I first heard Neil Young's song, Old Man, back when I was in my early 20s. I never thought, at the time, that I'd someday relate to those lyrics, but here I am fifty years later...listening to the beautiful words once again.
The song is actually about a caretaker on Young's ranch, but so much of the hit record from 1972 is about how life wears you down -- the lyrics involve a certain amount of soul searching... a young man's view of getting old and the mistakes he's made...or may make along the way. There are different ways to interpret the song, but that's the beauty of the lyrics.
I love those old tunes from the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s -- back when I was a young man, back when I listened to such singing greats like Bob Seger and three of his masterpieces -- Like a Rock, Turn the Page and Against the Wind.
For sure I'm an old man now, not sure if I was ever a rock -- as in rock solid. I have certainly turned my share of pages over the years and I can't tell you how many times I've battled my way down a lonesome road -- against the wind.
When I was a little boy, long before my parents made the move to Arizona, I lived on my grandparents' farm in Central Arkansas. I would leave the farmhouse with my Grandpa and we'd journey up the railroad track to the small town of Jacksonville. We'd end up at the local hardware store and I would go inside and reach in the cookie canister and grab a couple of sugar cookies, under the watchful eye of the proprietor of course, and then I'd rush outside and sit on a bench, next to two old men and begin to chomp down on the first of the two cookies.
The two old men were discussing the price of soybeans and then they moved on to other matters -- like solving the world's problems. I was fascinated with the two elderly gentlemen. I firmly believe, it was then and there when I started developing my love for the older generation -- their stories, their history...their outlook on life...their struggles...and their successes. My grandparents, too.
Young people can learn a lot from the older generation. Of course, communication is key. But therein lies the rub. Relationships: young and old, father-son, mother-daughter...you name it, it takes effort, understanding and maybe a little luck, like a casual meeting with someone, followed by a cup of coffee and the beginning of a friendship or maybe even a love affair.
Getting a little off track here. Take for instance a father-son relationship, best illustrated by a movie I saw many moons ago. My goodness, it was back in 1986 and it was called Nothing in Common. The movie, starred Jackie Gleason and Tom Hanks. It was Gleason's last movie. He would pass away within a year after the movie was released.
Hanks played a young advertising executive and Gleason played his father -- a salesman at the end of his career. Gleason's character, Max, was married to Lorraine, played by Eva Marie Saint, and after 38 years of marriage, the marriage was ending. Max was a tough cookie and it was up to David (Hanks) to put Humpty Dumpty back together, or at least try.
If you have ever had a tough relationship, then the ending of Nothing In Common will tear at your heartstrings.
Bottom line: We all go through our share of pain and agony. As I said in a previous post, we can sit comfortably in our recliner, smile at the grandchildren, while we look back and cherish such things as the two old men in front of the hardware store, the many experiences we've had along the way, the relationships we've had, good or bad...and yet here we sit. We survived it all.
Photo: The old man himself, not quite ready for the rocking chair, but getting close.
No comments:
Post a Comment