The band released its debut single "Hip to My Heart" in 2009 and their second single; "If I Die Young", was released June 7, 2010. It peaked at #19 on the Hot 100, making it their biggest hit.
Their website can be found at www.thebandperry.com.
If I Die Young
The Band Perry Lyrics
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Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Oh-oh, oh-oh
Lord, make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors
Oh, and life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even gray, but she buries her baby
The sharp knife of a short life
Well, I've had just enough time
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
The sharp knife of a short life
Well, I've had just enough time
And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
I've never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life
Well, I've had just enough time
So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done
A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singin'
Funny when you're dead, how people start listenin'
If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Oh-oh (oh-oh)
The ballad of a dove
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh
The sharp knife of a short life
Well, I've had just enough time
So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls
The Band Perry's song "If I Die Young" is a poignant exploration of mortality and the fleeting nature of life. The opening stanza depicts a fantasy of a peaceful death, imagining the singer’s burial in satin on a bed of roses, followed by a peaceful drifting down the river as a love song is played to remember them. The chorus repeats the dreamlike refrain of the opening lines, before the second verse becomes more grounded in reality. The singer requests for God to create a rainbow that can offer their mother some sense of peace, while acknowledging the hardness of life, and life’s fullness and want: “life ain’t always what you think it ought to be”. The song takes an explicit turn towards death with a discussion of a life cut short, acknowledged as a “sharp knife”,
The song takes a darker turn in the final verse when the singer suggests that they would be content with their life despite its brevity. She muses about never having experienced love in the traditional sense, but seems content to have had at least some kind of companionship - "it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand". She then shifts to a hypothetical scenario about a boy in town who claims he will love her forever - realizing how unlikely it is that she will live long enough to experience anything lasting, that "forever could be severed by the sharp knife of a short life". Whether or not she takes comfort from the idea that people will start paying attention to her words only after she's died is unclear, but the ultimate message of the song is that it’s important to celebrate life while we have it, to remember the beauty that we leave behind and the love we share.
Line by Line Meaning
If I die young, bury me in satin
If I die young, I would like to be buried in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Place me gently on a bed made of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Put me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Let me go with the words of a love song
Lord, make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
God, create a rainbow so that I can bring light to my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors
When she sees the rainbow, she'll know I'm safe with God
Oh, and life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Life isn't always as you imagined
Ain't even gray, but she buries her baby
Even though life wasn't bad, she buried her child
The sharp knife of a short life
Life is short and can be taken away in an instant
Well, I've had just enough time
I've lived a fulfilling life in the time that I had
And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
I'll arrive in heaven wearing white
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
I'm inexperienced in love
I've never known the lovin' of a man
I've never experienced love with another person
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
I felt happy when he held my hand
There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever
There's a boy who claims he'll love me forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by
Who could have imagined that forever could end by
So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls
Dress your best for my funeral, and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done
I can't change the past, it's done
A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar
My thoughts are valuable, I won't sell them cheap
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
My thoughts are more valuable when I'm gone
And maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singin'
Maybe then you'll understand the meaning behind my songs
Funny when you're dead, how people start listenin'
It's strange how people start to pay attention after you're gone
The ballad of a dove
The song of a peaceful creature
Go with peace and love
Go with peace and love in your heart
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Collect your tears and keep them close to you
Save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh
Save them for when you need to release your emotions
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kimberly Perry
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind