Kenny Chesney - “Don’t Blink”

Matt….I thought the same thing when I first heard this song…..doesn’t make sense…too much rambling. However, it will fly to the top of the charts like all his songs whether they make sense or not passing a lot better songs!

I loved this song!! If you have children or have lost someone close in your life, you can defintely relate!!
Kenny nails it again!!

i adsore this song.it is so true about how life can pass so quickly.at first days seem to pass by like a freught train and then the next you’re thinking that it went by like a jaguar.

Isn’t the fleeting nature of life and the need to enjoy the precious moments while they last pretty much the subject of about half of all mainstream country music being made right now?

A better analogy definitely could have been used to convey the message that life goes by too fast, but the subject matter is light enough so that it fits in seamlessly with the current radio fare. Gloria already called it, and I agree that despite the “non-sensical rambling” of the lyrics Chesney will rack up another hit with this one–as evidenced by the previous comments and booming traffic to this specific post.

Love it! I have two wonderful kids who just keep growing and it just goes by so quick. I also have just lost my God Daughter(my best friends little girl) and so this song really hits home! I cried hearing it on the treadmill today at the gym for the first time! I think it is wonderful and will be on my mp3 player ASAP!

“Unfortunately, some bad songs do fit seamlessly with the current radio fare.”

Just “some”? That’s pretty charitable.

I think this song is inspired by a letter my best friend wrote to him.

Keep dreaming, JL. By the way, Kenny didn’t write this song.

I love this song. After losing our baby boy in December at 33 days old, this song really hits home with me (and I’m sure a lot of other people). Don’t Blink makes perfect sense to me. He is real and talks about real life! I can honestly say that I love ALL of his songs!!!!

Actually Id like to say something. Casey Beathard and I (Chris Wallin) wrote this song when we got to talking about all the loved ones we have lost in the last 2 years. I myself have lost my mother,brother,grandmother and aunt in the last couple of years.Casey had suffered loses also. We were talking about how time goes so fast and how people dont realize there making memories while there unfolding. Between Casey and I we’ve had alot of hit songs but this one is the most special. Tell me this what part dont you understand? What doesnt make sense? This song is rocketing up the charts and Im already getting calls and e-mails from people who this song has touched and blessed. I want to know what I did that “doesnt make sense” so I can do that from now on. Its working for me.

Chris, I congratulate you on what is likely another hit single. I’m not arguing that the sentiment behind the song is non-sensical and I don’t doubt that it’s genuine. However, the writing sounds heavy-handed to me. I understand that songwriters do what they have to do to get songs cut and that artists may not cut what a songwriter believes to be his/her best material. Thus, while I often criticize songwriting in my reviews, this criticism seldom constitutes denigration of the ability of the songwriter. Nevertheless, I maintain that the writing on this single is the weakest of your hit cuts.

I loved the dad in this video. When he hugged the little boy at the end, it brought tears to my eyes. Great job Kenny!!!!

Hey Chris Wallen . I hope you’re reading this. I was big part of this video. I was the father in it ( thanks for the comments Jillian & carolyn ). I lost both my parents in the last 3 years along with a wife. Im a single dad who really understands what this song is all about. The irony of this song & myself playing the role of the guy who figures out to slow down & appreciate whats’s in front him ( wife & kid ) is way to coincidental. This song is meant for the people out there who’ve had real life changing experiences, people who are spiritual, and people who understand and embrace sentiment. Chris, dont question these people that say ” does’nt make sense”. When these people need something or someone to embrace, when life takes a turn for a the worst, maybe then they’ll turn on the radio, hear this song and say “oh, this makes sense!”

I agree with Courtney (even though I like Keith Urban, too). Kenny is just SO SUCCESSFUL that it brings out the jealousy in a lotta people. Especially internet dorks, who have nothing better to do with their time than criticize other peoples work. I love the internet, but it has brought out the inner jackass in a lotta losers! GET A LIFE!!! Anyways, congratulations to Chris Wallin, not only did you write an excellent song, but you really made a lotta people look stupid by pointing out how vastly successful you are and how they are nobodys trying for some cheap online attention. By the way, how many of you were at the casting call from Brad Paisley’s “Online” video. If you weren’t you missed your life’s calling.

