Introduction
“My List” is a reflective country ballad recorded by Toby Keith and written by Tim James and Rand Bishop. Released as the third single from Keith’s 2001 album Pull My Chain, the track was issued to radio on January 1, 2002 and quickly became one of the album’s standout moments.
Rather than a swaggering bar anthem, the song foregrounds quiet domestic detail: its narrator keeps a paper list of daily chores but ultimately decides to prioritize the people he loves over routine tasks, resolving to “start livin’” and spend time with family. That plainspoken, everyday storytelling—small images and a simple epiphany—helped the song connect with a broad audience.
On the charts, “My List” proved commercially powerful: it reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and held that position for multiple weeks, while also crossing over to the Billboard Hot 100. That chart success reinforced Pull My Chain as a commercial high point for Keith in the early 2000s.
The song’s music video, filmed in Ridgetop, Tennessee, is notable for how it visually anchored the track to the mood of the moment: footage related to the September 11 attacks appears at the beginning, and the video premiered on CMT on New Year’s Day 2002—choices that gave the song an added layer of resonance for listeners processing national events.
Toby Keith also performed “My List” on television, appearing with the song in an episode of Touched by an Angel that aired in November 2001, which introduced the song’s theme to a broad audience before its single release. Today, “My List” remains a frequently cited example of Keith’s softer side—an accessible, radio-ready ballad that encouraged listeners to rethink everyday priorities and cherish family.
Video
Lyrics
Under an old brass paperweight
Is my list of things to do today
Go to the bank and the hardware store
Put a new lock on the cellar door
I cross ’em off as I get ’em done
But when the sun is settled
There’s still more than a few things left
I haven’t got to yet
Go for a walk, say a little prayer
Take a deep breath of mountain air
Put on my glove and play some catch
It’s time that I make time for that
Wade the shore and cast a line
Look up an old lost friend of mine
Sit on the porch and give my girl a kiss
Start livin’, that’s the next thing on my list
Wouldn’t change the course of fate
The cutting the grass just had to wait
‘Cause I’ve got more important things
Like pushin’ my kid on the backyard swing
I won’t break my back for a million bucks
I can’t take to my grave
So why put off for tomorrow
What I could get done today
Like go for a walk, say a little prayer
Take a deep breath of mountain air
Put on my glove and play some catch
It’s time that I make time for that
Wade the shore, cast a line
Look up an old lost friend of mine
Sit on the porch and give my girl a kiss
Start livin’, that’s the next thing on my list
Raise a little hell, laugh ’til it hurts
Put an extra five in the plate at church
Call up my folks just to chat
It’s time that I make time for that
Stay up late, and oversleep
Show her what she means to me
Catch up on all the things I’ve always missed
Just start livin’, that’s the next thing on my list
Under an old brass paperweight
Is my list of things to do today