Taps is the tune that you would hear at a military facility to "signal that unauthorized lights are to be extinguished.." It is also used at military funerals. It is obviously the latter use of this tune that is most relevant to death. Taps was written during the Civil War after a horrible battle at Harrison's Landing, Virginia. Lyrics weren't written at that time but were latter added. Before taps the traditional call at a days end was a French tune called "tattoo" or also known as "lights out".
Taps:
Day is done
gone the sun
from the lakes
from the hills
from the sky
all is well
safely rest
God is near
Fading light
dims the sight
and a star
gems the sky
gleaming bright
from afar
drawing near
falls the night
Thanks and praise
for our days
neath the sun
neath the stars
neath the sky
as we go
this we know
God is near.
Other countries have their own formal music for the fallen. The British and Commonwealth equivalent is "Last Post".
The German and Austrian equivalent is "Ich hatt' einen Kameraden" (I had a comrade)
2 comments:
I AM ELIZA
I AM NOT A MEMBER YET
THIS ISN'T REALLY A COMMENT
BUT A POST
YEA!
After running into the Neofuturarium at approximately a half an hour after the new year, which arrived in her carelessly debauched manor, to say “hello” like a drunken four year old or a rambunctious puppy dog, I decided to throw a whole bunch of cheese onto John Pierson’s plate then discuss the current trend of murderous psycho/sociopathic stars that have been popping up in many a plot of the modern novel and cinema. Well that trend kind of disturbs me. Most of the movies that came out for the holiday season weren’t warm and fuzzy, but satirical, murderous and full of dark humor. There seem to be a lot of serial killer “heros” or I should say “anti-heros” out there, where, the emotions that would normally shudder throughout one’s psyche after, I don’t know, killing somebody, simply aren’t there. For me this highlights the unattached, faithless, pointlessness of life and life’s lack of inherent justice; it underlines coldness to caring and seems to point directly to the pointless question: “why?” In this case “why bother to feel - we all know it doesn’t mean anything anyway?” It makes me feel strongly that humans, as a group, aren’t wired to comprehend then act upon all the information for which we now have relentless access. The pointless, unexpected, fruitless murders that are spilling into our pop-culture seem to create a brooding anthem to powerlessness… alluding, in an unattached way, to the fragility of human life. Which I think is a stance of giving up and being complacent thus a huge fucking cop-out – what do you think?
Here is a comment to my own post! This is the translation to Ich hatt' einen Kameraden. It was written by Ludwig Uhland.
I had a comrade,
You won’t find a better one.
The drum was rolling for battle,
He marched at my side
In the same stride.
A bullet flew towards us
Is it meant for me or meant for you?
It took him away,
He lies beneath my feet
Like a piece of myself.
He wants to give me his hand,
While I reload the gun.
“I can’t give you my hand,
rest in eternal life
my good comrade!
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