I can honestly say, that this song speaks the truth. One custom that is no longer practiced. But I too remember a coffin in our living room when I was a kid. Needless to say, I didn't stay home that night.😂😂😂😂❤❤❤
@@tobysmith3351 Even during the Great Depression. My moms sister died in 1932. They had the showing in the parlor. THEY had people from out of town, so some of them had to sleep on cots in the same room as the casket. NO THANKS!
This is one of my favorites. The message in this song is still relevant today. This version with the children and diverse people singing along is the one to watch . ua-cam.com/video/0a45z_HG3WU/v-deo.htmlsi=3s_cKdjYBJHa0j7j
Yes that is amazing song for everything going on in the world. I wish they play everything is beautiful. They need to hear his true voice. They think he is just funny singer.
Correct me if im wrong please but I was told you did that because there was no AC so windows would often be left open. Sitting up with the dead was to make sure critters didnt get to them.
The casket was placed in the home in the room called the "Parlor." Which is where the term Funeral Parlor came from. Even after funerals started being held outside the home, the term Parlor still held a negative connotation due to it being equated with death and funerals. For this reason, the parlor in the home started being called the "Living Room."
*OR* you had a "parlor" and a living room. The parlor being where you had "company" if you were having a big to do. (Mammaw would keep the parlor furniture covered in plastic just in case, lol )
I live in Northern Ohio, but my family is from Appalachia and we brought my home for his showing and sat up with him. No one thought anything about it, because our area in Ohio is full of ppl that took Rt 23 for jobs up north.
100% accurate. As a matter of fact, residential architecture included design elements to accommodate this exact thing. It was very common for homes to have a specific wall in the house where the windows were up high to cast favorable light on the deceased - typically where a fireplace might be, and then built in pew style bench called a "deacon seat". So named because this is where a church deacon would set at the end of the receiving line after people had visited the body to help them deal with their overwhelming grief. It also sets the stage for why funeral homes were called "homes" - because when funerals began to be practiced outside the home the process took place in converted houses.
The house I grew up in had years earlier belonged to the town's mortician and was the first "funeral parlor" in the area. I had a small shop area in the back where I would rebuild and sell bikes and it had originally been the embalming room.
Didn't know about the deacons seat! Very interesting. I was aware that the reason so many homes had double doors leading into the parlor was to make it easier to move the casket in and out of the room.
Oh yes, sitting up with the dead was 100% real and went 100% as Ray described it. Okay, Uncle Fred's antics were a bit unique- but sitting up was waaaaay too real. You did NOT leave Grandma lying in there all by her lonesome! Oh, and in a couple of months, Ray can give y'all another good chuckle with _Santa Clause is Watchin' You._
Hey guys, yes, this custom was definitely done. In 1979 my grandpa passed and the day before his burial, his coffin was in the living room, open, with folding chairs included. Relatives and friends brought food and we did sit around, eat, cry and tell stories about our dearly departed. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, I loved that man more than any other, even to this day, so it didn't bother us that we slept in the house that night with him, one last time. Back then it was commonplace so, not as nerve wracking as it would be now-a-days probably. It was sort of comforting to the family back then. Close family members would stay over too. Personally, I got more closure from that than from leaving my loved one at a funeral home. I'm not saying that it was easy, because losing anyone we love is terribly hard, but back in the day, especially for people who lived out in the country like we did, it was just how it was normally done. Sorry if that freaks y'all out, but then again, I'm "way, way older" than y'all are. You can never go wrong with Ray Stevens, but I think you two already know that. God bless!
Yeah its sad that today's generation seems to treat death as more of a taboo than the older generations. These days, especially here in the South, we still sometimes do this but its mostly older people and (with the way funerals and burials cost) its usually just the urn and the deceased's best photo on a table with a wake that lasts most of the night.
Classic, Ray Stevens is hilarious, one song you must do is "Southern Air" "Aha The Arab" "The Streak" "Shriners Convention" "Gitarzan" "I'm My Own Grandpaw" "I'm Kissing You Goodbye" "It's Me Again Margaret" "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" "Net Nostril" "Erk The Awful" I know that's more than 1, but he has A LOT of songs.
I know my grandparents stated back in the 1930's and 40's that it was common to have the funeral in the dead person's home. I know I would not sleep in that house! Ray's hits were mostly comical or novelty although I know 2 songs that were not. His #1 hit "Everything is Beautiful" and "Misty". Good reaction. First time I heard this song also. 👻
Believe it or not but Rays got some bangers ! You should randomly do one sometime. I mean legit songs and not always funny . He can SANG ! And he can smack the keys right out of the top of a piano .
Guitarzan is another silly song of Ray's that you would like. His "Everything Is Beautiful" is another song that is really good, but serious (as in not goofy, not that it's a sad song)
This song is actually based on a story told by Southern comedian Lewis Grizzard. I heard it on the radio and had to pull my car over, I was laughing so hard.
