Story Behind The Song

It's a true story. I met this old man during a hospital visit. We both need cancer treatments and I asked him how he does it. How does he get through all this...He said "our lives are measured in days. We don't know how many we each have. We only get so many, so make em count"

Song Description

It's a simple production. A couple of guitars, mandolin and accordion. It's a bunch of guys on a back porch singing and playing a good song. Simple life. Meaning song. The song is long (5 min) but any verse can be cut easily to make it work.

Lyrics

Check in boxes

A boy lays in his bed, with presents in his head, dreaming of the days to come of reindeer and a sled. He snuck downstairs and down hall when he as heard his Daddies call. He said I'm checking for boxes dad that's all.

She watches for the mail truck - each and every day. She longs for the soldier boy that's been called up far away. He said he'll be back but don't keep track of the days. She keeps checking the box anyway .

Chorus
Checkin boxes
We Live from day to day
We're Checkin boxes
We go though life that way.
When our time is up and interrupts the life we've made.
We'll stop checkin boxes that day.

There's a man who dreamed of being big takin chances in his life. Working on that dream each day for his daughter and his wife. But the dreams are gone and days are long as his job just seemed to stall (when he retires from it all)
So he's just checking the boxes now that's all.

An old man sits across from me wearing nothing but a sheet
waiting for his treatment that he get's there once a week.
He said lifes one big calendar that leaves no room for doubt.
... so keep checkin the boxes and make em count

Chorus
Checkin boxes
We Live from day to day
We're Checkin boxes
We go though life that way.
When our time is up and interrupts the life that we've made.
We'll stop checkin boxes that day.

Bridge

Our lives are measured in days
We lose them one by one.
Winters turns to spring, as summers turns to fall - while we keep checking them off that's all.

Intro

Now I'm laying in this bedroom staring at the lights
Thinking about good memories and people in my life.
Checking off the calendar waiting for his call.
I guess I'll stop checking boxes after all.


Chorus
Checkin boxes
We Live from day to day
We're Checkin boxes
We go though life that way.
When our time is up and interrupts the life we've made.
We'll stop checkin boxes that day.

Chorus
Checkin boxes
We Live from day to day
We're Checkin boxes
We go though life that way.
When our time is up and interrupts the life we've made.
We'll stop checkin boxes that day.

The world goes round (round and round,) days go by, (as we try) life goes on and on (till they pass us by) one by one (one by one) until they're gone (until they're gone) then we're done. Life goes on.

Playlist Creator	Playlist Name	Date Added
Lyfe Concierge Publishing	BEST SONGS ON BROADJAM	2/27/2025