Old Man

Old Man er fra Neil Youngs fjerde album Harvest (1972), og blev skrevet til Louis Avila, gårdmand på Northern California Broken Arrow Ranch, som Young købte for $350.000 i 1970. Sangen sammenligner en ung mands liv med en gammel mands og viser, at den unge mand til en vis grad har de samme behov som den gamle.

Sangen var på sætlisten første gang under Youngs Journey Through the Past Solo Tour, hvor han blandt andet havde besøgt Massey Hall i Toronto den 19. januar – en koncert, der siden er udgivet som en fremragende dokumentation på netop disse solooptrædener.

Den 23. februar 1971 besøgte Neil Young BBC studierne i England, hvor de fremmødte engelske publikum får en fremragende soloudgave af sangen at høre. Her fortæller Young også historien bag sangen, at han netop har købt en ranch af to advokater, og så fulgte der denne her gamle gårdmand med i købet.

Albumversionen af Old Man blev indspillet på samme tid, under de indledende sessions til Harvest den 6.-8. februar 1971 i Quadrafonic Sound Studios i Nashville, Tennessee. James Taylor synger kor og spiller seksstrengede banjo (stemt som en guitar) på albumversionen. Linda Ronstadt er også med på kor. De to var i Nashville på det tidspunkt for at optræde i Johnny Cashs tv-program, og albummets producer Elliot Mazer fik arrangeret det, så de kom forbi og sang kor for Young. Det gør de i øvrigt også på Heart Of Gold, der blev indspillet under samme session.

I had just, you know, being a rich hippie for the first time, I had purchased a ranch, and I still live there today. And there was a couple living on it that were the caretakers, an old gentleman named Louis Avila and his wife Clara.

— Neil Young

Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were

Old man, look at my life
Twenty four and there’s so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two

Love lost, such a cost
Give me things that don’t get lost
Like a coin that won’t get tossed
Rolling home to you

Old man, take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
The whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
And you can tell that’s true

Lullabies, look in your eyes
Run around the same old town
Doesn’t mean that much to me
To mean that much to you

I’ve been first and last
Look at how the time goes past
But I’m all alone at last
Rolling home to you

Old man, take a look at my life
I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me
The whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes
And you can tell that’s true

Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were

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