The Last Leaf by Oliver Wendell Holmes.
I saw him once before as he passed
by the door and again the paving stones
resound as he totters his cane.
They say that in his prime ere the
pruning knife of time cut him down.
Not a bend by the crier on his
round through the town, but now he walks
the streets and it he looks at all
he meet one and he shakes his feeble
head and it seems as if he said
they are gone.
The mossy marbles that he has pressed in
their bloom and the names he loved to
hear have been carved for many a year
on the tomb and mama she has said
poor old lady she is dead long ago
that he had a Roman nose and his
cheek was like a rose in the snow.
Now his nose is thin and it rests
upon his chin like a staff and he
has a crooked melancholy crack in his laugh.
I know it is a sin for me
to sit and grin at him here.
Cornered hat and the britches and all that
are so queer and if I should live
to be the last leaf upon the tree
in the spring let them smile at the
old forsaken fowl.
Go down death funeral sermon by James Weldon
Johnson.
Weep not she's not dead she's resting in
the bosom of Jesus.
Heartbroken husband, grief stricken son weep no more.
Left lonesome daughter weep no more she's only
just gone.
Day before yesterday morning God was looking down
from his great high heaven looking down on
all his children.
His eye fell on sister Caroline tossing on
her bed of pain and God's big heart
was touched with pity with ever and God
sat back on his throne and he commanded
that tall bright angel standing at his right
hand call me death and that tall bright
angel cried in the voice that broke like
a clap of thunder call death call death
and the echo in the streets of heaven
till it reached way back to that shadowy
place where death waits with his pale white
horses.
Death heard the summons and he leaped on
his fastest horse pale as a sheet in
the moonlight up the golden street death galloped
and the hoofs of air from the gold
and they didn't make no sound up death
rode to the great white throne and waited
on God's command said go down death go
down go down to savannah Georgia down to
yamacro and find sister Caroline born the burden
and heat of the day she's labored long
in my vineyard and she's tired she's weary
go down death and death didn't say a
word but he loosed the reins on his
pale white horse and he clamped the spurs
to his bloodless side out and down he
rode through heaven's pearly gates past suns and
moons and stars on death road of the
foam like a comet in the sky on
death road leaving the lightning's flash behind straight
on down he came while we were watching
she turned her eyes and looked away she
saw what we couldn't see she saw old
death she saw old death coming like a
fall but this didn't frighten sister Caroline he
looked to her like a welcome friend and
she whispered to us I'm going home and
she smiled and closed her eyes and death
took her up like a baby and she
lay in his icy arms no chill and
death began to ride again up beyond the
evening star out beyond the morning star in
light of glory on to the great white
throne and there he laid sister Caroline on
the loving breast of Jesus and Jesus ended
and wiped away her tears and he smoothed
the furrows from her face and the angel
sang a little song in his arms and
kept us saying take your rest take your
rest take your rest weep not weep not
she's not she's resting in the bosom of
Jesus prayer
oh lord we come this morning and body
bowed before thy throne of grace oh lord
this morning by our hearts beneath our knees
in some lonesome valley we come this morning
like empty pitchers to a full fountain with
of our own oh lord open up a
window of heaven and lean out far over
the battlements of glory and listen this morning
lord have mercy on proud and dying sinners
sinners hanging over the mouth of hell who
seem to love their distant well lord ride
by this morning mount your milk white horse
and rider this morning and in your ride
ride by ride by the dingy gates of
hell and stop poor sinners in their headlong
plunge and now oh lord this man of
god life this morning shadow him in the
hollow of thy hand and keep him out
of the gunshot of the devil this morning
wash him with hyssop inside and out hang
him up and drain him dry of sin
pin his ears and make his words sledgehammers
of truth beating on the iron heart of
sin lord god this my the telescope of
eternity and let him look upon the paper
walls of time lord turpentine is a magical
motion in his arms fill him full the
dynamite of thy power anoint him all over
with the oil of thy salvation and set
it up and now oh lord when i've
done drunk my last cup of sorrow when
i've been called everything but a child when
i'm done traveling up the rough side of
the mountain oh lord when i start down
this steep and slit when this old world
begins to rock beneath my feet lower me
to my grave in peace great getting up
morning amen the strife is o'er now
is the victor's triumph won now be the
song of praise begun hallelujah the powers of
death have christ their legions hath dispersed let
shouts of joy outburst hallelujah that days are
quickly sped he rises glorious from the dead
all glory to our risen head hallelujah he
bound chains of hell the bars from heaven's
high portals fell let hymns of praise his
triumph tell hallelujah lord by the stripes which
wounded thee from death's dread sting thy servants
free that we may live and sing to
hallelujah hail thou
once despised jesus hail thou galilean king thou
did suffer to release us salvation bring hail
thou universal savior thou has borne our sin
and shame by thy merit ever life is
given through thy name worship honor power and
blessing christ is worthy to receive loudest praises
meet it is for us to give help
us bright angelic spirits bring your sweetest noblest
lay to sing our savior's merits help to
chant emmanuel's praise amen