Oh, Oh Lord Lyrics

Sixteen years ago I met a man I'd never met before
He'd just turned the age of 73
A simple, happy family man, he lived life as he wanted, and
He said something incredible to me:
“Some men want to go quietly, but I don't want to die in my sleep,”
he explained with a twinkle in his eye.
“You only get one chance to die, and I'll be damned if I waste mine
on a heart attack in the middle of the night.”

He sang:
Oh, oh Lord, let me die a slow, slow death.
Make sure my eyes are open when I take my final breath
Oh, oh Lord, when I ain't got much time left
Let me savor all the pain and plumb each moment's depth

Now at the time I thought it strange to be so comfortable with pain,
But now I know he was a wiser man than I.
For pain is a process, part of life, it enables us to feel pleasure, like
The changing of the seasons or the tides.
Well in '94 he got his wish, he was cooking when he slipped,
The knife got him right through the chest.
And at his funeral the mourners cried at the tragic way in which he died,
But I smiled when I heard his last request.

We all sang:
Oh, oh Lord, let me die a slow, slow death.
Make sure my eyes are open when I take my final breath
Oh, oh Lord, when I ain't got much time left
Let me savor all the pain and plumb each moment's depth

Oh, oh Lord, let me die a slow, slow death.
Make sure my eyes are open when I take my final breath
And I sang: oh, oh Lord, when I ain't got much time left
Let me savor all the pain and plumb each moment's depth

Now I'm not a religious man, but sometimes at night I'll fold my hands
And repeat the words that he had taught to me.
It's not a prayer exactly, but it helps me to remember not
To take my trials in life too seriously.

I whisper:
Oh, oh Lord, let me die a slow, slow death.
Make sure my eyes are open when I take my final breath
Oh, oh Lord, when I ain't got much time left
Let me savor all the pain and plumb each moment's depth

And I sing: oh, oh Lord, let me die a slow, slow death.
Make sure my eyes are open when I take my final breath
And I sing: oh, oh Lord, when I ain't got much time left
Let me savor all the pain and plumb each moment's depth

And I said oh, oh Lord... oh, oh Lord
Make sure my eyes are open, oh my
Make sure my eyes are open, Lord
when I ain't got much time left
Make sure my eyes are open when I take my final-
Take my final breath