Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l’ai pas fait exprès.(“Pardon me, sir. I did not do it on purpose.”)–Marie Antoinette, as she accidentally stepped on the foot of her executioner.
Personal Optional: “I gave the winning Powerball ticket to…”
Erskine Childers: “Take a step or two forward, lads. It will be easier that way.” (Said to the firing squad at his own execution.)
Marshal Ney: “Soldiers, when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her…Soldiers, Fire!” (Also said to the firing squad at his own execution. Possibly apocrphyal that one, but it’s a great story.)
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
-Roy Batty
“Don’t let it end like this, tell them I said something.” Pancho Villa
“Shoot straight, you bastards! Don’t make a mess of it!”. Breaker Morant
Depending on circumstances I’ve already decided I might go with, “Tell my wife I love her” (I’m not and never have been married)
“All these years I’ve been leading a secret life, I’ve amassed a hidden fortune in money, all you need to do to access it is…kicks the bucket”
Although I’ve always wanted to be remembered for something like this, “Take the poor crippled orphan child and go, I’ll hold them off!”, “No DH! Don’t be a hero!”
“I Tripped”. Said in a southern/western twang. It’s either the last line, or one of the last lines in a movie my sister and I watched some 25-30 years ago. We have no idea what the name of it is because we missed the beginning of it, and the stupid TV station never came on and did any sort of “station identification” that is, no “and now back to obscure bizarre movie you’re watching at 2am”.
It’s an old black and white done in a western style. A group of people are on some sort of cattle drive, or wagon train west or something and one of the group, a young man, ends up stabbed to death and the rest of the people find his body. Then they all sit around the campfire trying to figure out “whodunit” and the rest of the movie is done in flashbacks showing how each of the others could have been the one who killed him. At the very end of the movie one of the other characters shows up and explains how he saw the whole thing, the young man tripped over a root or something and fell on the knife, and as he dies, he drawls “ah treeupt”.
Kind of a family joke now, and I’m just smartassed enough that if I was dying and had enough breath left, and my family and friends (who are in on it) were around, I’d probably smart off with just those words. And my family is the sort that would actually laugh and gain comfort from it, even though that probably sounds weird.
“Today, I am the only man alive who knows the who’s and how’s and as my end comes very shortly I’ll take this little story with me on the last walk.” — Harry Pierpont, last survivor of the Dillinger gang, before his execution.
There are those who think one of the secrets Pierpont took to his grave is the truth about Dillinger’s sidewalk execution. A convincing case was made that the man killed was a minor street thug who bore a strong resemblance to Dillinger, while John D. lived out a quiet life in the US northwest.
Since we’re apparently adding a fiction category, it behooves me to include:
“I blame society. Society made me what I am!” – Duke, Repo Man
“I would have followed you, my brother…my captain…my king.” – Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring
“What’s that smell?” – Tyler Durden, Fight Club
When my dad came back from WWII he apprenticed with an Norwegian immigrant old-style house painter. That way he could make some bucks while he got re-established and settled.
When Ole (yes, his real name) was dying Dad went to see him.
Ole was on his back in a hospital bed and the last words he said to my father before he dozed off for the day were, “Da ceilin’ neets paintin’.”
My mother’s last words were to me in four phrases spoken between periods of unconsciousness. In this order:
Remember, we are strong people. We can survive anything.
Let me hear from you some time.
Don’t forget me.
I love you.
And I like the possibly apocryphal, “I told you I was sick.”
Same here Canvas Shoes. We’ve been laughing forever over this line and can’t remember.
Our three best bets are “The Outrage” with Paul Newman, “Texas Across the River.” and “4 For Texas.” But I can’t nail it down.
“The Outrage” is based on “Rashomon” an old story where everyone gives version of an incident implicating others and making himself the hero. So maybe it’s the former?
Those are wonderful. I’m feeling similarly sentimental. My favorite last words: “You’re my special girl. I love you so much,” spoken to me by my grandmother. Not sure if she knew it was me or not, but it doesn’t matter. Her last words were her loving someone, so I’m happy with that.
It’s such a bittersweet joy and we are lucky people.
I’m still trying to figure out how to get in touch with her sometime. I go out and sit with her but the spirit has flown.
Back to the OP theme. I believe Ole, who had probably never read a word of Oscar Wilde, may have had a similar aesthetic nonetheless. Didn’t Oscar say something about his dislike of the wallpaper before he died?