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Lyrics

My old boss called,
Was a mentor, now friend
Just had surgery

Another ordeal in a history of
Kidneys, hips and knees

We talked about recovery,
Friends and family

He spoke solemnly of those who passed
Some he thought he’d never outlast

Sunset years
Are a downhill slide
Seems to me to be
A really rough ride

I wondered out loud
How he took it in stride
And
With good cheer he replied

Ya gotta live life philosophically
In the trials of mortality
When conditions
Are adverse
They could be better
They could be worse

Things break down
The longer you linger
You could curse heaven
And give it the finger

But that ain’t me
I thank God,
I’m still on the
Sunny side of the sod.

I see a life of gratitude
Priorities
Of what’s valued

And I see
What drives the why:
Those he loves
Fuel the fire

What he said last
Don’t seem like much
It wasn’t advice, but
I took it as such

We gave our goodbyes
And before we hung up
He said
Thank you, friend,
‘Keep in touch’.

I need you and you need me
In our trials of mortality
When conditions
Are adverse
They could be better
They could be worse

Things break down
The longer you linger
You could curse heaven
And give it the finger

But that ain’t me
I thank God
I’m still on the
Sunny side of the sod.

I need you and you need me
In our trials of mortality
When conditions
Are adverse
They could be better
They could be worse

Things break down
The longer you linger
You could curse heaven
And give it the finger

But that ain’t me
I thank God
For love here on the
Sunny side of the sod.

Every day
I thank God
For love here on the
Sunny side of the sod

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Track Notes
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Basically, a totally true song, based on my experience and phone calls I've had with my former boss and one of my favorite people of all time I'll call "Tim" (because that is his name). Tim excels at maintaining relationships with friends from decades gone by, by staying in touch. During one of our conversations, he recounted health issues he's faced as he is getting on in life. My wife, Terrie, asked how he was able to deal with all that, and Tim said (in his typical dry wit style) "Well.. at least I'm on the sunny side of the sod." I knew that was a great hook for a song, so I asked him if I could use it. He said 'yes', so I did. It's one of my favorites.

This one is for you, Tim.

Lyrics and Music: Brad Critchfield
Production and Performance: Beaird of Nashville
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