Bill Hayden, aged 85, takes out hereafter insurance

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amp.abc.net.au/article/10280724

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A Collection of Last Words

Posted Apr 04, 2017

www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/understanding-grief/201704/collection-last-words


Most of us do not know what it is like to be at the dying’s bedside. Our ideas about what happens there tend to be based on what we get from the media. As a result, we often have an unrealistic view about what happens at the end of life. For example, in movies and on television, the person dying often makes profound statements about life and love. However, in real life, not everyone is able to speak at the end. Some are unconscious, while some are in too much pain or are incoherent. For those who can speak, their final words are often viewed as a result of their medication or delirium. Over the millennia, people have always had an interest in the last utterances of the dying. The value and importance of these words are reflected in the law that admits dying declarations into hearsay evidence in criminal trials. Dying words are also of interest to us as perhaps a glimpse into the afterlife. We may be listening for words of forgiveness, a final piece of wisdom and advice, or in hopes of discovering a long lost treasure.

There are no guidelines for final words, with the exception of Jews and Muslims. Jews are to say the Shema, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is One. Blessed be His Holy Name whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.” Muslims are to say, “There is no God but Allah.” When there are no guidelines, we are left to our own devices. I have found that most people will call out to God or the names of family members. However, final words can also be profound or irreverent, touching or angry, inspiring or humorous. The following are examples of final words from some well-known names:

Humorous Last Words:

Charles Gussman, television scriptwriter:. “And now a word from our sponsor.”

Groucho Marx, entertainer: “Die my dear? Why that is the last thing I’d do.”

George Edward Kelly, playwright, director, actor: “My dear, before you kiss me goodbye; fix your hair. It is a mess.”

Leonard Chico Marx, entertainer: “Remember honey; don’t forget what I told you. Put in my coffin a deck of cards, a mashie niblich and a blonde.”

My favourite is the one on Spike Milligan's gravestone: "I told you I was sick!" Then there was the funeral of a friend's dad - and this is a true story - who requested a specific song for when his coffin was taken to the hearse at the end of the funeral service. The request was kept a closely guarded secret until the moment it boomed out in the church : "Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye"