Written by Emily Singh
Edited by Maggie Wang
The song Funeral by Phoebe Bridgers is about self reflection and mental health. The narrator opens the song by stating they are singing at a funeral tomorrow for a kid close in age, prompting a deep blue sadness that overtakes her. The author begins reflecting on her own feelings, referencing a dream where she is drowning and her friends wave from the shoreline. The dream is an example of how people with depression might feel as though they are overwhelmed by their own emotions and feel unnoticed by their peers or friends. The friends cannot tell the narrator is drowning, so rather than helping, they wave to her assuming she’s not in any danger, when from her perspective she is barely alive. However in the song, the author brushes off the meaning of this dream and says “… I don’t believe in that stuff anymore”. A loss of belief in purpose or the idea that life has a greater meaning typically comes with depression. A person may no longer find enjoyment in past activities or may find it difficult to believe there’s a larger picture due to the draining nature of living with prolonged mental health issues. The narrator continues on to say she’s “…so blue all the time” and that's how she’ll always feel. It is incredibly difficult when living with depression for a person to imagine a life without it. Depression is described as a persistent decreased mood and is significantly impairing to daily life. Since it’s persistent, it impacts every aspect of life and never goes away, which is why the author feels like she’ll always be depressed. After reflecting on her own life, the author comes full circle and says she was feeling sorry for herself “…when I remembered someone’s kid is dead”. This is an example of the guilt that comes with mood disorders. It can be invalidating to feel disinterested in one’s life despite having a “good life” especially in comparison to others. In the song, the author is struggling with her own mental health but feels guilty when she’s reminded that a kid her age is dead, and that’s a different situation than she’s in right now. This is an unfair comparison as someone’s pain should not take away or add to someone else’s but a very human thought. Phoebe Bridgers beautifully encapsulates the reality of living with depression, and how it impacts one’s way of thinking so deeply. One can truly take comfort in the piece knowing that they’re not alone in their thought processes and that it’s normal to feel how they do as well. This is an important concept as it’s easy to feel isolated and that one’s struggles are unrelatable even when there’s multiple outlets and resources to help. In the song, the narrator helps ease her mind by calling a friend and talking until she feels better. This is a great example of how in dark times, one can let love into their life and find comfort in a support system. The song itself is another great example of an outlet. Writing how one feels can valid their line of thinking, but also show flaws in logic and help overcomes anxious thoughts.
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