SDB 149 – Don’t Let the Old Man In

“Don’t Let the Old Man In” is a song written and recorded by American country music super star and Oklahoma native Toby Keith. It appears on his 2019 compilation album Greatest Hits: The Show Dog Years, and is also featured in the 2018 film The Mule.

On September 28, 2023, five years after the song’s original release, Keith performed the song at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards after being awarded the Country Icon award. The performance was one of his first following his diagnosis with stomach cancer the previous year. Following the performance, the song was reissued as a single.

While playing in a charity golf tournament, Toby was matched with the legendary Clint Eastwood. Making their way through the course and chatting about various projects both were working on, Eastwood shared that he was about to begin directing and starring in a new movie called “The Mule.” Toby Keith, in his late 50s at the time, laughed with amazement and asked how a man almost 90 years old could possibly remain as active and involved as Eastwood.

Eastwood thought for a moment, looked Toby in the eyes and responded in his famously tough-guy voice, “I don’t let the old man in.”

This encounter sparked Toby that same day to begin writing a song borrowing advice he just received on a golf course.

“Don’t let the old man in” is a song that reminds us that age is merely a number. It invites us to be more intentional in the manner we approach our days, regardless our age. It encourages us to live with vitality and to not succumb to the weariness or cynicism that can accompany aging.

Toby Keith died on February 5, 2024 from stomach cancer. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024, having been elected just hours after his death.

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