Old Tunes
Old Tunes - meaning Summary
Death Defied by Old Songs
This poem presents a speaker facing death who asks a friend to play familiar tunes as a test of life. Rather than medical signs, music and memory serve as the means to rouse him or acknowledge his passing. The named songs—folk and patriotic airs—suggest communal ritual, shared history and defiant belonging, turning the moment of death into an occasion for companionship and the comfort of old, sustaining melodies.
Read Complete AnalysesWhen friends are listening round me, Jack, to hear my dying breath, And I am lying in a sleep they say will end in death, Don’t notice what the doctor says and let the nurse complain I’ll tell you how to rouse me if I’ll ever wake again. Just you bring in your fiddle, Jack, and set your heart in tune, And strike up Annie Laurie, or The Rising of the Moon; And if you see no token of a rising in my throat, You’ll need to brace your mouth, old man I’m booked by Charon’s boat. And if you are not satisfied that I am off the scene, Strike up The Marseillaise, or else The Wearing of the Green; And should my fingers tremble not, then I have crossed the line, But keep your fingers steady, Jack, and strike up Auld Lang Syne.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.