He said
"I was in my early forties
With a lot of life before me
And a moment came that stopped me on a dime
I spent most of the next days
Looking at the x-rays
Talkin' 'bout the options
And talkin' 'bout sweet time"
I asked him
"When it sank in
That this might really be the real end
How's it hit you
When you get that kind of news?
Man, what'd you do?"

He said
"I went skydiving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Blue Manchu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying"
And he said
"Someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying"

He said
"I was finally the husband
That most of the time I wasn't
And I became a friend a friend would like to have
And all of a sudden going fishin'
Wasn't such an imposition
And I went three times that year I lost my dad
I finally read the Good Book, and I
Took a good, long, hard look
At what I'd do if I could do it all again
And then

I went skydiving
I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Blue Manchu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying"
And he said
"Someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying
Like tomorrow was a gift
And you've got eternity
To think about
What you'd do with it
What could you do with it
What did I do with it?
What would I do with it?

Skydiving
I went Rocky mountain climbing
I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Blue Manchu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I watched an eagle as it was flying"
And he said
"Someday I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dying
To live like you were dying
To live like you were dying"



Lyrics submitted by diegorockusa

Track duration: 04:48

"Live Like You Were Dying" as written by James Timothy/wiseman Nichols

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Live Like You Were Dyin' song meanings
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27 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:this song is the greatest.. ever s9ince i heard it i started doing things i never would have done before (skydiving, parasailing, bungee jumping, ziplining 3000 ft up,stunting on my horse)because i realized that anything could happen and i may not even live t see tomorrow. i need to make the best out of my life because i WONT get a second chance. some people may intrprit it differently though, thing such as thinkin "well if im going to die i better make that time farther away and not DO anything" but thats not it. everyone will die someday (hate to break it to ya but thats true) so what will it matter if you take risks? life is about taking chances, taking a hit then moving on.

    Flag chillyfrog2011on March 30, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:ok, this probably shouldn't be confusing but i have never understood who is dying... the guy who the narrator is talking to seems to be the one... but then he says "i went three times that year i lost my dad" ... was his dad also dying at the same time? or did that happen first?
    Flag harmoniouson May 03, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I originally heard this song a while ago on a easy listening station while commercials were hoarding my usual stations. I thought it was a great song and, being from Philly, knew the meaning immediately, but it didn't take on a personal meaning until my own father was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. He was diagnosed at 62 so he was older than Tug when he found out so he really couldn't do a lot of the things the song implies. However, the song does give a very optimistic view on how life should be viewed to make it better for everyone involved. My father died yesterday. He was always a Half-Empty kind of man, and never made anything simple for anyone but his grandbabies. I wish he could have lived like this so he could have enjoyed his last year to the fullest, and so the rest of us who loved him could have enjoyed spending time with him. My oldest brother said it best when we were in the ER. He said, out of nowhere mind you, " I wish dad had a Fu Manchu." Regardless of who wrote the song, the song itself was performed excellently, and the message was crystal-clear. Being negative and not enjoying life while it's still around is never healthy for you or anyone around you, so think before you act, and if, God forbid, you find yourself in this scenario, don't dwell on why, but act on all the things you wish you could've done before.
    Flag wayngroveon January 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I had a hard time understanding what the bull's name was until I actually saw the lyrics. Now I can hear that Fumanchu is what he's saying........I think this song is kind of like a wake up call, I've known people who were still in high school who died of cancer, long before they thought they'd be leaving this world.
    Flag rockerpoeton July 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:[[And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying]]
    last chorus that line changes to [[and i watched an eagle as it was flyin.]]
    just so you know =]
    Flag lgfuadon June 12, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:What a gr8 song nd an inspiration of how we should live our lives and how we all rush around and dont take time to think about life
    Flag petecon April 20, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I LOVE HTIS SONG! so inspirational. Its a really good slow dance song too........ makes you want to live, laugh, love.


    So funny though
    my friend and I couldn't figure out what the hell he was saying :

    I went two point seven seconds on a
    bull named Fumanchu

    What an awesome bull name!
    Flag alexis.xoxon February 08, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this is song is amazeming!!!!!!!! some of my friends played this song in honor of my friend's grandmother who had just passed away
    Flag cheergrlmscon November 03, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:why is there so many comments sayin you "dont usually like country". i WAS like this where i said i dont like pop/r'n'b blah blah music. but you gotta open your mind for music. you miss out on too many great songs if you refuse to listen to music because it's from a certain artist or from a certain genre. sorry this is a bit of a rant but FOR GOD SAKE PEOPLE, OPEN YOUR MIND
    Flag dunstableon July 18, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:why is there so many comments sayin you "dont usually like country". i WAS like this where i said i dont like pop/r'n'b blah blah music. but you gotta open your mind for music. you miss out on too many great songs if you refuse to listen to music because it's from a certain artist or from a certain genre. sorry this is a bit of a rant but FOR GOD SAKE PEOPLE, OPEN YOUR MIND
    Flag dunstableon July 18, 2006   Link

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