Written by Todd DeFeo, “Life Is a Good Cigar” is a reflective song about time, memory and the importance of appreciating life while it lasts.
The song is believed to date to 1998, although its precise origins are uncertain. A demo was documented on Nov. 24, 1998, as part of a group of copyright recordings made during the period surrounding the release of Running Home in 1999. The recording remains outside DeFeo’s principal released catalog.
The title supplies the song’s central metaphor. Like a good cigar, life is something to be experienced slowly and deliberately rather than rushed. The repeated phrase transforms an ordinary object into a symbol of patience, perspective and enjoyment, encouraging listeners to savor the present while they can.
The lyrics also look backward at the passing years, comparing memories to scenes unfolding on a silver screen. Time moves quickly, but the song does not approach that realization with regret. Instead, memories become evidence of experiences shared, and a life fully lived.
Simple in structure and conversational in tone, “Life Is a Good Cigar” avoids elaborate storytelling in favor of one enduring idea. The years will pass, and yesterday will gradually become memory, but life retains its value when each moment is given the time and attention it deserves.