If Tears Could Build A Stairway

Funeral Poem : If Tears Could Build A Stairway

If tears could build a stairway
and thoughts a memory lane
I'd walk right up to heaven
and bring you home again
No Farewell words were spoken
No time to say good-bye
You were gone before I knew it
And only God knows why.

My heart's still active in sadness
And secret tears still flow
What it meant to lose you
No one can ever know.
But now I know you want us
To mourn for you no more
To remember all the happy times
Life still has much in store.

Since you'll never be forgotten
I pledge to you today
A hallowed place within my heart
Is where you'll always stay.

God knows why, with chilling touch,
Death gathers those we love so much,
And what now seems so strange and dim,
Will all be clear, when we meet Him.
I Knew you for a Moment

Funeral Poems: 

Comments

The first stanza says it

The first stanza says it better than i ever could. My tears my thoughts and never having the chance to say goodbye have been the hardest parts to endure. Today is Mothers Day as well as my mothers birthday. Thanks for giving me a way to express what i am truly feeling today. i did not have the words. Thanks!

I just read this poem and it

I just read this poem and it touched my heart so much.. I lost my 22 month daughter June 20,2009 and it seems like it isn't getting any easier... I love you babygirl and I will see you when I get there...

This poem is very sad! If

This poem is very sad! If only tears and thoughts would bring you back... Both of you would have been back! To my beloved Uncle and Cousin I miss you both and someday we will al meet again...

Excuse me. The poem is very

Excuse me. The poem is very beautiful in all but you could at least put it right on there right. My brother Channing Lea Vincent made that poem himself in Sept. of 2007. The "only God knows why" part was because that was the song play at my brother Terry O'Quain's funeral. He made that poem just for him. He doesn't mind if other people use it but he would like to be recinised as the artist.

(Edit By Site Administrator: Sorry Tiffany, but you're wrong about your brother writing this poem. We get lots of people who claim to have written some of the poems with unknown authors, but sometimes all they have done is changed a few lines of an existing poem. If you do a search on Google for "If Tears Could Build a Stairway", and then use the Google sort facility to put them in date order, you will see that the poem was written much earlier than 2007. We did a search back to January 2001, and the poem was certainly on the internet on that date and had already appeared on grave stones.)

Christopher, I love you so

Christopher, I love you so very, very much and I miss you more with each passing second. Why you were taken at such a young age, only God knows. It has only been 2 months, and it seems like forever. We'll be together again someday, with all of my love, Aunt Carol
If Tears Could Build A Stairway

If you have seen the "If

If you have seen the "If Tears Could Build A Stairway" funeral poem on a gravestone, or engraved on an urn, or printed on a funeral programme, we would be pleased to receive comments on the date that you saw it, and any additional information you can provide.

Knowing the earliest date it has been seen, will help us to differentiate between claims to authorship.

I was a senior ofthe

I was a senior ofthe graduating class of 2010 and i picked this poem to go on the back of pour tshirts for a classmate that committed suicide. R.I.P. ur forever in our hearts!

I have chosen this poem for

I have chosen this poem for my dad who die on the 4th of November my sister mother and I all miss him greatly (me aged 15 and my sister aged 12)

We love you Dad and will never forget you
xxxxxxxxxxxx

I know that this is a rare

I know that this is a rare thing to come by, but a friend of mine posted this as a status on facebook for their mother who had passed away.
I thought about the poem for a long time when I suddenly recalled that my grandarents had a copy of If Tears Could Build a Stairway, on their wall. I noticed that it had the signature of F.C. Diprose. My grandfather, wrote this poem for his mother, many years ago and handed it out at her funeral.

Site Admin Edit: Yet another of the many unsubstantiated claims for authership of this poem. The poem appears hundreds of times on Google, but nowhere is it accredited to F. C. Diprose, and a search for F. C. Diprose finds no other poems by him. Sophie; It could be that your grandfather copied out this poem, framed it and put it on his wall with his name under it (signifying that he wrote it out and framed it rather than the fact that he actually composed it). It would be unlikely that the writer of a poem such as this would have written no other poems. There have been so many unsubstantiated claims for authorship of 'If Tears Could Build A Stairway' that the real author will probably never be known with absolute certainty. The poem is probably best just enjoed as the classic it is.

