Funeral reading
She Is Gone / Remember Me
David Harkins
“She Is Gone / Remember Me” by David Harkins is a poem read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 35 seconds read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is still in copyright, so the words are not reprinted here — the reader brings a printed copy.
Why the words are not printed here
Still in copyright — it was read at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, which is why families ask for it by half-remembered lines. Print it from a licensed source.
Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.
What it is about
The "you can shed tears, or you can smile" one. Often misattributed.
Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: you can shed tears or you can smile · a choice about how to grieve · short · well known.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “She Is Gone / Remember Me” take to read aloud?
“She Is Gone / Remember Me” takes about 35 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “She Is Gone / Remember Me”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “She Is Gone / Remember Me” runs about 35 seconds, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “She Is Gone / Remember Me” be printed in a ceremony script?
Not by us. It is still in copyright, so we name it and point you at a copy rather than reprinting the words. Still in copyright — it was read at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, which is why families ask for it by half-remembered lines. Print it from a licensed source.
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.