Taps is the military tune played at military ceremonies and funerals by buglars. This tune was composed by Union Army Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield during the Civil war. The meaning of the song is to signal the end to a hard days work. The lyrics go something like this:

Day is done....Night is nigh...Gone the sun...From the hills...from the lake...from the sky...all is well...safely rest...God is nigh

Now don't try to hold me to perfection on these lyrics because its been years since I committed them to memory. My brain wasn't that good to begin with and it has gotten worse over the years.

This tune became so popular during the Civil War that it was used by both the Union and Confederate armies. I don't know if all of you have heard this tune but it is captivating and beautiful. I have seen many people who were stoic at military funerals cry when a good bugler played this tune. This tune touches me each time that I hear it. It is fitting to play at the funerals of the warriors that have taken the last step and gone as far as they could for their country.

Just like the military ring this tune is a memorial to the one that it is played for. The military retirement ring is a just memorial for those who have served their country. It is a memorial for the years that they have sacrificed.