It’s My Birthday and I Have Unfinished Business

I’ve decided to adopt Travis Meadows‘ song ‘Unfinished Business’ as my official birthday song from today until I breathe my last.

I’m only 43 so hopefully that will be some time, but until then, I’m all about this song. I figure I’ll have some sort of project going on until the very end (so morbid, right? Sorry! It’s actually encouraging):

I got a list of things to do before I die

If I lay them all on top of each other they’d stand about 3 feet high

The devil is in the details crossing T’s and dotting I’s

Sure made it easy putting off getting around to my unfinished business

I killed a lot of years by sweating over things that didn’t last

I killed the better part of my youth by growing up way too fast

I’m almost to the age where there’s less future than there is past

My regrets are only half the size of the shadows they cast on my unfinished business

 

Chorus: I got songs that I still ain’t sung

Old fights that I’ve still not won

things I need to teach my son concerning wisdom

Itches that I still aint’ scratched

Doors and closets I still ain’t latched

Fish I need to catch

I may be tired but I ain’t leaving with unfinished business

 

I’m gonna learn a few new chords on my beat up old guitar

I’m gonna be strong enough not be ashamed of my old scars

I’m gonna run my engine hard despite all my missing parts

Spend the last of my years trying to finish when I start unfinished business

 

Chorus: I got songs that I still ain’t sung

Old fights that I’ve still not won

things I need to teach my son concerning wisdom

Itches that I still aint’ scratched

Doors and closets I still ain’t latched

Fish I need to catch

I may be tired but I ain’t leaving with unfinished business

Got kisses that I’ve still ain’t kissed

I love yous that ain’t left my lips

Dreams beyond my fingertips but I’m reaching… I’m reaching.

 

I may leave tired but I ain’t leaving with…

Yeah I may leave tired but I ain’t leaving with…

Unfinished business.

 

I got a few more things that I need to do…

 

I know it might be a little heavy, but what I love about the song is that it admits to a bit of brokenness. We all have a screw or three loose.

But in the end, I just hope to push on through and do things like finish my bathroom project or not forget how to play my guitar so I can sing and play with my daughter. Or remember how important it is to take my wife on dates and be a fun dad to my boys.

There’s no reason to lollygag through life, right? That ain’t no way to live. I’m no longer that little guy in the picture at the start of this thing. But I got a lot of living left to do. I aim to take advantage.

Here’s Travis singing the song… I recommend listening: