In 2010, the Band Perry released the Grammy Awarded Best Country Song;
If I Die Young. Their lead singer, Kimberly Perry, sang these lyrics:
"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"
The song was a hit, and was followed by a storm of fans sharing their personal experiences with death, particularly suicide. Some shared the song's haunting sentiments, while some used it as an opportunity to encourage struggling listeners.
After this, the world didn't hear much from Kimberly Perry... until April 2023.
She announced the upcoming release of 'If I Die Young, Pt. 2', in which she thanks God for unanswered prayers. Her lyrics are profound.
"I put one hand in the air, I'm closin' my eyes
My whole heart's beatin' for the very first time...
And Lord, I'm glad you didn't pay me no attention
When I sent up a prayer of a child's premonition, 'cause
I've had time to bloom
Plantin' them roses instead and I'm changin' my tune From when I said
If I die young, bury me in satin...
The sharp knife of a short life, now I know there's no
Such thing as enough time"
Now expecting her first child, Kimberly also included the lyrics, "I'll pour some holy water on the daughter of my own...I'll pass my name down 'fore it's on a headstone".
My generation is in the midst of a suicide epidemic. Every high school to college age person has likely lost someone to it, or knows a friend who has.
While I know there's a vital need for lifestyle and moral shift in our society to decrease suicides, stories such as Kimberly's are a powerful witness to those currently struggling.
"It was so dramatic, beautiful but tragic...Throwin' my emotions in a poem 'bout a casket, but.. I've had time to bloom" It is so easy to get caught up in the moment, to feel desperate and hopeless. I wish some of my peers could've seen their future. That they'd leave high school and that fake friend group, that they could break their phone addiction, that they would fall in love one day, that they would change the world with their personality and talents. That they could have found God... happiness, purpose and peace.
As someone who has attended 5 suicide funerals within the last two years, I am so grateful to Kimberly for this song. Her life is a powerful witness.
Listen to her full song here:
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