As said so many times here already, it is the truth. When someone died, the body was prepared by the family members.....bathed, dressed and flowers/scented herbs used to freshen up the rooms in the house. With my parents generation and older, the coffins were handmade by local carpenters. As a child and young teen, I attended a few of those old fashioned funerals. The coffins were laid out usually in the living room of the house for up to 3(even 4) days so that kinfolks who lived away would have a chance to come and pay their respects. The body was never left alone. Someone or multiple family members would stay there in shifts throughout the entire night(s). My very first funeral was when I was 6 years old. My great grandpaw's brother had died....he was born in 1882, died 1971. I remember all of the mirrors in the house being covered with black cloth, which was to keep the spirit of the deceased from seeing their self in the mirror and remaining on earth rather than moving on to the afterlife. The preacher would come on the final day and preach a sermon, give the last rites, and old hymnals were sung. From there, they departed to the graveyard for the burial. For 7 days after, men in the community would come by and help with chores about the house and the women would take time about cleaning the house and bringing foods they had cooked. That was the relief given during the mourning period for the family. By the 1980's those old rituals had pretty much stopped.
For Christmas you should do Ray Steven's "Santa Clause is Watching You". And yes, in the old days they laid out the dead at home and people would have to set up with them. My grandmother used to talk about it.
Hahaha ray is so underrated. He’s an amazing pianist and I love his sense of humor. The guy who played “old uncle Fred” in this is Bill Byrge. He’s most famous for being in the Ernest movies. He’s in his 80s and still lives in Nashville. He told me those were real change and he had to lay in that box forever while they shot this video. He said Ray was very very nice. Ray is also in his 80s and owns his own theater just outside of Nashville called CabaRay and it is a great show.
His song "I'm My Own Grandpa" is both hilarious and disturbingly thought provoking. Back in the late 60's and 70's Ray was the king of comedy music, but his serious/gospel side was just as impressive. "Everything is Beautiful" is a wonderful song.
Ray Stevens is known for his comedy but that makes people forget that he is a consummate musician. He has some "serious" songs as well. "Everything is Beautiful" is beautiful in terms of the music, the message and even the video. It's from the early 70s. Years later, he and his musicians were just fooling around and accidentally won a Grammy with their rendition of "Misty". You should check both out.
my niece worked at a hospital and she still tells everyone about the time, she and another nurse was working the late shift and had to take a drowning victim down the morgue in the hospital basement. when they elevator door closed. rigorous set in and the drowning victim sat up on the gurney. she almost dropped dead of a heart attack.
Yes. that used to be the custom. They used to cover up mirrors with cloths to make sure the soul of the loved one crossed over and didn't get stuck in the mirrors or was confused as to where to go. Also, some regions actually used to sit the deceased up in a chair and the living would take final photos with their loved one - before the funeral the next day. You can see some of these old photos online if you look and notice the eyes of the deceased - some were open and the eyes of the dead are filled with a milky black abyss from the camera flash. Ah, the good ol' days lol
On my fathers side of the family back in the last of the 1800’s and the first half of the 1900’s they had a family farm where they not only sat with the dead but then they buried them in the side yard by the flower bed. They had nine family members and one guy my grandpa had hoboed around the country with in the 30’s who died while visiting. You can go past the old house all falling down and still see the head stones in the weeds.
Yes that is the way it use to be back in the day. I can remember as a small child going with Mom and Dad to visit their elderly dead kin folks in their homes until time to take them to the church for the funeral. Sometimes if the church allowed it the bodies would be taken to the church and someone would have to sit up with them in the church also, just to make sure no one would bother the deceased. Love y'alls reaction to Ray. He is the best at telling these stories!! Some true, some may be a little true.
Awesome little fun note to add: Bill Byrge who played Uncle Fred in this video also played the character "Bobby" in almost every Ernest movie, and he's in fact STILL alive at the age of 92!
Guys, having a wake in a person's home was absolutely a very popular thing. Many people did so because of financial issues, and some did and still do because of cultural tradition. My great-grandmother attended wakes at houses a couple of times when she was young. I'm still waiting for comedic songs like... "Big Cockroach" - Kip Adotta "Wet Dream" - Kip Adotta (it's not a dirty song at all!) "Rappin' Rodney" - Rodney Dangerfield (a quick cameo of Pat Benetar) "You Look Marvelous" - Billy Crystal (pay attention to each celebrity and see if you notice something they have in common. Also, he's known as Fernando in the video and on SNL, as a take on actor Fernando Lamas. "Sorry" - Arsenio Hall "Boogie In Your Butt" - Eddie Murphy "King Tut" - Steve Martin "I Can't Stop My Leg" - Robert Klein
This was a real thing that people used to do. They put the coffin in the house and had the visitation there as well as some sat up with the dead all night.
Elvis Presley was carried back to Graceland for the 2 days between his death and funeral. Thousands of public walked through the living room to see the casket, and his body guards have talked about sitting up with his casket overnight. Elvis died in 1977.
Yes, that's true. In the old days it was called a "Parlor" and it was customary to have those right in the house. When they made a business of doing it at the funeral homes, they changed the name to "LIVING room" for a reason. It was also common to have a portrait taken of the corps all dressed in their best and maybe even with family several days after they had passed.
😂😂My Great-grandfather was laid out in the parlor of his house. I was about 6 when he died and I never went back in that room.. gave me nightmares!! Yes, it was a small town, but it was about 1964.
I can't believe you haven't reacted to Ray Steven's "Everything is Beautiful." One of the most uplifting and biggest hits of the 70's. I mean, I constantly have to shake my head and ask, "Who are these people you pull your requests from?"
Don't miss Ray Stevens "Shriners Convention" Oh yeah, they did this in the house. I can remember when my uncle died. He was laid out in the front room but we did not sit up with him.
I have stayed overnight with a dead relative in a funeral home because you weren’t supposed to leave them alone. Family members would do sitting shifts when possible.
