From the Songbond library

Just a Starting Line

SongbondRetirement

0:00–:––

A personal retirement gift for your parents

An RV in the driveway and a map folded since 1985 make this retirement example about long-postponed freedom.

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The words

Lyrics

The mailbox flag is down for good The tank is full — you knew it would be There's a road map in the kitchen drawer Folded up since 1985 Every highway you two highlighted Waiting on the day you'd have the time Well the alarm clock died this morning Nobody's gonna mourn it The road ahead is yours — every exit, every mile No boss, no clock, no Monday at your back Chase the sunrise west until it's sunset And don't you dare tell anybody when you're coming back The road ahead is yours Diner coffee in a town you can't pronounce Postcards home with no return address You gave the working years your every morning Now the mornings owe you all the rest The driveway's just a starting line You waited — now it's time The road ahead is yours — every exit, every mile No boss, no clock, no Monday at your back Chase the sunrise west until it's sunset And don't you dare tell anybody when you're coming back The road ahead is yours Forty years you watched the taillights Headed somewhere you couldn't go Tonight some kid stuck in traffic Watches your taillights glow The road ahead is yours — every exit, every mile No boss, no clock, no Monday at your back Chase the sunrise west until it's sunset And don't you dare tell anybody when you're coming back The road ahead is yours Windows down, radio loud Get gone, you've earned it now

Behind the song

The story

The RV's been gassed up in the driveway for a month, pawing at the gate. There's a road map in the kitchen drawer, folded since 1985, every highway they ever highlighted waiting on the day they'd finally have the time. Forty years of mornings that belonged to an alarm clock and a commute, vacations rationed two weeks at a stretch. The mailbox flag is down for good now. For the parents pointed at the on-ramp — diner coffee in towns they can't pronounce, and the best part of all: nobody knows when they're coming back.

The story behind this Songbond listening example.

From this song to your gift

Celebrate the plans they finally have time for

An RV in the driveway and a map folded since 1985 make this retirement example about long-postponed freedom. A family gift can thank your parents for the working years while celebrating the plans they actually want for the next chapter.

Children can give this tribute to parents approaching retirement together or starting a shared period with more time of their own.

How to give it

Give it with a note about their own plans, and avoid adding a fixed trip or itinerary unless they have asked for it.

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Giving a personal song

What if our parents do not want to travel in retirement?

Travel is this example’s setting. Your gift can celebrate gardening, time with friends, learning or a slower routine, using what they say they want.

Is this the recording I receive when I order a custom gift?

“Just a Starting Line” is a public listening example. A custom-song request uses the story you share; check the current creation page for what is included and how changes work.

Your Time Now

Retirement

Grandpa Clocks Out