By Ken Hanson
Years ago I lost a good friend,
Just after he lost his wife,
They just couldn’t beat their nicotine addiction,
Cigarettes cost them both their life.
Carl was my friend for 25 years,
A friendship based on motorcycles, pizza, and beer,
I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye,
I didn’t think his end was so near.
He would ride over with a cold six pack,
Or we would meet at a pizza place down the street,
He always had a new joke to tell me,
Our time together was such a treat.
The cancer in his throat that took his life,
He thought was just a lingering cold,
Turns out it was pretty far along,
Far enough to keep him from growing very old.
Chemo and radiation made him weak,
But it killed the cancer and kept him alive,
When they cut him open to take it out,
He wasn’t strong enough to survive.
I knew Carl during a time in my life,
When I was young and knew everything,
I miss him more than I can say,
Without him it’s just not the same.
When I was young I thought I’d live forever,
Nothing could hurt me and I’d be OK no matter what,
In my arrogance I turned my back on Jesus,
I didn’t need anyone, at least that’s what I thought.
Me and Carl we tore up the town,
Drinking and riding and acting cool,
We thought that it would go on forever,
Little did I realize I was such a fool.
During all those years of road trips and bars,
While we partied and avoided trouble somehow,
I never asked my friend if he knew Jesus,
More than anything, that’s what haunts me now.
I coulda’, because I knew Jesus,
I was saved at an early age many years before
But my lifestyle made me stray from the path,
I just didn’t care about that anymore.
I shoulda’, because I cared about my friend,
That’s what you do, make sure your friends are OK,
But alcohol and arrogance blinded me to the truth,
My decadent lifestyle had pulled me away.
I woulda’, if I was on the right path,
But I had strayed through years of sin,
I turned away from Jesus but He stood by me,
By His Grace, I’m back on the path again.
When Carl started treatment, he did pretty well,
I was sure that he would prevail,
He had a strong will and a fighting spirit,
Turned out to be to no avail.
When he went in for surgery, I told him,
“I’ll see you when this is through”,
When I was told that he didn’t make it,
A part of me died too.
If I would’ve known what was going to happen,
I would’ve turned it around and changed my way,
I would’ve made sure that he was saved,
But I didn’t, and I regret it to this day.
Coulda’ Shoulda’ Woulda’ are all words of regret,
Something we wish we’d done or didn’t do,
But it’s easy to change that and turn it around,
You can make it a positive if you really want to.
Now I say, I can, because Jesus is in my life,
I’ll never neglect a friend again,
I say, I should, because that’s what we do as Christians,
We help people find Jesus so their new life can begin.
I say, I will, because His Holy Spirit is in me,
He gives me the means to spread His Word,
I’ll never again fail to talk about salvation,
I can, I should, and I will make sure everyone has heard.
You can avoid the regret that I live with,
I’ve been there, so believe me when I say,
If there’s someone that you’re not sure about,
Tell them about Jesus, do it today,