While I’ve never done it settin’ Up with the dead at home was at one time a southern tradition. While looking through family records I found that in my great grandfather’s obituary it says his visitation was at home & the service was at church.
Yeah, wakes used to be a common practice to make sure the dead were actually dead (before embalming became the new common practice). You don't want to bury someone who's still alive, so people would sit with the dead for a day or two to make sure they hadn't just passed out or something they couldn't be shook awake from. Ray Stevens made it funny, though! :) X)
Although Ray Stevens is noted for his novelty songs ("Along Came Jones"), he has a wonderful album of gospel songs and an unforgettable rendition of "Misty". Back in the early 1970s he had a summer show with Mama Cass that I wish I could find copies of. Thanks for playing this & your comments.
i remember funerals in home back in the 50s. My grandpa was a preacher and I lived with him so I attended a few of those wakes and funerals. BTW Ray Stevens did record a few serious songs to go with his comedies. One of those songs is "Everything is Beautiful'.
Well, it's an Appalachian custom that I've done quite a few times. One just a few years ago for my uncle, a Vietnam veteran. Grandpa Owens was in his farmhouse and his favorite clock hanging on the wall had the pendulum stop dead in mid swing when his casket was brought into the front room. And yeah, the men in our family sat up with the dead.
This custom was also done in Canada. My grandparents were waked at home. The last in home wake I went to was about 20 years ago. I believe the Irish,Scottish and British also did this custom and there are likely many other places where this was done.
Several years ago, I asked my Irish grandma to tell me what life was like in the early 1900s. One story I remember: her neighbor lady was 'waking' her husband who was laid out in their home. (She and the deceased husband did not get along.) As the night wore on, she was shouting at 'dear Johnny' and her neighbors had to take her away to calm the hysterical screaming. I'm glad we don't have that type of wake in my part of the world. I'm fine to sit by the deceased in a church or funeral home and pray for them. but my grandma had such a good sense of humor, I couldn't help but laught at her description.
This is one Ray Stevens song I haven't heard, but as usual it's hilarious. Thoroughly enjoyed your reaction, it's always so much better to laugh with someone else, eh?!
It's called a Wake! Families did do this in the old days, sitting up with the dead was very customary, family and friends would gather in a home where they'd lay the body of their loved one out at the front or Middle of the room, usually in their parlor, or living room, it's like a viewing would be at the funeral home, except it was in your own home or a neighbor's & you didn't just pay respects then leave, it was an all day/night event, and some country folk still practice it, at least in Appalachia, but very few. It was held all day and night, even up to a couple days (depending), to show honor & respect and even provoked togetherness for the family (and friends), Wakes were where those gathered to show respect & express condolences and share memories and to celebrate the deceased's former life, it was less formal & more relaxed than at a funeral home & most of the time food and drinks were also furnished along with sharing stories and memories of the deceased among each other. The sitting up with the dead part is a very true event that was widely practiced, I know there had to be true stories of wakes gone wrong, I wonder how many times something similar to this story, actually happened,? COULD YOU IMAGINE!?
Check out Ray's serious side with "Everything is Beautiful". You will love it. The song is beautiful. Ray's singing is beautiful. And Amber's Children's Choir to boot.
Yes, the dearly departed would be in your house. My sister heard a story about her in-law's family where the ground was too frozen to bury the little 4 year girl that had died in their family. So she was kept on the back porch where it was cold so her body wouldn't decay while they were waiting for the spring thaw.. Granted, that was 100 years ago. But less than two lifetimes ago.
Ray Stevens does a wide range of music from comedy to gospel to covers of standards. He even did a whole Sinatra album. You should really check out his show on UA-cam called "Ray Stevens CabaRay Nashville." The music history alone on the show is amazing, as is Ray's music and his guest stars.
lol Sitting with the dead was a very real thing, I imagine in small communities across America it still happens. I have never done it, but I know of some past family members who were shown at home. Knowing that, it makes this song all the more funny. I am a huge Ray Stevens fan, he has 100's of great songs to listen and react to.
I have sat up with the dead, both in someone's house and at the funeral home, with my grandparents when i was younger. This was a real southern tradition back in the day.
My grandmother who was 92 when she died set up all night with her grandmother when she was a girl (who was dead) and said it was exactly how it shows in this video back in the day when a family member passed away here on the East Coast and South. A lady I knew who was 98 told me that when she was young, the only way she could see the boy she liked was to meet at a "wake" and hold hands when the adults' would leave the room. In areas of the East Coast and South if you look at old houses one of the windows are usually wider than the other. It was so the casket could be passed through in what was called the "Front Room".
My grandpa drove the town ambulance/hearse when my dad was a kid. He brought my dad along with him one night to pick up a body to take to the funeral home. Well, it turned into a learning moment when the body suddenly sat straight up in the back of the hearse! That's the night my dad learned about rigor mortis. 😄
Sitting up with the dead the night before the funeral is why the viewing before the funeral is called a "wake," as in we used to "stay awake" with the deceased.
Always love Ray Stevens. Another artist you really should check out is Bobby Russell. He sang a song called " Saturday Morning Confusion". Funny song about a family man on a Saturday morning. Very humorous. Song was recorded in 1971
Sitting up with the dead was a long standing tradition in rural areas up until I think the mid sixties. I remember a couple of coffins in the living room when I was young.
