Kenny Chesney's 2008 CD, Lucky Old Sun, photo courtesy of Sony BMG Nashville.

1. "I’m Alive"
(Kenny Chesney/Dean Dillon/Mark Tamburino)

This song was born on my boat one day with Mark Tamburino and Dean Dillon. Early the next morning, actually, because we’d been out rambling around the island ‘til about 4. Tambo had this whole melody that was really unique, and he was just playing it.

We’d promised we were gonna take some people out on the boat, but you know, that’s the night before ... and when my captain Ben woke up the next morning, I asked him if he was all right – and he said, "I’m alive ..."

We probably wrote it in 20 minutes from there. Pulled out a couple of guitars, we had the melody and wrote it in 20 minutes – because, you know, we all go through things that alter our life, but we get through them. I knew right then, that at some point, I was going to be okay.

I didn’t know when. But I knew I was healthy. I had great friends. There were a lot of people who loved me and a lot of truth left to live. I was alive, and that was a great place to start from.

2. "Way Down Here"
(Kenny Chesney/Casey Beathard/Tony Martin)

It was Christmas 2005, and I was back home on the couch. Saturday in Knoxville for Christmas Eve with my family was nice, but I was just mentally miserable – and all I could think was I need to be somewhere else.

As soon as I felt the warm air of the Caribbean, I just inhaled it and somehow felt better. I had a buddy pick me up to take me to the boat, and this was first thing I said: "If I’m gonna be down, I’ll be down here."

I wrote the title down. We started drinking immediately. But the song pretty much describes my whole first day there: leaving home, what I did when I got there, my state of mind. It just fell out.

3. "Boats"
(Kenny Chesney/Dean Dillon/Scotty Emerick)

People who have boats in their lives tend to rely on them emotionally. For some, it’s freedom. For some, it’s healing. For some, they spill drinks on ‘em. For others, it’s a way to get on with your life. For me, it was both extremes.

We were docked in St. Croix, tied down at a mooring, and there were people close by looking at us with binoculars. The part of me that feels on display at the zoo wanted to go down in the hold, but the free-spirited part of me decided to get in the dinghy and go say, "Hello."

Once the shock wore off that it was us, the guy on the boat started telling us his story. How he was from Newport, Rhode Island, and had sailed down through every island chain to get there. He’d lost his wife, so he sold everything to buy the boat, and that’s where he lived now. He’d not necessarily been through a hurricane, but when his wife died, that storm tore through his life and made him really look at everything.

Eventually, I jumped off his boat and swam back to my own, but I realized that if he and I were doing it, a lot of other people are, too. They become a refuge and a safe harbor for people. And that’s a pretty amazing thing.

4. "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven"
(Jim Collins/Marty Dodson)

It’s true, you know. Everybody wants to go to Heaven, just not today, because you still want to squeeze as much out of life as you can. You know, my whole family, especially my mother, loves life. My band, my crew all love life. My friends ? heck, my fans – those kids in the parking lot – they love life!

That’s what this is about. Doesn’t matter what faith you are, you want to get there, but at the same time, you’re not quite ready to go. I mean, if we’re drawing straws – no offense – I hope I get the long one. There’s still so much more to live, and this reminds me and everybody else: your life is now; get as much as you can.

5. "Down the Road"
(Mac McAnally)

Sometimes peace is where you find it – and where you accept it. This song is so East Tennessee, but the person has the same peace that I found in the islands. It has that same feeling.

And if you know Mac McAnally, he’s as real as this song is. It’s just so true to who he is, and I don’t know a writer who doesn’t wish they could write a song this simple that says so much ? but that’s Mac.