I'm a history nerd, I've been interested in last words for a while, but never really focused on them. My interest in them has been expanded recently, and for two reasons.
Last December, when my paternal grandmother died, I remembered the last words that she said to me, which she had said approximately a week before her death. I was leaving from a visit with her and my grandfather when she said, through her old, familiar laugh, "You be good now. Don't get into any trouble." To this, I jokingly replied, "No promises."
That was the last thing I ever said to my grandmother. Every now and then, I think about that exchange, which, in some ways, embodied the relationship I had with my grandmother. Now, the conversation that she, my grandfather, and I had before I left had much more to it than that, but that part of it stuck with me, probably because it was at the very end.
Additionally, my girlfriend recently lent me her copy of "Looking for Alaska," by John Green, a book that I found deeply interesting and spent the better part of two nights reading (I read slow and I was tired, so I kept having to reread things). Anyway, the main character, Pudge, has a deep interest in last words, and recites several different people's last words throughout the novel. Last words can come in many different styles. Some of them are funny, some are thought-provoking, some are hopelessly dark; some are bad ass, some are wise. In this article, I want to talk about ten different people's last words that I find interesting, and they may be anywhere on that vast spectrum.
1. "Uh oh."
- Michael J. Smith
- Michael J. Smith was the pilot of the Challenger space shuttle the day that it exploded in midair before escaping the Earth's atmosphere on January 28, 1986. In the transcript of communications with the Challenger before and after its takeoff, the last thing that was recorded was the Smith saying "Uh oh." After he uttered that phrase, the ship immediately exploded.
2. "More weight!"
- Giles Corey
Giles Corey lived in Salem, Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. He had been charged with being a warlock. He refused to plead guilty or not guilty. In order to stop him from "escaping justice," the people of Salem subjected him to a practice known as "pressing." Essentially, a wooden board was laid on top of him while he was naked and people covered his body with boulders, slowly pressing his body, commanding him to plead guilty. Every time they did so, he replied with "More weight." Corey otherwise suffered in complete silence, which was an extreme rarity. And, even more bad ass, he withstood this torture for more than two days, and was 81 years old. Eventually, he cried out "More weight!" and took his last breath.
3. "Now, now, my good man. There is no time for making enemies."
- Voltaire
Apparently, while Voltaire was on his death bed, a priest by his bedside kept asking him to renounce Satan. In response, Voltaire said exactly what is quoted above.
4. "Swing low, sweet chariot."
- Harriet Tubman
While on her death bed, and in the final moments of her life, Harriet Tubman's family was with her. Knowing that she was going to pass very soon, they sung "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," with her, which was the song that slaves had sung while working in the fields to let each other know that Tubman would be coming soon, to help some of them escape to the North. Essentially, her last words were her own theme song, which is pretty fantastic, when you think about it.
5. "We are all going."
- William McKinley
President William McKinley was the 25th president of the U.S., and the third U.S. president to be assassinated. He died on September 14, 1906, eight days after he was shot, due to gangrene he contracted due to the gunshot wounds. Near the very end of his life, his wife became hysterical, saying that she wanted "to go too," or, in other words, to die with him. He turned his head to her and replied "We are all going."
6. "Well, gentlemen, you are about to see a baked Appel."
- George Appel
George Appel uttered this witty line before being executed by electric chair in 1928. Very clever, George.
7. "Bring me a bullet-proof vest."
- James W. Rodgers
James W. Rodgers was a murderer who was put to death by a firing squad. When asked if he had any last requests, he said "Bring me a bullet-proof vest." Well done, James. *claps*
8. "Capital punishment means those without the capital get the punishment."
- John Arthur Spenkelink
John Arthur Spenkelink, like Rodgers, was also a murderer who was put to death. He spent the days before his death writing "Capital punishment means those without the capital get the punishment," on various pieces of mail that he received. Thought-provoking, is it not?
9. "I am not a coward, but I am so strong; it is so hard to die."
- Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis, of the legendary Lewis and Clark, said this relatively heart-breaking quote before his death. At daybreak, his servants found him near death with a bullet wound in his head. At sunup, he died, but not before uttering those select words. It is still unknown whether his death was a murder or a suicide.
10. "I must go in, for the fog is rising."
- Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson was a prominent American poet in the 19th century who lived in reclusive isolation for most of her life. The quote definitely embodies her poetic spirit.
11. "Let it be known that homosexuals are not cowards."
- Willem Arondeus
Willem Arondeus was a Dutch artist and writer who was part of the Anti-Nazi resistance. He led a bombing that destroyed thousands of files and prevented the Nazis from identifying many Jews. A few days after, Arondeus's group was arrested, and twelve were put to death by firing squad. Arondeus himself was homosexual, hence the quote.
12. "I am starting to believe you are not intending to count me amongst your friends."
- Pedro Muñoz Seca
Pedro Muñoz Seca was a Spanish playwright. He said this to a firing squad before they executed him during the Spanish Civil War
13. "Go on, get out! Last words are for fools that haven't said enough."
- Karl Marx
Karl Marx, whose ideas led to the construction of the idea of communism, was known to be testy, at times. And, well, the quote is pretty self-explanatory on how he felt about last words.
In some ways, I am skeptical about last words, as it can be very hard to verify if the person in question actually said the thing that they are said to have said. Oh well, I suppose. It's fun to hope, right? I hope you were intrigued, humored, entertained, all of that.
Information Collected From the Following Sources
biography.yourdictionary.com/meriwether-lewis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_Corey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_William_McKinley