I remember The Streak, and Ahab the Arab from when I was little. I remember every word because of the way his songs tell a story with humor. Such fun. More please!
To get a full grasp of the brilliance of @raystevensmusic , one must also listen to songs like *Misty*, and *Everything Is Beautiful* as well *The Streak*, *Ahab The Arab* and the list goes on. One of the true talents of both last and this century!
In 1974 my Papaw died and they had his body in the living room of his house. Being as our family was from out of state (along with some others) we had to stay at Mamaw's house. We were poor and couldn't afford a hotel. So all us kids had to sleep on the floor right in front of the casket. This was the custom. We were all scared to death and not a little freaked out. I will never forget it.
Ray's truthin' here. That's how it was done back then! I've heard stories of the deceased sitting up but maybe more legend or just a good scary yarn. If you want more Ray Steven's songs, try my all time favorite, "Gitarzan."
My great-grandmother's body was at my grandmother's house when I was young. My grandmother had a mirror hanging on the wall above the casket. A lady came who was very supersitious and she told my grandmother to cover up the mirror because if you looked at yourself in the mirror you would be the next to die. Lots of people had already been there to pay their respects, but none of them died anytime soon after. 😊
Yes it is true. We lived in the country and I very much remember my granny having the viewing of my pappaw and uncle in her house, and they laid there for a couple days, and someone always sat up with them, so yes true tradition. There is a back story to the tradition also that comes from the old country. Sometimes people weren't really dead and would wake up from comma's and stuff, so they waited to see if they were really gone before they buried them.
My grandmothers house built in 1870 had a large octagonal shaped bedroom in the front where they used to hold funerals. They actually still used it in the 1930s when my mother was a little girl. I will never forget when my brothers and I would go spend a few days with grandma on the farm we would have to stay in that room. It was pretty scary sleeping in that old house, in an odd shaped room where we were told about ancestors funerals. PS: That old house was still standing a couple of years ago and my cousin was living there. It burned down one night a couple of years back.
Yes, up until the late 60's it was common for funerals to be held in the home. It was not unusual to put a bell on the deceased toe. I went to a few of these as a young girl and had nightmares to days on end after a cat began playing with the toe bell at one. In the dark, when you start hearing the bell ringing from the dead.. it's something you don't forget quickly lol
I remember still going to "viewing" back in the 80's with family. In who that had died home. Yes, setting up all night was a thing. Haven't heard of someone having a "viewing" at their home for a while.
Yes, this absolutely did happen and still does happen, I grew up in rural Louisiana and remember it happening back even in the 70's. It still happens in places like Appalachia even today along with certain communities down in the swamps of South Louisiana and I'm sure in other places also..
I can honestly say, that this song speaks the truth. One custom that is no longer practiced. But I too remember a coffin in our living room when I was a kid. Needless to say, I didn't stay home that night.😂😂😂😂❤❤❤
Yup. During 1800's very common to have home wakes
@@tobysmith3351 Even during the Great Depression. My moms sister died in 1932. They had the
showing in the parlor. THEY had people from out of town, so some of them had to sleep on cots in the same room as the casket.
NO THANKS!
@@renep2220 Depression? Pffft...last person I knew who had to sit up was a friend in junior high school- in *_1981._*
Sat up with my uncle Dallas all night and he died in 2010. It's still a practice in Appalachian families.
I was so hoping that no one would say that this thing was still going on. But truthfully, not really surprised. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
We all need to hear Ray Steven's Grammy award song from 1971...Everything Is Beautiful...great for today's world as well
This is one of my favorites. The message in this song is still relevant today. This version with the children and diverse people singing along is the one to watch .
ua-cam.com/video/0a45z_HG3WU/v-deo.htmlsi=3s_cKdjYBJHa0j7j
Yes, yes, YES!
Yes that is amazing song for everything going on in the world. I wish they play everything is beautiful. They need to hear his true voice. They think he is just funny singer.
Absolutely love that song
He also did a version of Misty
Im a 74 year old man and YES we did use to set up with the dead!
In the house
Correct me if im wrong please but I was told you did that because there was no AC so windows would often be left open. Sitting up with the dead was to make sure critters didnt get to them.
The casket was placed in the home in the room called the "Parlor." Which is where the term Funeral Parlor came from. Even after funerals started being held outside the home, the term Parlor still held a negative connotation due to it being equated with death and funerals. For this reason, the parlor in the home started being called the "Living Room."
*OR* you had a "parlor" and a living room. The parlor being where you had "company" if you were having a big to do. (Mammaw would keep the parlor furniture covered in plastic just in case, lol )
Yes , when I was a child, when someone died they brought the body to the house until the body was taken to the church for the funeral.
I live in Northern Ohio, but my family is from Appalachia and we brought my home for his showing and sat up with him. No one thought anything about it, because our area in Ohio is full of ppl that took Rt 23 for jobs up north.
100% accurate. As a matter of fact, residential architecture included design elements to accommodate this exact thing. It was very common for homes to have a specific wall in the house where the windows were up high to cast favorable light on the deceased - typically where a fireplace might be, and then built in pew style bench called a "deacon seat". So named because this is where a church deacon would set at the end of the receiving line after people had visited the body to help them deal with their overwhelming grief. It also sets the stage for why funeral homes were called "homes" - because when funerals began to be practiced outside the home the process took place in converted houses.
The house I grew up in had years earlier belonged to the town's mortician and was the first "funeral parlor" in the area. I had a small shop area in the back where I would rebuild and sell bikes and it had originally been the embalming room.