On October 28th, 2010 my

On October 28th, 2010 my mother attended a funeral being held for the daughter of a close friend. When she returned home with the program I noticed that "If Tears Could Build A Stairway" was on the back. As I read it, the words touched me so profoundly that I felt compelled to write a song based (in part) on its wording. After re-reading the poem, I sat down with my guitar and completed the song.

What I didn't know it at the time was that my own father's death was 0nly two weeks away. When I played "If Tears Could Build A Stairway" at my father's funeral, there wasn't a dry eye in the auditorium.

I'll be forever grateful to whomever wrote the poem.

I RECENTLY LOST A CLOSE

I RECENTLY LOST A CLOSE FRIEND.....THOMAS JOHNSON. HE WAS MUCH MORE THAN A MAN , HE WAS A ANGEL AND HE WILL BE SADLY MISSED. GOD BLESS YOU MY FRIEND ....2/8/11 WILL ALWAYS BE A SAD DAY IN MY LIFE.

I have to agree with you

I have to agree with you there. I recently lost a baby girl (Sophia), last month. She passed on before she was born and it still hurts a lot to know that I didn't have a chance to meet her or say good-bye.

I lost my boyfriend 5 months

I lost my boyfriend 5 months ago, he was 35 and just collapsed one day at our home. No words were spoken or a chance for goodbyes he was gone so fast this poem says it all i miss him dearly, until we meet again i love you Drew xxx

sad poem

the first part of the poem was on a stone at my second cousins funeral.and this poem will always stay in my heart and this poem makes me cry,even if its alittle.this is my favorite poem of all times and its just so sad.this is a really good poem.

my only son dropped dead

my only son dropped dead alone in his flat sometime between 30th march and 1st april, her was 41and as yet we still have not got him back. My grandson found this poem and has decided to say this at his funeral which we are hoping will be on 4th may 2011
it is amazing how this one poem can encapsulate all i am feeling right at this moment
many thanks to whoever wrote it.

My husband

My husband passed also on April 1st and it was so unexpected. This poem says all I want to say too. Just want to let you know that your in my prayers.

Love,

Bekkah

My Dad

I read the first line of the 'If Tears Could Build a Stairway' poem at my dad's funeral on 26 April last year. I miss him every day and on Tuesday I will light a candle and remember all the love and laughter he gave to me. I love you dad xx

If Tears Could Build A Stairway

My dad passed away suddenly in 2001...I know that within the next year, my cousin gave all of his girls a pillow with this saying on it...Mom passed away in 2007 and I know it was earlier than that the poem was written because she also recieved the pillow after my dad passed...so it was definitely around in 2002...

My son Ben

My lovely 28 year old son hung himself last December. On the 28th May, his Birthday we plan to scatter his ashes and I intend to read this poem which perfectly encpsulates the way I feel. It makes me cry every time I read it and a copy of it sits next to his picture. Whoever wrote this knew what grief is.

truer words

I lost my parents 11 months apart and the words that are expressed by the author resinate so profoundly with that loss. I have a memorial tattoo on my back for the people that I have lost that touched profoundly touched my life. The first passage of this poem is now tattooed between my shoulders to highlight the back piece itself.

Can I use it

Hey, a friends sister died and a der friend died a while ago..Can i use this song and dedicate to them as a song?
Please reply

SITE ADMIN EDIT: Don't know who wrote this, but we believe it would be OK to use in the circumstances you describe.

If Tears Could Build A Stairway

w/e very beautiful poem would be nice to give credit to who wrote it but unfortunately you got all kinda of people who lay claim.. probably a poem wrote decades ago...but it is lovely isnt it? Ive quoted it as I have said goodbye to many a relative and friend..says exactly what i feel and I love it. :)

If Tears Could Build A Stairway

when ever i read that poem i think of my mom and my uncle who died when i was a little kid and that still bothers me that they are gone but you know they are in a better place now love u mommy and uncle larry

I'm sorry for your loss and I

I'm sorry for your loss and I know what you mean. My family and I lost my 21 month old baby nephew who battled cancer. It gets harder but at least we have our little Angels that are taking care of us..

My uncle's suicide

My uncle commit suicide in 1989 and I've never stopped mourning him. It tore apart my family and I'd give anything to bring him back. This poem sums up exactly how I still feel towards the death, and I'm sure how the rest of my family feel, especially my mum. Its such a beautiful poem and I'm so glad I read it.

