Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)

Ohhhh, oh, oh, oh, oh. It must have been cold there in my shadow, To never have sunlight on your face. You were content to let me shine, that’s your way. You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,
While you were the one with all the strength.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero,
And everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
For you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed, But I’ve got it all here in my heart. I want you to know I know the truth, of course, I know it. I would be nothing without you.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
You’re everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an eagle,
For you are the wind beneath my wings.

Did I ever tell you-you’re my hero? You’re everything, everything I wish I could be. Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle, For you are the wind beneath my wings, ’cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

Oh, the wind beneath my wings.
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.

Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
So high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you,
Thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.

Many if not all of us have somebody we look up to, a hero. This could be a parent, a teacher, a friend, or even our life partners. These are the kind of people who serve as inspiration for us to do good with our lives. These people often have the courage and strength to fight battles we wouldn’t have otherwise fought ourselves for whatever reason. Yet, there they are, bold and steadfast, always ready to face the challenges ahead. We strive to be more like these people. However, life is very brief and very unpredictable. People’s lives could end in a snap. No matter how strong some people are or how strong we think they are, when your time has come, nobody can overcome death. All people die. Death makes no discrimination with that.

Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler makes a great funeral song that rings true to the heart. The song has a solemn melody that appeals to all generations, old or new and the theme of it rings better still. A person who is truly our mentor and our guide is not afraid to let their student shine if he or she deserves it. In fact, that is the very goal of a great mentor, to let the student stand on his or her own two feet. This is a model relationship of pure learning and trust and a poignant way of living in this life full of greed, backstabbing, credit-grabbing and scheming. How fortunate for those who have found such a person whom they can depend on like that.

When uncommon people like this pass away we have nothing but praises and gratitude for such a person. That’s why in planning a memorial service program, the words in this song could not fit more true to anybody who served as a beacon of light in the years of our life when we needed guidance the most. However, this is hardly a sad ending because as things end, so new things begin. With every death, comes new life, if you will. Lessons get passed down to one capable hand to another. Many great and admirable people today whom we look up were molded by their own heroes too. That means the cycle of inspiring people never really ends. That is why many people who try to do their best in whatever field or situation that they’re in usually “…fly like an eagle” because there were people before them who became the “…wind beneath [their] wings.”