Man List
Verse 1
Grandpa sat me down one summer,
On the tailgate of his old truck,
Said, “Son, there’s things a boy should learn
Before he grows up.”
He said, “There ain’t no paper for it,
No place you have to sign,
But there’s a list every man should know,
And I’ll teach you mine.”
He said, “First you love the Lord above,
And keep Him in your heart.
He’ll be the one you lean on
When you don’t know where to start.”
Chorus
Check it off the man list, one by one,
Learn to work hard, learn to have some fun.
Stand up tall, be strong and kind,
Keep your word and hold your line.
Love the Lord, love your family,
Give more than you take.
When the road gets rough and you’re scared to death,
Have the courage to face it anyway.
You don’t become a man just growing up—
You become a man by the choices that you make.
Yeah, check it off the man list.
Verse 2
Gramps taught me how to ride a bike,
Then let go and watched me fall.
He said, “Get back up and try again,
You won’t always get it right at all.”
Dad taught me how to bait a hook,
And how to start a fire.
Dad showed me how to throw a curveball,
And dad and Grandpa took me turkey hunting.
They both said, “Don’t be afraid
To try what you’ve never done.
You’ll get a few bumps and bruises,
But that’s how growing up is won.”
Chorus
Check it off the man list, one by one,
Learn to work hard, learn to have some fun.
Stand up tall, be strong and kind,
Keep your word and hold your line.
Love the Lord, love your family,
Give more than you take.
When the road gets rough and you’re scared to death,
Have the courage to face it anyway.
You don’t become a man just growing up—
You become a man by the choices that you make.
Yeah, check it off the man list.
Bridge
Now I’ve got a couple boys of my own,
And I hear Grandpa in my voice.
I see their eyes, I see their questions,
I see them making their own choice.
So I tell them, “Love the Lord first,
Honor your family, do what’s right.
Work for what you have, help the ones who need you,
And don’t back down from life.”
Final Chorus
Check it off the man list, one by one,
Learn to work hard, learn to have some fun.
Stand up tall, be strong and kind,
Keep your word and hold your line.
Love the Lord, love your family,
Give more than you take.
When the road gets rough and you’re scared to death,
Have the courage to face it anyway.
You don’t become a man just growing up—
You become a man by the choices that you make.
Tag
Grandpa never wrote it down,
Dad never needed a pen.
It’s a list that lives inside your heart,
And gets passed down again.
Love the Lord.
Love your family.
Do what’s right.
And when life gets hard…
Stand tall, boys.
That’s the man list.
