Toby Keith tells a story about a
playing golf with Clint Eastwood and their conversation that led to Keith
penning the lyrics for a song entitled, “Don’t Let The Old Man In”. As the story goes, Eastwood mentioned to
Keith that he would be turning 88 in a few days. Keith asked him what he was going to do for
his birthday and Eastwood replied that he was starting to film a new
movie. When asked how he keeps up his
energy level Eastwood replied “I get up every morning and just keep going, and
I don’t let the old man in.” That phrase
moved Keith so much that he became obsessed with writing the song. The movie is “The Mule” and it features the
song by Keith that was inspired by that conversation on the golf course.
I recently celebrated a milestone
birthday, no I am not 88, and I found the song to be quite meaningful. There are lines about loving your wife,
staying close to your friends, and toasting the sundown with wine, all things I
try to do. But the most striking lyrics
are…
“Ask yourself how old you'd be
If you didn't know the day you were born”
What a fascinating thought. What if you did not know how old you really
are? How would you act? How would you feel? We are too focused on the numbers associated
with age, especially the ones with a “0”.
Maybe we just need to wake up each day, ignore the number, keep going
and don’t let the old man in. I plan to
try…
(Credit my friend, and local
running legend, Jim Braden for sharing the song with me.)
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