THE UP AND DOWN OF GROWING OLD Property Of TENBREATHSUN © [Style Tags] male deep baritone, slow reflective folk-country ballad, fingerpicked acoustic guitar, soft piano, warm analog mix, Tragically Hip atmospheric storytelling, gentle steel guitar accents, ~68 BPM [Intro] (soft fingerpicked guitar, let it sit quiet) [Verse 1] Used to lay awake and dream of sixty-five All the things I'd do once I was still alive To do 'em on my own time, no clock to answer to Funny how those dreams don't always follow through [Verse 2] I had a list a mile long, back when I was young Places I would go, songs I hadn't sung Now I'm here at last, and the list's still on the shelf Seems like overnight I turned into myself [Chorus] That's the up and down of growin' old Some days you're rich, some days you're cold The picture that you painted way back when Comes out a little blurry now and then That's the up and down of growin' old [Verse 3] Rural livin' means four seasons, and each one wants its due Every season askes you if your cylinders are true Summer says cut that grass, boy, keep the yard in line Some days it's nothin', some days my body draws the line [Verse 3b] Winter's got its own way of askin' who's in charge Snow don't care about the shape you're in, it falls at large Some days I clear that driveway and I barely feel the cold Other days the fibro decides before I'm even told [Verse 3c] Thirteen steps down to the yard, used to run 'em two by two Now I stand up at the top and wonder will they let me through Body's got its own opinion, don't ask me, it just knows Some days I'm fine and dandy, some days nothin' goes [Chorus] That's the up and down of growin' old Some days you're rich, some days you're cold The picture that you painted way back when Comes out a little blurry now and then That's the up and down of growin' old [Verse 3d] People drive on by and shake their heads at what they see Old farmhouse, grass grown tall, must be lazy, must be me They don't know what's underneath, they don't know how it feels They just see the grass, not the body that it steals [Verse 3e] Winter's worse, I'm stuck here, fibro callin' all the shots Most days it says not much, and most days that's all I got No neighbor close to lend a hand, no friend to see me through It don't get done till I find strength — that's just what I do [Bridge] (quiet, half-spoken) Some days it feels like punishment, doin' it on my own No help around when the body won't leave me alone Maybe the dream was never in the doin' Maybe it's just findin' strength when there's none left to chase [Verse 4] So I'll take the good days when they come around Sit out on the porch and listen to the sound Of a life that's slower now, not the one I'd planned But it's mine to hold, right here in my own hand [Final Chorus] That's the up and down of growin' old Some days you're rich, some days you're cold The dream don't have to be the one that came true Long as I'm still here to see it through That's the up and down of growin' old [Outro] (guitar fades slow, let the last chord ring) Growin' old... growin' old... {Property Of TENBREATHSUN ©}
