Most of the album was already recorded when Tom and I wrote this song. We each independently came to the conclusion that it should be added as the title track. Meant to be, I reckon.
Lyrics
IT MATTERS
©2024 C. Daniel Boling—Perfectly Stable Music/ASCAP
& Tom Paxton—Bristow Songs/SESAC
It's why a teacher teaches – It’s why a writer writes
Why a demonstrator goes to jail for other people’s rights
Why a daddy leaves for work most days before it’s even light
Why a mama stitches school clothes in the middle of the night
It matters to your spirit – It matters to your soul
It matters that we do our best to keep each other whole
Things we set in motion never stay in our control
It matters that you do the things you do
It matters that you keep on being you
It matters
The nurse who works the night shift – The policeman on the beat
The checker at the grocery with the aching back and feet
They work behind the scenes – They leave nothing incomplete
They keep on keeping on – The bugle never sounds retreat
It matters to somebody you might never even meet
Someone who wouldn’t know you if they passed you on the street
But somehow you help make their life a little more complete
It matters that you do the things you do
It matters that you keep on being you
It matters
You never waste a random act of kindness
You don’t forget the ones that you receive
The toughest foe I face is my own blindness
We all struggle sometimes, I believe
It matters that you do the things you do
It matters that you keep on being you
It matters
You matter