Didn't know about the deacons seat! Very interesting. I was aware that the reason so many homes had double doors leading into the parlor was to make it easier to move the casket in and out of the room.
Oh yes, sitting up with the dead was 100% real and went 100% as Ray described it. Okay, Uncle Fred's antics were a bit unique- but sitting up was waaaaay too real. You did NOT leave Grandma lying in there all by her lonesome!
Oh, and in a couple of months, Ray can give y'all another good chuckle with _Santa Clause is Watchin' You._
He's everywhere! He's everywhere!
Jay & Amber, you'll love his "Everything Is Beautiful", "The Streak" and "Misty"!! Nice backing choir on "Everything Is Beautiful" ( a serious song).
Don't forget "Guitarzan".
Everything is Beautiful is completely different but real good. The Streak is the best. Please listen to both.
DON'T LOOK ETHEL!!!!!!!!
Too late -She had already been mooned!
And she liked it!@@cosmiccowboy7764
Hey guys, yes, this custom was definitely done. In 1979 my grandpa passed and the day before his burial, his coffin was in the living room, open, with folding chairs included. Relatives and friends brought food and we did sit around, eat, cry and tell stories about our dearly departed. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, I loved that man more than any other, even to this day, so it didn't bother us that we slept in the house that night with him, one last time. Back then it was commonplace so, not as nerve wracking as it would be now-a-days probably. It was sort of comforting to the family back then. Close family members would stay over too. Personally, I got more closure from that than from leaving my loved one at a funeral home. I'm not saying that it was easy, because losing anyone we love is terribly hard, but back in the day, especially for people who lived out in the country like we did, it was just how it was normally done. Sorry if that freaks y'all out, but then again, I'm "way, way older" than y'all are. You can never go wrong with Ray Stevens, but I think you two already know that.
God bless!
Yeah its sad that today's generation seems to treat death as more of a taboo than the older generations. These days, especially here in the South, we still sometimes do this but its mostly older people and (with the way funerals and burials cost) its usually just the urn and the deceased's best photo on a table with a wake that lasts most of the night.
One of Ray Stevens biggest hits was a more serious song called "Everything is Beautiful," a nice song about what the title suggests.
Classic, Ray Stevens is hilarious, one song you must do is "Southern Air" "Aha The Arab" "The Streak" "Shriners Convention" "Gitarzan" "I'm My Own Grandpaw" "I'm Kissing You Goodbye" "It's Me Again Margaret" "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" "Net Nostril" "Erk The Awful" I know that's more than 1, but he has A LOT of songs.
LOVE Shriner’s Convention!
The Streak still makes me laugh (Ethel is my heroine)
The Haircut Song and The Pirate Song are both some of my favorites.
I see you listed two of my favorites, I'm Kissing You Goodbye and Erik The Awful--they always put a smile on my face!
Can't do Southern Air until they listen to Jerry Clower and watch some Hee Haw. Without those two, the jokes won't land.
I know my grandparents stated back in the 1930's and 40's that it was common to have the funeral in the dead person's home. I know I would not sleep in that house! Ray's hits were mostly comical or novelty although I know 2 songs that were not. His #1 hit "Everything is Beautiful" and "Misty". Good reaction. First time I heard this song also. 👻
Believe it or not but Rays got some bangers ! You should randomly do one sometime. I mean legit songs and not always funny . He can SANG ! And he can smack the keys right out of the top of a piano .
One song that combines the comedy with excellent vocals and piano is I Need Your Help Barry Manilow
Guitarzan is another silly song of Ray's that you would like. His "Everything Is Beautiful" is another song that is really good, but serious (as in not goofy, not that it's a sad song)
This song is actually based on a story told by Southern comedian Lewis Grizzard. I heard it on the radio and had to pull my car over, I was laughing so hard.
As said so many times here already, it is the truth. When someone died, the body was prepared by the family members.....bathed, dressed and flowers/scented herbs used to freshen up the rooms in the house. With my parents generation and older, the coffins were handmade by local carpenters. As a child and young teen, I attended a few of those old fashioned funerals. The coffins were laid out usually in the living room of the house for up to 3(even 4) days so that kinfolks who lived away would have a chance to come and pay their respects. The body was never left alone. Someone or multiple family members would stay there in shifts throughout the entire night(s). My very first funeral was when I was 6 years old. My great grandpaw's brother had died....he was born in 1882, died 1971. I remember all of the mirrors in the house being covered with black cloth, which was to keep the spirit of the deceased from seeing their self in the mirror and remaining on earth rather than moving on to the afterlife. The preacher would come on the final day and preach a sermon, give the last rites, and old hymnals were sung. From there, they departed to the graveyard for the burial. For 7 days after, men in the community would come by and help with chores about the house and the women would take time about cleaning the house and bringing foods they had cooked. That was the relief given during the mourning period for the family. By the 1980's those old rituals had pretty much stopped.
Everything is beautiful. We need this song now.
"The Streak" is one from Ray Stevens that you'll find really funny
Absolutely. I would love to hear the streak😊
For Christmas you should do Ray Steven's "Santa Clause is Watching You". And yes, in the old days they laid out the dead at home and people would have to set up with them. My grandmother used to talk about it.
