Resource

Funeral hymns

These are the hymns chosen most often at UK funerals and memorial services. Gentle, familiar, easy for a congregation to sing without rehearsal. Pick one your loved one sang in school, or one the older relatives in the room will know.

• Abide With Me

  The classic English funeral hymn. Almost everyone over fifty knows the tune.

• The Lord's My Shepherd (Crimond)

  Psalm 23, gentle and familiar. A safe first choice.

• Amazing Grace

  Works as a hymn, a bagpipe piece, or a solo voice.

• How Great Thou Art

  Strong, hopeful, easy to sing together.

• Morning Has Broken

  Lighter than most hymns, good for a celebration of life.

• Make Me a Channel of Your Peace

  The prayer of St Francis set to music. Quiet and reflective.

• I Vow to Thee, My Country

  Often chosen for veterans and ex-service personnel.

• Be Still, My Soul

  Set to Sibelius's Finlandia. Beautiful as a reflection piece.

• Jerusalem

  For a service that should feel proud and English.

• Nearer, My God, to Thee

  Old, simple, deeply comforting.

• Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer (Cwm Rhondda)

  Welsh and full-voiced. Wonderful with a strong congregation.

• Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

  Charles Wesley. Warm, hopeful, a good closing hymn.

• Dear Lord and Father of Mankind

  Quiet, very English, often chosen for older relatives.

• Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven

  Bright and uplifting, good for a celebration.

• Lord of All Hopefulness

  Gentle hymn for the morning, often chosen for a younger person.

• All Things Bright and Beautiful

  Especially loved for a grandparent who worked the land or kept a garden.

• Eternal Father, Strong to Save

  The Navy hymn. For sailors, fishermen, anyone of the sea.

• Old Rugged Cross

  Traditional, steady, much-loved in the North of England and Wales.

• Just as I Am

  Quiet and personal, often used as a reflection.

• Thine Be the Glory

  Triumphant. A strong closing hymn if the service should end with hope.