Funerals for daughters and granddaughters can be especially emotional, as a parent or grandparent is faced with saying goodbye. If you’re a parent or grandparent and you struggle to find the right words to describe the relationship you and your daughter or granddaughter shared, turning to song selections might be helpful. Songs often express what our hearts feel but we struggle to say.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Funeral Songs for a Daughter From Mom or Dad
- Funeral Songs for an Adult Daughter
- Funeral Songs for a Teenage Daughter
- Country Funeral Songs for a Daughter
- Rock or Pop Funeral Songs for a Daughter
- Hip-Hop or R&B Funeral Songs for a Daughter
Be prepared for an emotional ride as you read through the following descriptions, catch a glimpse of some lyrics, and decide which songs are best for a funeral service or memorial slideshow for your daughter or granddaughter.
Funeral Songs for a Daughter From Mom or Dad
The best funeral songs are those that share a sentiment you feel or represent a person’s personality. These funeral songs for an infant, young girl, or adult child are sung from the perspective of a mom or dad thinking about their daughter.
1. “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle
This song talks about the special relationship a daughter shares with her dad. From the time she’s a little girl to the time she’s a grown adult, their relationship stays strong. Though this song is not about loss, it could be a perfect tribute to a father/daughter relationship.
2. “Daddy’s Little Girl” by Michael Bublé
Bublé’s lyrics are sure to strike a chord with parents. Sung from the perspective of the father, he shares how his little girl means all the world to him and his wife.
3. “I Will Carry You” by Selah
This song speaks about an infant that doesn’t get to grow up with her family. Sung from her mother’s perspective, she declares that she will continue to carry her daughter’s memory with her for all of time.
4. “Fly” by Celine Dion
This Celine Dion’s song is a lullaby sung for a child who passed away. Instead of singing about her own grief, the singer encourages her child to,
“Fly, fly do not fear
Don't waste a breath, don't shed a tear
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don't wait for me
Above the universe you'll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won't forget.”
Funeral Songs for an Adult Daughter
Whether you’re planning a memorial service or putting together a funeral slideshow, one of these songs about adult daughters might be fitting for your tribute.
5. “Daughters” by John Mayer
This song is Mayer’s testament to the influence of mothers and fathers on their daughters. Daughters become like the parents who raise them. If your daughter was a tribute to the way you raised her, this could be a song that honors that legacy.
6. “Father and Daughter” by Paul Simon
This precious ballad is sung from the father’s perspective. In it, he tells his daughter that he will be with her forever, through the good times and the bad.
7. “Asleep” by The Smiths
This song could be appropriate for someone who has battled a prolonged illness and is ready for the fight to be over. Sung from the daughter’s perspective, it ends on a positive note with the lyrics,
“Don't feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I really want to go
There is another world
There is a better world.”
8. “Satisfied Mind” by Jim Buckley
This song applies to anyone who lived their life well and can say that they leave this world satisfied with the things they have done.
Funeral Songs for a Teenage Daughter
Teens have a special zest for life and appreciate the love of their family more than they let on. These songs speak about the hole their absence leaves in the lives of friends and family members.
9. “Gone Too Soon” by Daughtry
This song is a tribute to a daughter who passed away as a teen. The singer asks questions about her, wondering what she would have been like when she got older and became an adult. The lyrics also discuss the struggle with asking why such a tragic death had to occur.
10. “With Hope” by Steven Curtis Chapman
Chapman’s lyrics will resonate with many parents who had plans, hopes, and dreams for their daughter. The song has a decidedly hopeful note, however, for those who believe they’ll see their daughter again. The chorus declares that “we can cry with hope, we can say goodbye with hope, ‘cause we know our goodbye is not the end.”
11. “I Want You Here” by Plumb
Plumb’s deep and heartfelt lyrics express the range of emotions parents experience after the death of their child. The opening lines of the song may be enough for you to realize that you’re not alone in grieving your child as Plumb sings,
“An ache
So deep
That I
Can hardly breathe
This pain
Can't be imagined
Will it ever heal?”
12. “Precious Child” by Karen Taylor-Good
This song is sung from the perspective of a mother who experiences the emotions of losing her daughter. She particularly wrestles with the fact that her daughter passed away before she did, leaving her to grieve and carry her daughter’s memory.
Country Funeral Songs for a Daughter
Was your daughter a county fan? If so, one or two of these songs might be just what you’re looking for to play in her honor.
13. “Dance With My Daughter” by Jason Blaine
Though this song is meant to be a wedding song, it can be just as applicable as a tribute song to a father/daughter relationship. In it, the father shares how precious the life of his daughter is and how thankful he has been to be the love of her life.
14. “Who You’d Be” by Kenny Chesney
In this heartrending country song, a father asks who his daughter would be today if she could have lived and grown up to adulthood.
15. “Go Rest High on That Mountain” by Vince Gill
Originally written for an artist friend of Gill’s, this song can be a fitting tribute to a daughter who suffered from a terminal illness and is now at rest from her struggle and strife.
16. “Temporary Home” by Carrie Underwood
Underwood’s song talks about death through the hopeful lens that the earth is only a temporary home. This song could provide a lot of comfort for those who believe in life after death.
Rock or Pop Funeral Songs for a Daughter
These classic pop and rock funeral songs can apply to teen daughters and adult daughters, alike. They are excellent for playing on their own or during a memorial slideshow.
17. “Fathers and Daughters” by Michael Bolton
This song is a beautiful tribute to the special relationship many daughters share with their fathers. Even though death may separate a father and daughter, Bolton’s lyrics declare, “Like moonlight on the water, and sunlight in the sky, fathers and daughters never say goodbye.”
18. “I’ll See You Again” by Westlife
Though death may separate us from those we love, the lyrics of this song declare that there is hope. Hope can be found in the memories shared and in anticipating seeing your loved one again someday.
19. “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton
Clapton’s timeless song asks poignant questions about a person who is in heaven. He wonders aloud if his loved one would recognize him and still know his name if he shows us in heaven where they are.
20. “Everywhere” by Michelle Branch
After someone passes away, we may feel their presence in our dreams and the daily activities of life. This song talks about that experience.
Hip-Hop or R&B Funeral Songs for a Daughter
Hip-hop and R&B artists pay beautiful tribute to the lives of those we love. These songs are perfect to play in honor of a daughter at her funeral, memorial, or celebration of life service.
21. “Daddy” by Beyoncé
This song is a beautiful tribute from a daughter to her dad that talks about the special times they shared and the beautiful relationship that exists between a father and daughter.
22. “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder
Wonder’s classic song praises his daughter’s beauty from the first minute he sees her, “made from love, truly the angel’s best.”
23. “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
This duet is a tribute to words unsaid and love shared. Though there is deep loss, there is hope with lyrics like, “I know you're shining down on me from heaven . . . Eventually I'll see you in heaven.”
24. “Unforgettable” by Natalie and Nat King Cole
This classic tribute was originally sung by Cole, then again when his daughter Natalie recorded over the original track and made it a duet in tribute to her late father. This timeless song is fitting as a tribute to an unforgettable daughter.
Honoring Your Daughter or Granddaughter
The life of your daughter or granddaughter was special, unique, and precious. It’s fitting to honor her life by choosing songs that radiate her personality or preferences. Even after the funeral or memorial service, you can listen to the special songs you choose for your daughter to keep her presence close.