A song for a retirement or a colleague's farewell

Thirty-two years in the same building. The first desk by the window, the coffee machine he fixed better than the technician, the Christmas parties where he always told the same joke — and everyone still laughed. And now there's a cardboard box on his desk.

Sending off a colleague is often awkward: cake, “we'll miss you”, a gift bought in a hurry. A song is a way to say something real — and to laugh together one more time.

When it suits

• retirement — after decades at one company, school or hospital;
• a colleague's farewell — to a new job, another city or abroad;
• a change of manager — thanks from the team;
• a new beginning for a friend — a move, their own business (new beginning).

What to tell us

Get together as a team and remember:

• what they did — not the job title, but how they did the job;
• their phrases — what they say every morning or in every crisis;
• the stories — the business trip, the breakdown, the project you saved at the last minute;
• what they leave behind — for the people, the place, the way work gets done;
• what you wish them — fishing, grandchildren, a garden, free Mondays at last.

Humour is welcome. A farewell song can be cheerful or moving — often it's both.

How to give it

Play it at the farewell, after the cake and before the speeches. If you're a big team, you can sing it together. If you'd like the name to be heard, ask for a separate intro.

If the song is on behalf of the company and will be used beyond the party, see a song for a business — there the price includes the right to use it for the company.

Timing

The farewell date is usually known in advance — order in good time. The usual delivery time is on the occasion's page; if the day is getting close, put the date in your order.

People don't remember job titles. They remember how someone made them feel at work.

Order a new-beginning song