WOW! The song is not meant to be taken so literally. Get past yourself and stop overanalyzing, it’s crazy. It’s just supposed to be a quick way of being told to slow down as much as you can because it sometimes can SEEEEEEEM LIKE one day you are the child being raised and the next you are the one raising the child and so on and so forth! This is an amazing song and if you don’t like it just say you don’t like it….your excuse is LAME! I can totally relate to the children part because my kids sem to be growing so fast and I REALLY DON’T KNOW WHERE ALL THE TIME WENT! Keep doing what you are doing Kenny, You could NOT be more amazing than you are right now!

OK MATT… you must not understand that life passes by fast, and you also must have never been tought the phrase “Dont Blink”!!! And not in the literal term eaither!!!! Kenny Chesney is the best country music artist today!!!And the song is nothing like “The Good Stuff”!!!! LOVE YOU Kenny Chesney Keep On Rockin And Doin What Your Doin!!!!

Keith, there’s more to music than emotional impact–there are social, political, and literary considerations as well–these aside from the more technical issues like songwriting, production, and presentation (which all factor into how we perceive the music in question).

It’s difficult to judge what kind of an emotional impact a song will have on one person, let alone a broader audience…so the critic, whether he is doing music, film, literature, etc, has a responsibility to look at the material in these contexts (as well in a historical context).

He also has to be able to place the work into a contemporary framework, which is what I think Matt was trying to do here.

Whether or not the song impacts someone emotionally is an individual issue, because we all bring unique experiences with us when we listen.

Again, I doubt if anyone thinks the song is about literally not blinking. Your eyes would dry out pretty fast, I would think.

I could see how this song would make no sense if you take it literally, but that’s not how it’s meant to be taken. Of course you can’t take a nap at six years old and wake up 25…hello we all realize that; however, those lyrics are meant to portray how fast time passes. How one minute you’re at one place in life and it seems only moments and you’re much older at another phase. I don’t know if you’re a parent or not, but I know that my mother would be the first to say that life passes “like the blink of an eye”. One minute I WAS six and the next I am married and thinking about starting a family of my own. This is what Kenny’s new song means. The lyrics are emotional, truthful, poignant, and should inspire everyone to accept each moment that passes as a gift from God.

I absolutely love this song as I understand the true meaning behind it.

I understand the meaning of the song. Everyone understands the meaning of the song. I would think the average preschooler could probably understand the meaning of the song. Hell, my dog probably understands the meaning of the song. It’s not written in binary code or Mandarin Chinese or some secret language that only Kenny Chesney fans can understand. It is a very simple song, and it’s about a sensation that we all probably share. The song is not going over anyone’s head.

I’m 35 years old. I remember very well being 5 years old, and it does often seem as if the intervening three decades passed in the blink of an eye. I can imagine myself at 65 having the same sensation all over again. I do want to treasure the precious moments of my life while they’re happening, because I know that they’ll be over soon and become mere memories.

Please stop suggesting that anyone who doesn’t like this song (or any other song) hasn’t listened closely enough, or is just too stupid or unemotional to comprehend it.

This thread has gone on so long that I forgot what the review said in the first place.

I LOVE IT!!!! if you dont your crazy.lol life is to short…

I apologize to all the KC fans, but the secret to life has already been revealed, “it’s faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, and more money.”

I think the criticism of this song is ignorant and without merit. The song makes perfect sense, and I can’t see why it is being derided here. I personally can’t wait to buy it. The life moments are not “listed” but rather serve as fragments–snapshots–flashes in time of a person’s life and all the things that are special to him (or her). The song’s construction that you criticize is the songwriters’ way of artistically illustrating this reality. It’s a person recalling moments in time and realizing how fast their life has gone–and the importance of savoring every moment. Anyone who doesn’t understand this kind of nostalgia, reflection, or awareness of how quickly life (and time) flies probably hasn’t reached the age of thirty yet–or hasn’t had enough life experience to fully appreciate how poignant this song is. This is especially true if the things mentioned in the song seem trite–or as you describe them–”unimaginative, unsubstantiated and unrealistic”. Hopefully someday this song will make sense to you, Matt, because as someone turning 38 this year, this song completely resonates with me.

I disagree with the author of this review VERY much. Although Kenny is already a mega-star approaching the “Mega-star of all mega-stars”..Garth….this song should send him into the stratosphere of MEGA Stardom!

I think it is AWESOME!!…I consider myself a “suly, manly-man” and Daddy of 2 “20ish” kids and a husband of 24 years plus….it moved me emotionally to tears.

So having “MEGA Stardom” is bigger than being a “mega-star”?

