Walnuts and Rice by Kevin Briody

Walnuts and Rice

It was a disappointing christmas
when i was just a kid
i didn't get the bike i wanted
but my brother did
surrounded by presents
all i could see was that ten speed
i looked at mom and dad and said
"it's the bike i really need"

He took one handful of walnuts
and one handful of rice
you see my dad he had a funny way
of handing out advice
first he poured the rice in
this empty candy jar
but when he poured the walnuts in
they spilled down to the floor

He said, "the walnuts are like the people you love
your mom, your brother and me
and the rice is all the things in life
that we all think we need
how we fill this empty jar
is how we live our lives
first things first, there's room for both
walnuts and rice"

Well i looked at him all confused
and he looked at me all content
as the smile grew across his face
i asked him what he meant
then he emptied out that jar
but before he put it back
this time he poured the nuts in first
and the rice filled in the cracks

Chorus

First things first there's room for both
walnuts and rice