Old Man Neil Young Cover

Old Man
Single by Neil Young
from the album Harvest
B-side "The Needle and the Damage Done"
Released April 17, 1972
Recorded January-September, 1971
Genre Country rock
Label Reprise
Writer(s) Neil Young
Producer Neil Young
Elliot Mazer
Henry Lewy
Jack Nitzsche
"Old Man" is a song written and performed by Neil Young on his 1972 album Harvest.

The song was written for the caretaker of the northern-California Broken Arrow Ranch, which Young purchased for $350,000 in 1970. The song compares a young man's life to an old man's and shows that the young man has, to some extent, the same needs of the old one. James Taylor played six-string banjo (tuned like a guitar) and sang on the song, and Linda Ronstadt also contributed vocals.

In the movie Heart of Gold, Young introduces the song as follows:

About that time when I wrote that song [the previously played "Heart of Gold"], and I was touring, I had also -- 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 Avala and his wife Clara. And there was this old blue Jeep there, and Louis took me for a ride in this blue Jeep. He gets me up there on the top side of the place, and there's this lake up there that fed all the pastures, and he says, "Well, tell me, how does a young man like yourself have enough money to buy a place like this?" And I said, "Well, just lucky, Louie, just real lucky." And he said, "Well, that's the darndest thing I ever heard." And I wrote this song for him.—Neil Young

He tells a similar story when introducing the song at a February 23, 1971 performance broadcast by the BBC (in which he says that he purchased the ranch from "two lawyers").
Above from Wikipedia

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.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• acoustic
• country
• cover
• harvestmoon713
• man
• neil
• old
• rock
• young

[lma2130]

gr8 job! i never knew that story before. very cool :)

[HarvestMoon713]

Thanks :o Well, that's the darndest thing I ever heard.

[jabman549]

ha! this is it! - just listened to a couple of your songs and was trying to figure out what the best type of songs would be for your voice - this is it...Neil Young...but I suppose you already knew that......great job.

[usaisadump]

Very nice version. My critique: commit the lyrics to memory beforehand so you may look into the audience for the perfomance...and, most importantly, take singling lessons! It's perfectly clear that you have natural talent. One or two hours with a professional would take you from YouTube to the stage. Well done.

[BringBackBlink1]

sounds like neil

nice (-:

[MMSMikey]

good effort man, can tell you really love neil...keep it up.

[0gmo]

Definitely out of tune.

[iciavosser]

Hey dude, good job. I think N Young would say so, too. One can tell you're a fan of the music and that's cool.

[ParadiseEarth1]

One of my all time fav***** Nice work Nick, and I hope Issue No. 1 on the headlines is not affecting you and your family. :^)

[CodyXWay]

Great job! I liked it my friend :] Ignore the haters. They're jealous :]

Im 17 && I even know what Im talking about

[msixny]

if neil ever heard that he would propally have another annurizam! learn to tune toyr guitar and invest in a tab sheet..