I personally think “Don’t Blink” is a brilliant way to remind us to keep our eyes open during “the now” so we can treasure these memories forever. I completely understand where Casey Beathard is coming from; I went to high school with him in Northern Virginia in — what seems like — a lifetime ago. Yet, I still remember football Friday nights like they were yesterday (Casey comes from a football family that provided infinite entertainment and memories to Oakton Cougar and Washington Redskin fans). I am ever so grateful to Casey for his music-writing ability. He has found a way to put my life into words over and over in his songs through the years, and for this I thank him and all of his song-writing buddies. It takes real talent to condense a lifetime of nostalgia into two words — “Don’t Blink.”

“In what seems like a lifetime ago.” Hahahahahahaha.

Hey Mark, some thoughtful comments. If I were to rewrite the review, while it would still be negative, the tone would be a bit softer; I have come to appreciate the song a little more both by reading what others have written and hearing the single several more times. However, I do think that the review as written represents a valid point of view that roughly parallels my current opionion, and that belief, not my ego, explains why I have continued to defend it.

I see where you’re coming from and I recognize that I probably don’t have the life experiences to fully appreciate the song. The ability of a song to evoke emotion and sentiment is very important and it’s something that I consider everytime I listen to a song. The bottom line is that I can be emotionally moved by a lot of songs with themes that I have a lot less experience with than the theme of “Don’t Blink.” That says something, and that’s why I felt compelled to dig into the lyric and ask why.

Cool Matt–I like what you said! Sometimes songs can be a window into someone else’s life–or a mirror of our own. Either way, it’s good to be able to find a way to appreciate certain songs beyond their measurable qualities. I’m sure as a critic it’s hard to review music when you feel its popularity far outweighs its merit. People often confuse popularity with quality, but as you know, that’s not necessarily true. I still think this song is excellent, but once again, I’m in a place in my life where I can fully appreciate the wisdom and beauty of it. I admit it made me cry the first time I saw the video. I lost my father to suicide two years ago, so songs like these still hit me pretty hard. You may not have had the life experiences to fully appreciate this song now, but you can also look at the lyrics as an invitation to make sure you make the most of your life and the people in it every day. If you’re able to do that, you’ll be a smarter man that I am! :) Best of luck with your future reviews! Take care! Mark

I loved this song. It is so right.

By doing that, Chris has proved a point–as a songwriter myself, I can tell you that critiques like those on the tunesmith forums can only help you to a certain point. After that point the cripple you.

Al, what are you saying? Either way, the members of Tunesmith seem rather pathetic. Either they’re ripping a good lyric just to discourage an inexperienced songwriter or they’re recanting honest criticism when they find out the the songwriter is Chris Wallin. Chris comes across kind of pathetic as well: does he get off on watching people blush after he drops his name?

I’d just like to say you are taking the thread at Tunesmith WAY out of context! I have known Chris Wallin since 1999 when he was a struggling songwriter in Nashville playing his heart out at the Broken Spoke trying to catch the ear of someone, which he did!
Chris Wallin would NEVER knowingly hurt anyone. He was trying to make a point that you can find fault with ANY song if you look hard enough EVEN a song cut by Kenny Chesney. As President/CEO of Tunesmith.net I feel privileged that Chris takes his time to stop by Tunesmith and just hang out with us whether in the chatroom or on the message board. He has helped out for FREE at our seminars and workshops BECAUSE of his love for other songwriters and shares his story with them in hopes of giving encouragement while being honest with them about what it takes to make it as a professional songwriter in Nashville TN.
http://www.fbisf.com/sponsors.htm
Tunesmith is a proud sponsor of this years Frank Brown Songwriting Festival at Florabama. If your in the vacinity of Gulf Shores stop by and listen to Chris Wallin and his beautiful wife Camille perform!! You’ll be glad you did OR Order Chris’s CD off our website http://www.tunesmith.net/forums.

Sorry for interupting here but I had to tell you, you have CW ALL wrong!

http://www.tunesmith.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3404
Here is the link to the thread just in case you’d like to read all of it!

Chris Wallin Quote from the thread:

Im not here to bust b*lls. This was just an experiment about critiquing and about how people listen with different ears when they hear a song by a new writer. They automatically think it needs something. Most times it does but if your not living in the songwriting mecca of the world and seeing what the pros are up to everyday and learning first hand then maybe you should hold off on trying to teach someone else how to write a song. Especially when its just LYRICS. You guys are telling me my lines are CLUNKY when you havnt even heard how Im singing them.