First seen in June 2001

My big brother passed away from "Athlete's heart" at 32 years young. He had traveled the world and lived more in that time than most of us will if we live to be 80. My Mom and I found the first part of this poem in a magazine on a memorial plaque for a pet in June of 2001, we used it on a quilt piece at the funeral home. I plan to share it on FB this month in his memory for his birthday. I miss you Ronnie!

If Tears Could Build A Stairway

This poem brought tears to my eyes, especially today as it would have been my mums birthday. I lost her 6 years ago and words can't express how much she still means to me and how much I miss her. This poem said it all.

author

My ex showed me this poem handwritten in 1999, he said he submitted in highschool to some poetry thing that would be between 1996 and 1999. Is there any truth to this, Then in 2003 i saw it in an airplane magazine ad. Could he be the original writer based on dates?

Site Admin Edit:Not very likely, but it was a good chat up line wasn't it. He may well have copied it out and submitted it to his school poetry competition, but it was undoubtedly to be seen on tombstones and memorials a lot earlier than 1996.

"If Tears Could Build A Stairway" says it all

I just found out someone I cared about very much passed away at the age of 43. Although I hadn't seen him in quite a while, I thought of him often. He made a huge impact on my life and I will cherish our memories. He will always be in my heart and this poem explains how I feel. Rest in Peace Jack.

my angel

my loving child... i miss yu soo much... and i love this poem cuz if i could i would bring yu back agen... what id do to hold yu one more time yu could never know... 8 weeks tomurro and i cannot belive i still stand without... i am not gunna say goodbye tho but just wait to say hello... one day we'll b together agen xxxx more love than yu can imagine from your mummy xxx loves yu my miley-mai xxxxx

So meaningful

I start to cry instantly, I write this on cards all the time which I bring to the cemetery when I visit my Mom. It's so hard on us who are still here and trying our best to carry on. This poem sums up my feelings, so thanks for sharing.

What a wonderful poem

I love 'If tears could build a stairway'. It reminds me off my cat that died due to kidney failure and cancer. I never got to day goodbye. I was away at my grandmas and I feel do bad. I hope to see her again, I miss her so much!!! R.I.P. Petrie June 5TH, 2000-July 9TH, 2011 :'(

The loss of my Mum

I lost my mum not to long ago was home in Ireland to lay her to rest. I found this poem with a friend and I knew it was the one.I read it at her fruneral. I still read it to remind me how lucky I was to have found this poem to express how I felt at such a hard loss.

im sorry about your dad.... i

I'm sorry about your dad.... I read this poem when I want to remember my mom... she died two days after you posted this comment... so on friday, september 3rd, 2010 I miss her more then anything... if i could walk up there and bring her back i would..

im sorry bout yuur loss.... :

im sorry bout yuur loss.... :/ BUT NO WAY did yuur brother write this. hahahahahhahahah especially not in 2007. im 26 years old and the first time i read this was when i was 11 years old in like 5th grade. thats 15 years ago. so in like ::: 1997 so sorry,, but your brother probably read it and said he wrote it... ALOT of ppl try to claim things like that...

Miss you nanny

Today is 6 months since we lost mt dear Nanny to cancer!!! There isn't a day that passes I don't think about her.. This poem means a lot to me and my family!!

Rip nana love and miss you always.

"your gone but NEVER forgotten"

Love this

I love this poem! I lost both of my parents in 2000 due to a drunk driver, I was nine then, now 21. I have both of there names tattooed on my back and I'm going to add the first four lines of this poem. Simply beautiful! :)

For my wee brother.

My wee brother was 5 when he died playing with our wee dog, he wandered away from the house and i was only 10, and followed the dog to the shore, where he fell off a small cliff and into the sea, banged his head and drowned, i heard a shout for "help" to this day i hear it so clear.

1981 is a long time ago, but a blink in a memory, i wish i could have found him and saved his life but it was not to be, he was 5. 5 short years to a beautiful little brother is nothing, my heart breaks writing this, and i miss him with all my heart this christmas he would be 36, so 31 years without my little brother is a very long time, i miss you and this poem is for you, till we meet again.

poem

this is on my friends tombstone and he died in 1998, and its been on ther since, think yr brothers a bit wrong in the head my dear ....

my youngest daughters death

For my beautiful daughter cheryl who was killed 13 years ago by a car. Saw this poem and as I love cross stitch I did this poem in her memory. Have since done five more for friends who have lost a loved one. It takes a week to do. It looks lovely in cross stitch