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If I Die Young
The Band Perry Lyrics


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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

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

Overall Meaning

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
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@yumekojabami4038

I can't believe this I'm crying. Naya's disappearance has done something to me, it caused me to grieve, something I've never done, well, I have done but I never fully grasped the full meaning of. I can't imagine her son, wondering when his mom will come home. We all are heartbroken and I hope they at least find her body, to bring closure to you, me, her fans, friends, family, and her little boy.😢










Update: They found Naya's body, and sadly she did not survive. I hope her son knows how much she wanted to be there. RIP NAYA YOU WILL ALWAYS BE APART OF US GLEEKS😚



NEWS: AS 2020 WAS CALMING DOWN WE HAVE MORE BAD NEWS, CHADWICK BOSEMAN DIED DUE TO CANCER AND WE WOULD MISS HIM. ANOTHER LIFE TAKEN TO SOON.😭 WE WILL MISS YOU KING. WAKANDA FOREVER!!!!!!!



@Katie75023

Sorry for your loss of your Dad. I've been battling with blood cancer since August of 2022. Currently going through chemo treatments now. I'm probably about the same age as your Dad was last summer. This song is awesome and also encouraging to me. I hope your 💔 heart will heal soon.

A wise old man once said:

‭Job 14:14-17 NLT‬
[14] Can the dead live again? If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle, and I would eagerly await the release of death. [15] You would call and I would answer, and you would yearn for me, your handiwork. [16] For then you would guard my steps, instead of watching for my sins. [17] My sins would be sealed in a pouch, and you would cover my guilt.

Best wishes to you and your daughter.
Katie in Texas



@timon3370

Lyrics-
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
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 oughta 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 been singing
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



@S_u_n_Flower_

@@t.s3994~Purpose~
The melody of songs the birds sing that signify a new day,
The sun rising that shows the beauty of the earth,
The stars glistening that show us the way home,
The rain pouring that ruins a day but makes life blossom,
The flowers that bloom in the meadow due to the weather,
Vines growing allowing us to climb,
The trees that gives shade on a hot day,
The snow falling on the tip of your nose,
The wolf cub yelping in the night,
And the ocean overflowing with beauty wonders no one but God has seen.
I refuse to believe that this was all an accident,
A chance that you and me came to be,
I refuse to think that I have no meaning,
That I have the same amount of worth as dirt,
I refuse to accept that I am an accident,
That when I was formed in the womb by nothing,
And I will never condemn being called a misshapen, be called a chance, to be called unimportant to the world.
Because the God who made Israel, Gentiles, Earth, the Milky way, Universe, tells me I am an not a nobody,
He knitted me in the womb,
He knew me before conception,
He knew my first word, my favorite color, my name. He knew me before everyone.
I refuse to not believe in His promises,
I refuse to not believe His overwhelming love,
I refuse to not believe that He made me,
I refuse to believe that I happened by chance with no purpose.
The god of the world tells me I am an accident, that I am a nobody to everybody, that I am useless.
But the God of the truth and light tells me He has known me forever, that I am loved by Him, that I have a purpose.



All comments from YouTube:

@kyara3069

If this song isn’t played at my funeral


I’m not going

@lubaabatuseidu3325

😂 😂 😂

@mesmipha4987

Its good people have positivity here too.

@supernovanebula

This what I’m going to tell my mom this is best comment here in my personal opinion

@AllisonLee333

Love it

@simmy6495

Stop it

103 More Replies...

@mikefritz1849

My sister was murdered at age 23...thirty seven years ago. I still feel the sharp knife of her short life. RIP Linda, you will always be my big Sister, love Mike.

@terrymigwi4701

I'm sorry for your loss. May her soul rest in peace and may you live a long happy fulfilling life.♥

@nehsangbong7259

🙏🏾🙏🏾

@hollymiller3667

I am about to cry sorry for your loss 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

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