Dirge

For other uses, see Dirge (disambiguation).

A dirge is a somber song expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. A lament. The English word "dirge" is derived from the Latin Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam ("Direct my way in your sight, O Lord my God"), the first words of the first antiphon in the Matins of the Office for the Dead. The original meaning of "dirge" in English referred to this office.

Examples

Examples of dirges include:

• Danny Boy
• Dies Iræ
• Ailein duinn
• The Lyke-Wake Dirge
• Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire
• "Just a Closer Walk With Thee"
• "In the Sweet By-and-By"
• "Bye and Bye" on the album Love and Theft by Bob Dylan
• "Dirge" on the album Planet Waves by Bob Dylan
• "O Death", a traditional Appalachian dirge
• "Over in the Gloryland"
• "Westlawn Dirge"
• "(Cadence of) The Dirge" by Exhorder
• "MACABRE -揚羽ノ羽ノ夢ハ蛹-" by Dir En Grey
• "The Birthday Dirge" see [1]
• "Dirge For November" by Opeth
• "Dirge For The Planet" by Firelake
• "To Live is to Die" by Metallica
• "Malfunction" by the Cro-Mags
• "Dirge" by Death in Vegas on the album The Contino Sessions
• Two Square Enix games, Dirge of Cerberus and Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. 358/2 Days features a song called Dirge of the XIV, the battle theme Xion (considered number 14 of the Organization) uses before she is destroyed.
• "Musical Death (A Dirge)" by Testament
• Dirge Inferno by Cradle of Filth
• Bloody Mary by Lady Gaga

Cultural references

• "And we sang dirges in the dark the day the music died", from the album American Pie by Don McLean
• "Strike up a dirge" said by Frieza in Dragon Ball Z when he thought Goku was giving up.
• Dirge, album by Wormrot
• Dirge is the name of one of the seekers in the Transformers franchise. He is Referred to as one of the "Coneheads".

Prohibition Dirge by Ennio Morricone from "Once Upon a Time in America" (Soundtrack)

See also

• Elegy
• Funeral march
• Jeremiad
• Lament
• Oppari
• Requiem
• Threnody