Been thinking lately about what my final messages should say.

Anyone care to share what they plan to communicate on their stone or obituary?

Not interested in names or dates, just music on non-music related messages.

A search for "gravestone" came up just once in a post back in 2012 so apparently this is not a topic folks are dying to talk about

None for me, I'll be tossed into an incinerator.

I want either

I told you I was sick

or

I am a musician just decomposing

The winner!!

A decomposing muscian . . . nice.

I guess that means lots of hole notes

Howdy SS....and all others.

Same for me....cremation station with as little expense as possible.
I'll gladly return to simple carbon and stardust.

Back to it....

I am going to college after my death...

Wright State University

...Deb

One of the non-profits I helped when I was an active computer programmer gave me one I kind of like:

'He wrote a program for us. There were no problems and there were no questions.'

Torn between getting creamated or donation of parts of me to search teams for dog training..... But my current plan is to live forever and that's going just fine so far.

You can do both, Herb. My succession is set up that any organs they deem to be useful can be harvested and then the remainder is to be cremated.

If I was going to be buried my only final request would be to be buried face down so the world can kiss my azz...

There's been some funny ones here but only Matt seems to get where I'm going with this with his computer program message.

Everyone, especially songwriters have something to say.

Those that choose cremation, donation or research you do realize that you too can have a gravestone, an obit and a last word or two?

"I'm not here right now because all in all we're just dust in the wind."

Echos of Kansas?

Here are a few I found, one I wrote.

“Each tool is laid aside worn with work done with pride”
“I pray that the union of these states may be eternal”
“In some new brain the sleeping dust will waken”
“Ever strong, self wrought, never weak, truth I sought”
“I did it my way”

A little off the subject, but towards his later years, Bob Hope's wife asked him where he would like to be laid to rest.

His response;
"Surprise me."

I hope it'll be like my departure from my working life: a simple, quiet, end of year/term/day with no announcements, no party or gathering.
All of my instruments are going to a local high school anonymously.
I'm partial to organ donation etc. but that'll be up to my wife as spouses still have a final say even if I've filled in & submitted the forms.
She's "keen" to see me burn, though I'd rather casket free decomposing, vertical and unmarked.
Then again I might get religion or something and want a seeing off/welcome.

This one gave me a chuckle.
You can still put that on a gravestone, but do you really mean the world; including PG Music?
I think they are a wonderful company . . .

Everybody who didn't come to Herbstock...

"DOS Survivor"

BBQ for me. Would be nice if ashes could be stuffed in a firework (c) and do a short light show over the river.

When I die, I would like a “burial” at sea.

Weigh me down, and drop me overboard so that my lifeless body can give life to the crabs, catfish, and others. I'll have no use for it anymore, it may as well be recycled as food for others.

Notes ♫

Hmmm, that's unique and certainly speaks to the era in which you lived, your grit/stamina and your computer literacy.

I dreaded the blue screen of death, especially when not doing a Save for 30 or more minutes.

Crustaceans rather than homo sapiens? Your heart, liver, pancreas, lungs, kidneys, intestines, corneas... those could all benefit a human.

Yes, I am a BIG fan of organ donation. Somewhat similar in concept to rescuing shelter dogs rather than going to a breeder. Help an existing being rather than pay large dollars for a designer dog. Chunk is rescue dog #5 for me.

The fish can have the leftovers!!

Thump, you could have the word "BE" at the very top of your gravestone.

A cryptic reference to the 2 strings that were missing from your instrument. See how many people figure it out.

Here is another perspective.
I think this might be about nuclear war.

Confusion will be my epitaph

I cannot now remember how or why I came to buy that album, I think I may have thought it was an interpretation of the hall of the mountain king. Whatever, it was a total enlightenment for me. Prior to that my tastes were classical and folk. "Pop" was mostly banal. This was something else entirely and I loved it. Released 54 years ago in 1969.

Perhaps it'd need updating:
Confusion will be my epitaph
As I crawled a cracked and broken path
If I made it, we can all sit back and laugh
But I fear tomorrow you'll be crying.

I never bought the album but always liked the song.
We had only one alternative/progressive/underground rock station growing up and they were always just one DJ away from losing their broadcast license. I first heard that song there and loved it.

That's very noble of you. And it's a good point.

The problem I have with that is our for-profit medical system. "Hmm, the patient has a slight-to-moderate chance of recovery, but his pancreas is worth about a million dollars to us, and his kidneys are still in good shape..."

I have a relative who is a surgeon and moved to Australia because their Nationalized Medical system is all about saving the patient, while here in the US the system puts profits first and the patient second.

Example. Mrs. Notes had an accident in Australia and broke her arm. Our medical system doesn't play with theirs so she had to pay full price. Doctor, Orthopedic specialist, Anesthesiologist, anesthesia, two nurses, arm cast, sling, medication and emergency room charge—about $500 us. FULL PRICE (that was not with any family discount).

I use ear plugs when the volume is loud. A little silicon disk (flange) came off and stayed deep in my ear canal. I went to the emergency room here in the USA because it was after hours, and it was one doctor, one pair of tweezers and 10 minutes time after I finally saw the doc. Billing for my insurance company was over $2,000 and my co-pay was over $100.

As much as I think it would be kind of me to donate my organs, I will not give them to the medical establishment unless they donate my organs free of charge to someone who needs them. I'd rather feed the fish.

OK, perhaps I'm too cynical. I'll think about your suggestion and perhaps in time change my mind.

In either case, no gravestone is necessary. And I told Mrs. Notes and my sisters, if I die in a traffic accident, I don't want one of those roadside memorials.

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

PS. I don't have a dog, I don't think it's fair to have a pet if I am going to be travelling. They won't understand if I have to take a gig in Miami for a couple of weeks, or want to take a vacation once a year. But when I did have pets, I never bought them at a pet store or from a breeder. Mostly it was the pet of someone I knew had a litter and they needed a home.

I've re-wilded my 1/2 acre and planted vegetation that naturally feeds squirrels, birds, pollinators, raccoons, armidillos and other wild animals. Plus I put out bird seed and feed the squirrels nuts. That's as close as I get to having pets.

I'd like to come up with something original But Pink Floyds' "Thought I had something more to say" is rather profound

I tend to agree! When I donate a pint of blood I get a sticker and a cookie. If I get in an accident on the way home and require a pint of blood I'll be charged thousands for it. Our for-profit "healthcare" system in the USA is a corrupt embarrassment.

King Crimson is worth investing in .. right up until the end of their run.
Discipline and Three of a Perfect Pair were my faves, FWIW.
After that Adrian Belew went off on his own, and seemed to carry the torch pretty well.

As for my gravestone, simple answer; I don't plan to have one.
Once any decent memory of me is gone, what's the sense? Just another stone in a marble orchard at that point .. but that's just me.

He wrote Sweet Betsy from Pike and another hundred or more ballads during the California Gold Rush. I want one like this.