Hahaha ray is so underrated. He’s an amazing pianist and I love his sense of humor. The guy who played “old uncle Fred” in this is Bill Byrge. He’s most famous for being in the Ernest movies. He’s in his 80s and still lives in Nashville. He told me those were real change and he had to lay in that box forever while they shot this video. He said Ray was very very nice. Ray is also in his 80s and owns his own theater just outside of Nashville called CabaRay and it is a great show.
His song "I'm My Own Grandpa" is both hilarious and disturbingly thought provoking. Back in the late 60's and 70's Ray was the king of comedy music, but his serious/gospel side was just as impressive. "Everything is Beautiful" is a wonderful song.
Ray Stevens is known for his comedy but that makes people forget that he is a consummate musician. He has some "serious" songs as well. "Everything is Beautiful" is beautiful in terms of the music, the message and even the video. It's from the early 70s. Years later, he and his musicians were just fooling around and accidentally won a Grammy with their rendition of "Misty". You should check both out.
my niece worked at a hospital and she still tells everyone about the time, she and another nurse was working the late shift and had to take a drowning victim down the morgue in the hospital basement. when they elevator door closed. rigorous set in and the drowning victim sat up on the gurney. she almost dropped dead of a heart attack.
Yes. that used to be the custom. They used to cover up mirrors with cloths to make sure the soul of the loved one crossed over and didn't get stuck in the mirrors or was confused as to where to go.
Also, some regions actually used to sit the deceased up in a chair and the living would take final photos with their loved one - before the funeral the next day. You can see some of these old photos online if you look and notice the eyes of the deceased - some were open and the eyes of the dead are filled with a milky black abyss from the camera flash. Ah, the good ol' days lol
On my fathers side of the family back in the last of the 1800’s and the first half of the 1900’s they had a family farm where they not only sat with the dead but then they buried them in the side yard by the flower bed. They had nine family members and one guy my grandpa had hoboed around the country with in the 30’s who died while visiting. You can go past the old house all falling down and still see the head stones in the weeds.
My grandpa hoboed around about that time. He "rode the rails." Even as a child, I remember "wakes" being held in homes in my area.
Best song of his
Back in the day they did lay them out in the house
Yes, this is still practiced to this day in many areas, especially here in West Tennessee and many parts of Appalachia !!
Yes that is the way it use to be back in the day. I can remember as a small child going with Mom and Dad to visit their elderly dead kin folks in their homes until time to take them to the church for the funeral. Sometimes if the church allowed it the bodies would be taken to the church and someone would have to sit up with them in the church also, just to make sure no one would bother the deceased. Love y'alls reaction to Ray. He is the best at telling these stories!! Some true, some may be a little true.
It's true. I remember my grandparents talking about sitting with the dead at the house. "Everything is Beautiful' is a wonderful song he sang!
I grew up listening to Ray Stevens, and that is one I hadn't heard before. Thanks for sharing, it was hilarious!
Awesome little fun note to add: Bill Byrge who played Uncle Fred in this video also played the character "Bobby" in almost every Ernest movie, and he's in fact STILL alive at the age of 92!
Love ray stevens he is so funny
Guys, having a wake in a person's home was absolutely a very popular thing. Many people did so because of financial issues, and some did and still do because of cultural tradition.
My great-grandmother attended wakes at houses a couple of times when she was young.
I'm still waiting for comedic songs like...
"Big Cockroach" - Kip Adotta
"Wet Dream" - Kip Adotta (it's not a dirty song at all!)
"Rappin' Rodney" - Rodney Dangerfield (a quick cameo of Pat Benetar)
"You Look Marvelous" - Billy Crystal (pay attention to each celebrity and see if you notice something they have in common. Also, he's known as Fernando in the video and on SNL, as a take on actor Fernando Lamas.
"Sorry" - Arsenio Hall
"Boogie In Your Butt" - Eddie Murphy
"King Tut" - Steve Martin
"I Can't Stop My Leg" - Robert Klein
People absolutely did this!
Awe, love me some Ray Stevens! Laughed for hours to him as a kid. Blue Cyclone, The Streak, Mississippi Squirrel Revival, BBQ...so many laughs!
He has so many great comedy songs but he dose have one really great song called Everything is Beautiful
This was a real thing that people used to do. They put the coffin in the house and had the visitation there as well as some sat up with the dead all night.
Elvis Presley was carried back to Graceland for the 2 days between his death and funeral. Thousands of public walked through the living room to see the casket, and his body guards have talked about sitting up with his casket overnight. Elvis died in 1977.
Yes, that's true. In the old days it was called a "Parlor" and it was customary to have those right in the house. When they made a business of doing it at the funeral homes, they changed the name to "LIVING room" for a reason. It was also common to have a portrait taken of the corps all dressed in their best and maybe even with family several days after they had passed.
This is my all time favorite Ray Stevens song! So few people react to it, and I loved y'alls responses!
😂😂My Great-grandfather was laid out in the parlor of his house. I was about 6 when he died and I never went back in that room.. gave me nightmares!! Yes, it was a small town, but it was about 1964.
One of my favorite serious song of Ray Steven’s is Everything is Beautiful it also has children singing
I can't believe you haven't reacted to Ray Steven's "Everything is Beautiful." One of the most uplifting and biggest hits of the 70's. I mean, I constantly have to shake my head and ask, "Who are these people you pull your requests from?"
Ray Stevens is a great singer of hilarious songs but Y'all need to hear" Every Thing Is Beautiful" for his serious side. .Thank you
Never forget too that Ray Stevens is the one who wrote and performed the unbelievably wonderful song.
