Stop And Smell The Roses

A man hurrying through the city gets stopped mid-stride in Candi Staton's "Stop And Smell The Roses." The opening line, "Hey Mister," addresses him directly, and the argument that follows is simple: "the sweetest things in life are free," and they sit "right before your eyes" while he fixates on work and worry.

Each verse supplies a concrete test. Did he spend time with his family before leaving that morning? Did he kiss his wife and tell her she's pretty, or hold his children tenderly? Then the scene moves outdoors, to a walk in the forest where a person can look up through the leaves "right straight to heaven" and almost hear the voice of God in every breeze. The refrain pairs two commands, smell the roses and count your blessings every day, and attaches a warning: skip them, and the road to heaven turns rough and rocky.

The gentle counsel echoes Jesus' call to consider the lilies in Matthew 6:28 and the psalmist's instruction to forget none of God's benefits in Psalm 103:2, while Psalm 46:10's call to be still fits the pause the singer keeps urging. Gratitude, here, is what keeps hurry from crowding out heaven.