The Story
One day, while driving down the road, I was listening to this radio preacher talking about how if you could take the things you DREAD doing (but have GOT to do), and instead of focusing on the negatives, searched as hard as you could for any positive in the situation, no matter how crazy it might be, and focused just on that....how your life would change. It's a message I needed to hear, and one that impacted me so much, I went home and wrote this song.
Lyrics
“I got to” Those three words I grumble just like you Saying I got to I sigh and dread those things I gotta do I’ve got to get up every morning I’ve got to fight rush hour traffic I’ve got to do that nine to five thing I’ve got to pay my taxes I don’t want to, but I’ve got to Then it hits me Just when I think I’ve got it pretty bad How many folks Would gladly take those burdens off my back That big list of “I got to’s” That belongs to me and you Has got a few things on it Others wish they got to do Then a little voice Says it’s a choice You can say I got to Or you can say I get to I get to go to work and put in a good eight hours I get to cash a paycheck, get to have a job Instead of looking for work or getting laid off Sounds kind of simple, but it’s true You can say I got to Or you can say I get to A dozen times You circled around that jam packed parking lot But half a mile away Is where you found the closest empty spot Here comes that old “I got to” About how far you gotta walk As the car door slams behind you And you stomp on down the block Now there you go But don’t you know You can say I got to Or you can say I get to I get to stretch my legs and get some exercise ‘Cause I guarantee there’s someone else out there Who’d give anything to ditch that wheel chair He’d gladly walk twice as far as you So you can say I got to Or you can say I get to I know it’s just one letter out of three But take that “o” and change it to “e” Instead of saying I got to Say I get to And a lot of things might not seem all that bad That traffic jam ain’t backed up quite so far When you say I’m blessed I get to own a car And property taxes I gotta pay Are ‘cause I get to go home to a house each day You’ll see things from a different point of view When you quit saying I got to And start saying I get to Instead of I got to I get to No more I got to I’m gonna say I get to