There were funerals, etc. in a home, most often that of the deceased and it was traditional for someone(s) to sit up with them.
Don't miss Ray Stevens "Shriners Convention" Oh yeah, they did this in the house. I can remember when my uncle died. He was laid out in the front room but we did not sit up with him.
I have stayed overnight with a dead relative in a funeral home because you weren’t supposed to leave them alone. Family members would do sitting shifts when possible.
While I’ve never done it settin’ Up with the dead at home was at one time a southern tradition. While looking through family records I found that in my great grandfather’s obituary it says his visitation was at home & the service was at church.
Yeah, wakes used to be a common practice to make sure the dead were actually dead (before embalming became the new common practice). You don't want to bury someone who's still alive, so people would sit with the dead for a day or two to make sure they hadn't just passed out or something they couldn't be shook awake from. Ray Stevens made it funny, though! :) X)
Although Ray Stevens is noted for his novelty songs ("Along Came Jones"), he has a wonderful album of gospel songs and an unforgettable rendition of "Misty". Back in the early 1970s he had a summer show with Mama Cass that I wish I could find copies of. Thanks for playing this & your comments.
You can find some here on UA-cam. Clips for sure.
I was re-watching this again this morning. This never gets old!! Absolutely LOVE this video & song!!
The Walker Brothers ... The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore ... Fab song 🎵
Ray Stevens had a huge peace anthem hit in 1970 with "Everything is Beautiful". Worth checking out for a another side of Ray Stevens.
i remember funerals in home back in the 50s. My grandpa was a preacher and I lived with him so I attended a few of those wakes and funerals. BTW Ray Stevens did record a few serious songs to go with his comedies. One of those songs is "Everything is Beautiful'.
I've got a picture of my grandfather from 1963 laying in his casket unbelievable
This is my favorite Ray Stevens song! Had the VHS tape as a kid with all his music videos.
Well, it's an Appalachian custom that I've done quite a few times. One just a few years ago for my uncle, a Vietnam veteran. Grandpa Owens was in his farmhouse and his favorite clock hanging on the wall had the pendulum stop dead in mid swing when his casket was brought into the front room. And yeah, the men in our family sat up with the dead.
This custom was also done in Canada. My grandparents were waked at home. The last in home wake I went to was about 20 years ago. I believe the Irish,Scottish and British also did this custom and there are likely many other places where this was done.
Several years ago, I asked my Irish grandma to tell me what life was like in the early 1900s. One story I remember: her neighbor lady was 'waking' her husband who was laid out in their home. (She and the deceased husband did not get along.) As the night wore on, she was shouting at 'dear Johnny' and her neighbors had to take her away to calm the hysterical screaming.
I'm glad we don't have that type of wake in my part of the world. I'm fine to sit by the deceased in a church or funeral home and pray for them. but my grandma had such a good sense of humor, I couldn't help but laught at her description.
This is one Ray Stevens song I haven't heard, but as usual it's hilarious. Thoroughly enjoyed your reaction, it's always so much better to laugh with someone else, eh?!
It's called a Wake! Families did do this in the old days, sitting up with the dead was very customary, family and friends would gather in a home where they'd lay the body of their loved one out at the front or Middle of the room, usually in their parlor, or living room, it's like a viewing would be at the funeral home, except it was in your own home or a neighbor's & you didn't just pay respects then leave, it was an all day/night event, and some country folk still practice it, at least in Appalachia, but very few. It was held all day and night, even up to a couple days (depending), to show honor & respect and even provoked togetherness for the family (and friends), Wakes were where those gathered to show respect & express condolences and share memories and to celebrate the deceased's former life, it was less formal & more relaxed than at a funeral home & most of the time food and drinks were also furnished along with sharing stories and memories of the deceased among each other. The sitting up with the dead part is a very true event that was widely practiced, I know there had to be true stories of wakes gone wrong, I wonder how many times something similar to this story, actually happened,? COULD YOU IMAGINE!?
My great grandparents were from London Kentucky. Yes they had the wake in the living room. I slept in the car at night
Check out Ray's serious side with "Everything is Beautiful". You will love it. The song is beautiful. Ray's singing is beautiful. And Amber's Children's Choir to boot.
Shut up and drive, Gone for Good, Red Hot Chili cook-off, Deerslayer, Juanita and the kids, family funeral fight......all great songs and videos!
Yes, the dearly departed would be in your house. My sister heard a story about her in-law's family where the ground was too frozen to bury the little 4 year girl that had died in their family. So she was kept on the back porch where it was cold so her body wouldn't decay while they were waiting for the spring thaw.. Granted, that was 100 years ago. But less than two lifetimes ago.
Ray Stevens does a wide range of music from comedy to gospel to covers of standards. He even did a whole Sinatra album.
You should really check out his show on UA-cam called "Ray Stevens CabaRay Nashville." The music history alone on the show is amazing, as is Ray's music and his guest stars.
lol Sitting with the dead was a very real thing, I imagine in small communities across America it still happens. I have never done it, but I know of some past family members who were shown at home. Knowing that, it makes this song all the more funny. I am a huge Ray Stevens fan, he has 100's of great songs to listen and react to.
I have sat up with the dead, both in someone's house and at the funeral home, with my grandparents when i was younger. This was a real southern tradition back in the day.
