forget burial
Embracing Legacies: A Poignant Plea for Love Beyond 1983
Lyrics
Hold me
Request for emotional support or closeness
Better yet please fight for me
Asking for someone to advocate or stand up for the speaker
My body's tired and weak
Expressing physical and mental exhaustion
The weight is crushing
Feeling overwhelmed by a heavy burden
Lift me up to breathe
Seeking help or relief from the weight of the burden
Hear me
Requesting to be heard or acknowledged
I hate hollow sympathy
Disliking insincere sympathy or compassion
So tell me honestly
Seeking honest communication
Would you still love me in 1983?
Questioning the endurance of love over time
If heaven is waiting on me
Referencing the concept of an afterlife
No need to bury the body
Rejecting the traditional burial process
Forget burial and promise me
Encouraging the abandonment of burial traditions
No one else will die a death like me
Expressing a desire for a unique death experience
Believe me
Asserting sincerity or truthfulness
I carry valiant legacy
Carrying forward a brave and honorable legacy
Their names like blood running through me
Symbolizing the continued presence of influential individuals
I hold their bravery
Acknowledging and preserving the bravery of others
It won't go out on me
Ensuring the persistence of the speaker's beliefs and values
I believe in all their dreams
Maintaining faith in the dreams of others
But don't paint it rainbow
Warning against overly optimistic or idealistic views
It started in the streets
Tracing the origin of challenges or struggles
If heaven is waiting on me
Reiterating the reference to an afterlife
No need to bury the body
Rejecting the need for a traditional burial
Forget burial and promise me
Reaffirming the rejection of burial traditions
No one else will die a death like me
Desiring a death experience distinct from others
I won't forget
Expressing a commitment to remembering
The ones who dreamed for me
Honoring those who envisioned a better future
Rest in power and rest in peace
Wishing peace and empowerment for the departed
Your strength goes forward in me
Acknowledging the enduring strength of the departed
My name is Duane Kearns Puryear
Introducing the speaker's identity
I was born on December 20, 1964
Sharing the speaker's birthdate
I was diagnosed with AIDS on September 7, 1989 at 4:45 pm
Revealing a diagnosis of AIDS and its timing
I was 22 years old
Providing the age at the time of diagnosis
Sometimes it makes me very sad.
Expressing occasional sadness due to the condition
I made this panel myself
Claiming authorship of a memorial panel
If you are reading it
Addressing the potential reader of the memorial
I'm dead
Indicating the speaker's demise
Comment