Steve Lindsley - Ain't The Young Man I Used To Be

from Round 36, Week 2 by Monday Morning 3AM Music Club

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about

Pretty soon after Doug gave the prompt this week - to write a song from a narrator’s experience of realizing that something they had held to be true is not, in fact, true - I knew exactly what I'd write about and what kind of song it'd be. The tune is almost autobiographical - I did not play varsity football in high school. Also, I wasn't really that cool.

lyrics

I used to stay up half the night
Wake at dawn to see the morning light
Go and run six miles a day
Get a shower and be on my way

Now I walk for my exercise
Do my stretches when I rise
Knee injections to ease the pain
Oh lord, must it be this way

I ain’t the young man I used to be
Kickin back and all fancy free
I’m still chilling some
But getting old it comes
With lots of responsibilities
Life goes on and I abide
Grateful for this crazy ride
Still it's plain to see
I ain't the young man I used to be

I used to eat what I wanted to
A cheeseburger made for two
Chips and salsa for me to munch
And then decide what I’d have for lunch

Now I do my intermittent fast
Kale salad once the time has passed
Weekends are drier than the desert sand
Can someone help me understand

I ain’t the young man I used to be
Kickin back and all fancy free
Put my readers on
Getting old it comes
With eyes that have a hard time to read
Life goes on and I abide
Grateful for this crazy ride
But it's clear to me
I ain't the young man I used to be

There was a time when I was cool
Walking the halls of my high school
Playing on the varsity
Wore the letter and jacket for all to see

Now that jacket’s gone gray instead
Much like the hair that's on my head
And when I think I’m hip and so on fleek
I hear a young’n say, "Hello, Mr. Lindsley!"

He ain’t the young man he used to be
Kickin back and all fancy free
He’s still chilling some
But getting old it comes
With lots of responsibilities
Life goes on and he abides
Grateful for this crazy ride
It's an inevitability
He ain't the young man he used to be

credits

from Round 36, Week 2, released March 14, 2022

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