‘One More Sunset’ by Kenny Chesney - Lyrics & Meaning

Kenny Chesney's 2024 album, BORN - his first project since 2020's Here and Now - is fuelled by the Knoxville hitmaker's perennial optimism and positivity, epitomised by ‘One More Sunset’.

Similarly to the caffeinated title-track and the playful ‘Few Good Stories’, ‘One More Sunset’ pivots around Kenny's determination to seize the moment and make the most of each day.

Co-written by Brett James, Danny Myrick and Tim James, ‘One More Sunset’ toes the line between Kenny Chesney's signature island-inspired ambience and the high-energy, rock-tinged vibe he infuses into fan-favourites such as ‘Noise’, ‘Pirate Flag’ and ‘Bucket List’.

Kenny Chesney and his trusty co-producer, Buddy Cannon, ensure ‘One More Sunset’ is an invigorating anthem through the combination of stormy electric guitars that punctuate the opening verse. The lively beat keeps the energy levels high as Kenny charges into the celebratory hook, before the instrumental is stripped-back slightly to help give the alluring post-chorus an extra sense of gravity and drama.

“Both hands of time keep tickin’

Even if I don’t wanna admit it

Can’t catch that one more minute

Once it’s gone I’m like a midnight gambler

Making the most of the moments that matter

That good vibe standard time’s the one I’m living on

I got”

‘One More Sunset’ revolves around the looming prospect of ageing and its accompanying limitations, with Kenny Chesney deciding to accept the inevitability of this.

Instead of wallowing in this knowledge, he uses it as fuel to give each day added lustre, with Kenny describing himself as a ‘Midnight gambler’ (possibly a reference to The Rolling Stones’ song, ‘Midnight Rambler’). He rolls the dice and lives life to its fullest, rather than tip-toeing through his days haunted by a fear of death.

He rejects the rules of time, joking that he's moving at his own pace - ‘Good Vibes Standard Time’.

“One more never forget it night

One more look at the morning light

Long as there’s a breath in me

I know there’ll always be

One more dream to dream on

A sweet summertime drink to drink on

Another One Love song to sing and

One more sunset to see”

Kenny determines to squeeze every last drop he can from life, seeking out ‘one more sunset’, ‘one more dream’ and ‘one more look at the morning light’. As long as he's breathing, he knows he'll always have one more moment of magic to look forward to.

There's a charming nod to his iconic 2005 track, ‘Summertime’, in the hook for ‘One More Sunset’, as well as a reference to Bob Marley's ‘One Love’. Kenny has cited Bob Marley as a key influence over the years, even paying tribute to him via 2013's ‘Marley’.

“This spinning ball keeps spinning around

That man in the sky keeps setting ‘em down

I ain’t done yet

I got one more sunset”

Kenny links back to the gambling lyric here, as he paints a picture of the ball gliding round and round on the roulette wheel. The implication is he knows one day his number will be up and his time on Earth will come to an end, but as long as ‘That man in the sky keeps setting ‘em down’, he certainly won't be wasting any of the days he's given.

“Pack light, nothing heavy

Top down, always ready

Just like old William said “to thine own self be true”

I had a late night too drunk realization

When that love train leaves the station

It ain’t slowing down and it ain’t waiting around on you

I got”

Kenny Chesney outlines how he'll be packing light for the adventure ahead, suggesting he no longer concerns himself with material possessions thanks to his ‘carpe diem’ outlook on life. He tips his cowboy hat to another stand-out from BORN, ‘Top Down’, in this verse, before quoting the famous William Shakespeare line - ‘To thine own self be true’ - taken from Act 1 Scene 3 of Hamlet.

The ‘Just To Say We Did’ singer-songwriter introduces a romantic element when he explains how, once the ‘love train’ leaves the station without you, it won't wait for you to catch up. As a result, Kenny resolves to fall hard and love deeply, so he doesn't miss out on getting to share his ‘One More Sunset’ with somebody else.

During his 2024 interview with Holler, Kenny Chesney delved into the appreciation and gratitude that colours much of BORN, including ’One More Sunset’, “When you stop chasing cars that don't matter and you recognize how awesome your roots are? What's not to be grateful about? When you appreciate something, no matter how small, it becomes that much more important. I've tried to record songs that really hone in on that idea. To sing those kinds of things - whether sad, trying to figure something out or thrilled about what happened - is what being an artist is all about. Authenticity, honesty, digging deeper into the good and bad times? When you're clear about all that, you can find gratitude for every single moment. When you want what you have, that's everything”.

“Both hands of time keep tickin’

Even if I don’t wanna admit it

Can’t catch that one more minute

Once it’s gone I’m like a midnight gambler

Making the most of the moments that matter

That good vibe standard time’s the one I’m living on

I got

One more never forget it night

One more look at the morning light

Long as there’s a breath in me

I know there’ll always be

One more dream to dream on

A sweet summertime drink to drink on

Another One Love song to sing and

One more sunset to see

This spinning ball keeps spinning around

That man in the sky keeps setting ‘em down

I ain’t done yet

I got one more sunset

Pack light, nothing heavy

Top down, always ready

Just like old William said “to thine own self be true”

I had a late night too drunk realization

When that love train leaves the station

It ain’t slowing down and it ain’t waiting around on you

I got

One more never forget it night

One more look at the morning light

Long as there’s a breath in me

I know there’ll always be

One more dream to dream on

A sweet summertime drink to drink on

Another One Love song to sing and

One more sunset to see

This spinning ball keeps spinning around

That man in the sky keeps setting ‘em down

I ain’t done yet

I got one more sunset

I got

One more sunset

One more sunset

I ain’t done yet

I got one more sunset to see

One more never forget it night

One more look at the morning light

Long as there’s a breath in me

I know there’ll always be

One more dream to dream on

A sweet summertime drink to drink on

Another One Love song to sing and

One more sunset to see

This spinning ball keeps spinning around

That man in the sky keeps setting ‘em down

I ain’t done yet

I got one more sunset to see

This spinning ball keeps spinning around

That man in the sky keeps setting ‘em down

I ain’t done yet

I got one more sunset”

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