75 AND SUNNY

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I’d had a bad night

I mean a night so bad, I thought I was king of the world

And I drank ‘til daylight

I mean I never stopped once until my hands finally fell

And I fought my daytime self with a mighty dose of, “Hey, look at night time me!”

And I never do win that battle, but I fight it over and over and over it seems

 

And I saw an old man

Smiling on a park bench feeding the pigeons

My head was spinning

And as my young body ached I wished for an old man’s vision

And I watched the way he moved--slow, serene and lucky to be alive

And I thought to myself, “I’m never gonna make it that far with too many more nights like last night.”

 

And I’d rather be 75 and sunny

Than acting like I’m 17 and freezing again

I’d rather be up early in the morning

Than up late at night erasing memories of where I’ve been

Or to be through at 52 someday stone-faced and bleary-eyed You’d better believe I’m living for the moment but my moment’s growing bigger by and by

 

And I’ve got a best friend

She don’t drink or smoke like I’ve been known to

She’s got religion

And she’s a one-woman dynamo and lights up every room she goes to

And she says the light that’s there won’t go nowhere, no way

She don’t spend every second smiling, but she’s learning something exciting every day

 

She’d rather be 75 and sunny

Than 29 with a chance of showers all the time

She’d rather be old as dirt

Than new as any $9 bottle of wine

Or to be thawed at 35, mama, stoned with her back to the wind You better believe she’s living for the moment but her moment is the whole damn thing

 

And I see these spin kids

Double wide-eyed rolling and rolling and tumbling

They’re roaming in inches

Taking the high dive approach and screaming towards the water Their hearts race a million miles as they buy another smile from a jar

Their bodies are screaming for the water and, you know, I just hope they can make it that far

 

I hope they’re 75 and sunny

Not 29 with a chance of flurries all the time

I hope we’re all old as dirt

Not new as every $25 ride that we try

Or to be thawed at 35, mama, stoned with our backs to the wind You’d better believe I’m living for the moment, but my moment, son, is the whole damn thing

 

And I say I’d rather be 75, oh, how nice, how easy for me to say

I’ve never broken a bone in my life, let alone had my heart or a hip replaced

And I keep this furious pace

And I still feel so good and strong

And I still get tempted for a taste

Just a taste

To keep me going, going, going, going

Gone

 

But I’ve got a notion

That everything I’ve leaned has been coming ‘round

And my devotion to the new thing and the next thing and the hip thing is slowing down

And I’ve got a light in here, won’t go nowhere, no way

And I don’t spend every second smiling

But I’m excited for every day

 

‘Cause I’d rather be 75 and sunny

Than 29 with a chance of showers all the time

I’d rather be old and in the way than this year’s new kid running for my life

Or to be thawed at 35, mama, stone-faced and bleary-eyed

You better believe I’m living for the moment, but my moment

You better believe I’m living for the moment, but these moment

You better believe I’m living for the moment, but my moment’s growing bigger by and by

 

By and by