If you are reading this, you have probably just lost a friend who never spoke a word and somehow said everything. A Rainbow Bridge song is one of the kindest ways to mark that goodbye. Some people reach for a familiar song; some have an original one written about their own dog or cat. At Songbond we do the second kind, an original song about your pet for $39.90, delivered in 24 to 48 hours.
Listen: "See You at the Bridge"
What makes a Rainbow Bridge song land
A pet memorial song lands when it names the small, ordinary things instead of reaching for big words. The grief of losing an animal is made of specifics: the blanket in the back seat, the head that rested on your knee, the spot by the door that stays empty now. A good song does not try to explain the loss away. It just stays with you in it for a few minutes, which is often exactly what you need. The most comforting songs are slow, plain, and unhurried, and they trust the listener to bring their own dog or cat to the words.
What the "Rainbow Bridge" actually is
The Rainbow Bridge is a short prose poem about a green meadow "just this side of heaven" where pets who have died wait, healthy and young again, until the day their person comes to meet them and they cross over together. For decades no one knew who wrote it. In 2023, National Geographic confirmed the author as Edna Clyne-Rekhy, a Scottish artist who wrote it in 1959 at age 18, the morning after her dog Major died. She typed copies for friends but never signed them, which is how the poem traveled the world without its author for over sixty years. It reached most American readers in 1994, when the "Dear Abby" column printed it. Knowing the real story makes it gentler, not less true: one grieving teenager, one dog, words that ended up holding millions of people.
7 pet memorial songs for the last goodbye
These are real, well-known songs that people return to when a pet dies. A few were written about other kinds of loss; we have noted that honestly, because a song does not have to be about a dog to help you grieve one.
- "Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World" — Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (1993). The ukulele medley, often just called the IZ version, is the most-requested recording of the song. Best for: anyone who wants the gentlest possible goodbye. Why: its softness carries the whole weight without ever raising its voice, and the "rainbow" ties straight to the bridge.
- "I Will Remember You" — Sarah McLachlan (1995). Written for the film The Brothers McMullen, it has become a standard for remembering someone, or something, you have loved and lost. Best for: the first hard days. Why: it is built entirely around the act of holding on to a memory.
- "Shannon" — Henry Gross (1976). One of the few hit songs openly about a dog. Gross wrote it after hearing that Beach Boy Carl Wilson had lost a dog, and pictured his own Irish Setter, Shannon. Best for: the loss of a dog who was family. Why: it is tender about the empty space a dog leaves behind.
- "Old Shep" — Red Foley (1935). A very old country song about a boy and his dog growing old together, written by Foley about a real dog from his childhood. A ten-year-old Elvis Presley sang it at his first public performance. Best for: an old dog who lived a long, full life. Why: it walks all the way to the final goodbye and stays gentle.
- "Supermarket Flowers" — Ed Sheeran (2017). Sheeran wrote this about his grandmother, from his mother's point of view, but its quiet inventory of someone's belongings translates to any loss. Best for: the day you pack up the bowl and the leash. Why: it grieves through small, specific objects, which is how pet grief usually works.
- "You'll Be in My Heart" — Phil Collins (1999). Written for the film Tarzan, and originally for his daughter, the song is about a love that distance cannot break. Best for: a comforting, hopeful note rather than a tearful one. Why: the promise that the bond stays is exactly the Rainbow Bridge idea, set to music.
- "Martha My Dear" — The Beatles (1968). Paul McCartney named it after his Old English Sheepdog, Martha, his first pet, though he has said you can read what you like into it. Best for: celebrating a dog's life rather than mourning it. Why: it is warm and unhurried, more fond memory than sorrow.
The lyrics
The blanket's still folded on the back seat
I haven't moved it yet
Some things you leave exactly where they were
The waiting room smelled like bleach and rain
You shook so hard I held you through the blanket, plaid and thin
The doctor spoke in a voice too kind
And I signed my name like it wasn't the hardest line I'd ever sign
You looked up once — not scared, just asking
And I said, I'm here, I'm here, I'm in
They say the kindest thing
Can feel like breaking
So I'll see you at the bridge, little friend
Where the grass runs on and the running doesn't end
Where the gray goes out of your muzzle in the sun
And the limp is gone and the pain is done
Save me a place where the river bends
I'll see you at the bridge, little friend
The last car ride, you put your head on my knee
Like every ride we ever took, like you were comforting me
Your tail still tried — one slow, brave beat
Against the seat where you always rode
I carried you in the way I carried you home
The very first day, half the size, all heart, all bone
They say it's mercy
It still feels like breaking
But I'll see you at the bridge, little friend
Where the grass runs on and the running doesn't end
Where the gray goes out of your muzzle in the sun
And the limp is gone and the pain is done
Save me a place where the river bends
I'll see you at the bridge, little friend
Years from now, when my own walk slows
And somebody holds my hand the way I held your paw
I hope I'm half as brave as you
Trusting the one who loves you to carry you through
And I'll see you at the bridge, little friend
Where the grass runs on and the running doesn't end
You'll hear my step before I clear the hill
You always knew my footsteps — you know them still
Bright fur, wild tail, the whole world mends
I'll see you at the bridge, little friend
You were there my whole walk home
I was there at the end
That mattered, little friend
Common questions about Rainbow Bridge and pet memorial songs
What is the Rainbow Bridge?
The Rainbow Bridge is a prose poem describing a meadow just short of heaven where pets who have died wait, healthy and happy, until their person arrives and they cross over together. It was written by Edna Clyne-Rekhy in Scotland in 1959, the day after her dog Major died. Her authorship was confirmed by National Geographic in 2023, after decades in which the poem circulated with no name attached.
What songs should I play at a pet's memorial?
Slow, plain songs about love and remembering tend to land best, played quietly. Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan, and Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran are all common, gentle choices. If you want something that names your actual dog or cat, a custom song is the most personal option.
Can you write a song about my specific dog or cat?
Yes. We write an original song from the details you share, like a name, a habit, the spot they always slept. It costs $39.90, arrives in 24 to 48 hours, and includes unlimited revisions so the words land the way you mean them. Songbond holds a 4.7 rating on Trustpilot.
A song made for your pet, by name
A borrowed song can hold your grief. A song written about your own animal can hold your pet. If you would like an original Rainbow Bridge song that names your dog or cat and the small things only you remember, we will write one for you for $39.90, delivered in 24 to 48 hours with unlimited revisions. Share a few details, and we will turn them into something you can keep.
From the same series: Songs About Losing a Dog and Songs About Losing a Cat.