My grandmother who was 92 when she died set up all night with her grandmother when she was a girl (who was dead) and said it was exactly how it shows in this video back in the day when a family member passed away here on the East Coast and South. A lady I knew who was 98 told me that when she was young, the only way she could see the boy she liked was to meet at a "wake" and hold hands when the adults' would leave the room.
In areas of the East Coast and South if you look at old houses one of the windows are usually wider than the other. It was so the casket could be passed through in what was called the "Front Room".
My grandpa drove the town ambulance/hearse when my dad was a kid. He brought my dad along with him one night to pick up a body to take to the funeral home. Well, it turned into a learning moment when the body suddenly sat straight up in the back of the hearse! That's the night my dad learned about rigor mortis. 😄
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Also Ray Stevens wrote the song Everything is Beautiful.
Sitting up with the dead the night before the funeral is why the viewing before the funeral is called a "wake," as in we used to "stay awake" with the deceased.
Always love Ray Stevens. Another artist you really should check out is Bobby Russell. He sang a song called " Saturday Morning Confusion". Funny song about a family man on a Saturday morning. Very humorous. Song was recorded in 1971
You would LOVE "The Streak" and "I'm My Own Grandpa". One of his earliest songs is "Bubble Gum the Bubble Dancer", also hilarious 😂
My grandfather lived in the Missouri backwoods during the 40s and 50s. He said he actually did that lots of times.
A MUST DO - "It's ME AGAIN, Margaret!" You will love it lol One of his best and funniest songs
Thank you. I was one of the people that recommended that song. Lol 😂"It's Me Again Margaret" or "Shriner's Convention"
For his best humorous songs is THE STREAK andf or the best of his serious songs EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL
I LOVE RAY STEVENS..HIS SONGS WERE HILARIOUS GROWING!! 😂
YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO “ THE STREAK”😂
It is true... when my grandmother died. It sometimes became hilarious after everyone got tired.
Ray Stevens also did some serious tunes. My favorite is “Misty”. Another one is “Everything is Beautiful”.
Sitting up with the dead was a long standing tradition in rural areas up until I think the mid sixties. I remember a couple of coffins in the living room when I was young.
In South Carolina we still call the visitation and viewing the night before the funeral a "sitting up" to this day.
I remember The Streak, and Ahab the Arab from when I was little. I remember every word because of the way his songs tell a story with humor. Such fun. More please!
My 1st time hearing this one...GREAT!
I'm 58. Sat up with my grandmother when she passed. My dad and uncles sat up with her and dad asked me to join them.
To get a full grasp of the brilliance of @raystevensmusic , one must also listen to songs like *Misty*, and *Everything Is Beautiful* as well *The Streak*, *Ahab The Arab* and the list goes on. One of the true talents of both last and this century!
In 1974 my Papaw died and they had his body in the living room of his house. Being as our family was from out of state (along with some others) we had to stay at Mamaw's house. We were poor and couldn't afford a hotel. So all us kids had to sleep on the floor right in front of the casket. This was the custom. We were all scared to death and not a little freaked out. I will never forget it.
Ray's truthin' here. That's how it was done back then! I've heard stories of the deceased sitting up but maybe more legend or just a good scary yarn. If you want more Ray Steven's songs, try my all time favorite, "Gitarzan."
My great-grandmother's body was at my grandmother's house when I was young. My grandmother had a mirror hanging on the wall above the casket. A lady came who was very supersitious and she told my grandmother to cover up the mirror because if you looked at yourself in the mirror you would be the next to die. Lots of people had already been there to pay their respects, but none of them died anytime soon after. 😊
His funniest song is Guitarzan. Everything is Beautiful is a departure for him and it is truly BEAUTIFUL.
Yes it is true. We lived in the country and I very much remember my granny having the viewing of my pappaw and uncle in her house, and they laid there for a couple days, and someone always sat up with them, so yes true tradition. There is a back story to the tradition also that comes from the old country. Sometimes people weren't really dead and would wake up from comma's and stuff, so they waited to see if they were really gone before they buried them.
My grandmothers house built in 1870 had a large octagonal shaped bedroom in the front where they used to hold funerals. They actually still used it in the 1930s when my mother was a little girl.
I will never forget when my brothers and I would go spend a few days with grandma on the farm we would have to stay in that room. It was pretty scary sleeping in that old house, in an odd shaped room where we were told about ancestors funerals.
PS: That old house was still standing a couple of years ago and my cousin was living there. It burned down one night a couple of years back.
absolutely true we always kept our loved ones at the house
This is ABSOLUTELY true!! I was young, but we sat up with my great grandfather! Research why you sit up with the dead.
Yes, up until the late 60's it was common for funerals to be held in the home. It was not unusual to put a bell on the deceased toe. I went to a few of these as a young girl and had nightmares to days on end after a cat began playing with the toe bell at one. In the dark, when you start hearing the bell ringing from the dead.. it's something you don't forget quickly lol
I remember still going to "viewing" back in the 80's with family. In who that had died home. Yes, setting up all night was a thing. Haven't heard of someone having a "viewing" at their home for a while.
The Streak. Shriners convention. There's also a funny COVID song Ray did 2019 ? 2020 ?
Yes, this absolutely did happen and still does happen, I grew up in rural Louisiana and remember it happening back even in the 70's. It still happens in places like Appalachia even today along with certain communities down in the swamps of South Louisiana and I'm sure in other places also..
We even did this in Canada