain. The lyrics read like a personal confession, showing how hopelessness can lead to the edge of giving up.
27. “Sometimes It Snows in April” – Prince
Lyric Sample: “Sometimes it snows in April, sometimes I feel so bad.”
Prince wrote this ballad about the fictional death of his character, Christopher Tracy, in the movie Under the Cherry Moon. It’s an emotional track about love, loss, and grief.
Related: Best Songs About April
28. “Last Kiss” – Pearl Jam
Lyric Sample: “Oh, where, oh where can my baby be?”
A cover of a 1960s tragedy song, “Last Kiss” is about the sudden, senseless death of a girl killed in a car crash. The narrator is left wishing for the day he can join her in the afterlife.
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29. “People Who Died” – The Jim Carroll Band
Lyric Sample: “They were all my friends and just died”
A punk eulogy for people gone too soon, “People Who Died” is fast and brutally honest. It’s essentially a roll call of friends and acquaintances of Carroll who have died, often in dramatic or tragic ways.
30. “O Death” – Ralph Stanley
Lyric Sample: “Whoa, Death, won’t you spare me over ’til another year?”
This ancient Appalachian folk song is a dialogue with Death personified, in which the singer begs for more time. Stanley’s bluegrass version became famous after its inclusion in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
31. “Gravedigger” – Dave Matthews
Lyric Sample: “Gravedigger, when you dig my grave, could you make it shallow so that I can feel the rain?”
In this early 2000s tracks, Matthews imagines the stories behind names on gravestones. Each verse is about someone who has passed away, from infants to the elderly.
32. “Real Death” – Mount Eerie
Lyric Sample: “Death is real, someone’s there and then they’re not.”
This indie folk track is about Phil Elverum dealing with the loss of his wife. It documents the everyday shock of loss and the moments that make it feel inescapably real.
33. “Coldest Winter” – Kanye West
Lyric Sample: “Goodbye, my friend, will I ever love again?”
Kanye West wrote this song after losing his mother, Donda West. He sings about his struggle to cope with the loss while holding onto her memories.
Related: Best Songs About Missing Someone
34. “Sam Stone” – John Prine
Lyric Sample: “There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes.”
This folk song tells the heartbreaking story of a Vietnam veteran who returns home with a crippling heroin addiction that ultimately causes his death. It’s easily one of the saddest tracks from the ’70s.
Related: Best Vietnam War Songs
35. “Brendan’s Death Song” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Lyric Sample: “And when the drummer drums, he’s going to play my song to carry me along.”
The band wrote this after the death of their friend Brendan Mullen, a Los Angeles music promoter who helped launch their career. It’s both a farewell and a thank you, celebrating a life that left a lasting mark on the music scene and on them personally.
36. “In This River” – Black Label Society
Lyric Sample: “In this river, all shall fade to black, ain’t no coming back.”
“In This River” is a power ballad about mortality and the inevitability of death. It describes the pain of loss and how life’s struggles can feel overwhelming and final.
37. “Everybody Dies” – Billie Eilish
Lyric Sample: “Everybody dies, surprise, surprise.”
Eilish faces mortality with her trademark understatement in this early 2020s track. She sings about isolation and the struggle to understand death.
38. “Elephant” – Jason Isbell
Lyric Sample: “We just try to ignore the elephant somehow.”
“Elephant” is about watching a loved one face terminal illness and the helplessness that comes with it. Isbell sings about trying to have normal moments while death looms nearby.
39. “Dead!” – My Chemical Romance
Lyric Sample: “Have you heard the news that you’re dead?”
“Dead!” is a darkly comic take on mortality. It’s about the character, the Patient, from their album The Black Parade, mocking the formalities around death and questioning whether life itself is anything more than a cruel joke.
40. “When I Get Where I’m Going” – Brad Paisley ft. Dolly Parton
Lyric Sample: “Yeah, when I get where I’m going, there’ll be only happy tears.”
In “When I Get Where I’m Going,” Paisley and Parton envision the afterlife as a peaceful, joyous reunion. It’s one of the most uplifting country songs about dying.
41. “The Art of Dying” – Gojira
Lyric Sample: “I try to keep an eye open, and I realize, I haven’t closed my eyes in a long time.”
This 2008 heavy metal track follows a man confronting his own mortality and examining the meaning of life. It’s his journey toward accepting death and letting go of attachments.
42. “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” – Rev. Gary Davis
Lyric Sample: “Death don’t have no mercy in this land.”
Reverand Gary Davis warns that death comes for everyone without warning or hesitation in this oft-covered blues track. It’s about the inevitability and suddenness of mortality.
43. “Slipped Away” – Avril Lavigne
Lyric Sample: “The day you slipped away was the day I found it won’t be the same.”
“Slipped Away” is a 2000s rock song about Lavigne’s grief after her grandfather passed. She sings about her pain and the void left by his absence.
Conclusion
From heavy metal to softer folk songs, death has always been part of music’s language. These tracks show every shade of it, from grief to fear and even hope.
If you liked this list, check out the Songs About Ghosts, Funeral Songs for Mom, and Songs About Missing Someone lists.
