Oh lay me down in Forest Lawn in a silver casket.
Put golden flowers over my head in a silver basket.
Let the drum and bugle corp blow taps while the cannons roar.
And sixteen liveried employees pass out souvenirs from the funeral store
I want to go simply when I go
They'll give me a simple funeral there I know
With a casket lined in fleece
And fireworks spelling out "rest in peace."
Oh take me when I'm gone to Forest Lawn
Oh lay me down in Forest Lawn they understand there.
And they have a heavenly choir and a military band there.
Just put me in their care, I'll find my comfort there,
With sixteen planes and a last salute, dropping a cross in a parachute.
I want to go simply when I go.
They'll give me a simple funeral there I know,
With a hundred strolling strings
And topless dancers with golden wings.
Oh take me when I'm gone to Forest Lawn
Oh, come, come, come, come,
Come to the church in the wild wood.
Kindly leave a contribution in the pail.
Be as simple and as trusting as a child would,
And we'll sell you the church in the dale.
To find a simple resting place is my desire.
To lay me down with a smiling face comes a little bit higher.
My likeness done in brass, will stand in plastic grass,
And weights and hidden springs tip it's hat to the mourners filing past.
I want to go simply when I go.
They'll give me a simple funeral there I know.
I'll lie beneath the sand
With piped in tapes of Billy Graham.
Oh take me when I'm gone to Forest Lawn.
Rock of ages cleft for me
For a slightly higher fee.
Oh take me when I'm gone to Forest Lawn.
Faith Paulsen's Blog
Faith Paulsen
- Location
- Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA
- Birthday
- December 27
- Bio
- Writer. No relation to Henry Paulson or Gary Paulsen or Pat Paulsen.
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- The Ill-Fated Voyage of the
Schooner Mariah, Part 2
October 27, 2010 11:24AM - The Ill-Fated Voyage of the
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October 27, 2010 10:42AM - ER Act 3: An Ambulance, a
Heartbeat -- and Me
October 07, 2010 08:26PM - ER Act 2: An Ambulance, a
Heartbeat and Me
October 06, 2010 11:55AM - ER: An Ambulance, a Heartbeat,
and Me
October 06, 2010 11:04AM
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Faith Paulsen's Links
I heard that Michael Jackson was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, which reminded me of this song by Tom Paxton. It's a hilarious commentary on The American Way of Death.
(This song is sometimes incorrectly ascribed to John Denver, who recorded a cover version but did not write it.)
I just had to share the song with my friends on OS.
Here are the lyrics:

Salon.com
Comments
LOL! Faith! Thank you so much for sharing. There are so many great lines - and here is my favorite:
"My likeness done in brass, will stand in plastic grass,
And weights and hidden springs tip it's hat to the mourners filing past. "
I always valued interactivity! LOL!
Ron, thanks for stopping by.
When I was a teenager in new York, Tom Paxton used to do free concerts at a local park every summer. I must have seen him 5 times -- I still love his music.