A Funeral in Banbridge

A funeral in Banbridge I took the train here, from London Through Wales, beautiful day I had a salad, I had a drink Thoughts on the ferry Where on earth are you taking me Back to the family that you left behind Now they brought you back in a casket Once you are dead it's hard to object I shared a room at the bed and breakfast With your friend Rebecca, an actress from Brussels Who at the time of your death was acting In a monologue of yours you were also directing The only one I know here is your old roommate Steve I had a secret crush on him when you were in love with me The sun shone in Hamburg, we must have been tiny I felt so important in your company But now the pastor at the gate Hands out a pamphlet with your picture on the front page And some hymns, "What a Friend We Have In Jesus" All our sins and griefs to bear Alice is screaming "This is all wrong." He wanted to be buried in Berlin, that's his home She roams around the parking lot, won't go in the church I can see why you loved her, I can feel how she hurts That is your father, surprisingly tall He's the one who used to beat you up, your mother is small She stares before her, silent and grey She's burying her youngest today The sermon is Methodist and dry like a desert He mentions stray sheep and claims you liked fishing I feel awfully Almodóvar when I stand up from the bench And make my way to the piano But I need to represent My voice is strong and the song is about you The air gets heavy, the pastor looks sweaty But one of your old friends whispers "You saved it" When I wiggle back between the benches again Black limousines down to a lake The cemetery, beautiful day Birds are singing "Come back to life" To hear us singing, to hear them cry I wish you hadn't died without warning me about it I wish you would have called I would have tricked you out of it Your coffin in the ground, you're irreversibly gone I'm talking to myself, I wanna go home Back at the bnb, your father plays with your daughter He's bought her many presents and clothes in bright colors There's barking in the hallway, it's a red giant boxer I get a ride to Belfast Central in a car full of dog's hair