Im terrible at critiquing songs so I don’t do it. I’ve had some “higher ups” in the business tell me I probably wouldn’t make it. I’ve been on 7 million albums now and climbing. A critique is a good thing but only if you agree with what they are saying. Don’t change everything about your song just because someone tells you the chorus is vague. But if 3 people tell you that the chorus is vague THEN CHANGE THE CHORUS. Anything that makes you look at your song in a better light is a good thing.

The truth is that its all opinions. This town was built on opinions! There is no such thing as a perfect song because its someone’s opinion of it.

This post was not written maliciously. I posted it the same day that KENNY CHESNEY cut this song. It was my second cut on Kenny for this project. If you liked it or you didn’t like it thank you. You will be hearing more of it since they tell me its Kenny’s 1st single off of his new record. If everthing goes right you should be hearing it on the radio in about a month.

ps. Sorry if I stirred up trouble with this post. It’s just my Opinion…………………..except for that whole Kenny Chesney cut thing

Sincerely yours,
Chris Wallin

So there you have it. The reason you didn’t get to see the comments folks made Matt was because most were deleted after Chris revealed himself.

I appreciate your commenting back to me.
Nan

You can’t argue with success. There are basically two kinds of songwriters. Those who write for their own enjoyment and write what they feel and everybody else be damned whether they like it or not. And then there are those who write for the commercial market and who are trying to make a living at it. You try to write what the public wants to hear and if it falls into the first category, then you are truly blessed as a songwriter. Apparently, Chris has achieved that goal and more power to him. Whether you or anybody else posting here likes it is immaterial. The public likes it, they’re the ones buying the records and they’re the ones who are paying the bills. It’s all a business folks, and you write what the business demands.

“You can’t argue with success.”

I can. I do it all the time.

The first time I heard “don’t blink” was when Lester posted it at Tunesmith… I read the lyrics thinking it was a just another armature writer posting his song on the board and thought to myself… “My goodness, this guy is good”… The song didn’t blow me away, I didn’t get Goosebumps, but I thought it sounded like a professional had wrote it, and wondered where this guy Lester had come from. So when Chris told us that he was Lester, then everything added up…
I like the song, and OF COURSE IT MAKES SENSE. Saying you are personally getting tired of sappy tug at your heart songs would be ok, but to say it doesn’t make sense, makes no sense…

And as for Chris being arrogant by dropping his own name in the post… Yeah, hehe, he kinda was, but frankly, everything he said was true, soooo fault him if you like, I thought it was amusing and took no offence, Shoot we are all in the music business we are all name droppers, but you have to admit its pretty dam cool when you can drop your OWN NAME and impress people, hehehe…

I hope Kenny and Chris make a lot of money off of it, and I hope it touches a lot of people… Apparently by the comments its doing just that!…

Another pathetic Tunesmith member

Hey EB. What I mean is that most people do not dig deep into any particular genre or format. Your niece may know the current rap rotation, but does she know about the history of rap? Has she ever listened to Run DMC, Fresh Prince, or Public Enemy #1?

What I said isn’t a criticism of the individuals in question, it is an observation–that safe, moderate songwriting sounds better to the casual listener than to the critic because the two parties have a very different frame of reference.

Jay Z could drop rhymes that Run DMC used X years prior, but your niece would never know, because she’s never heard Run DMC, and she’d think Jay Z was brilliant.

I happen to think he is, but that’s beside the point.

Seems like Garth Brooks’ More than a memory( a bad predictable cliche song) Has stolen thunder from Don’t blink, after a promising debut too

Kenny Chesney chooses songs that tend toward simplistic emotions and very basic universal experience. I think it’s a valid criticism and compliment at the same time. Sometimes critics just think too much.

The only Kenny Chesney song that has ever hit me me as too simple - that stupid Blue Chair song. I don’t much care for that song. Maybe I just don’t get it. ;-)

I LOVE THIS SONG! Kenny has yet again captured what real life is all about. I completely understand what “Don’t Blink” means. Here in the last two days I have lost two friends both under the age of 25. They were both happy and healthy just days prior to their deaths. You never know when it will be your last day and the second you blink things could change just like that. You may go to sleep and never wake up. Don’t let your jealousy get in the way of you loving a great song. One day you may be in the same boat that I’m in right now. And this song that ya’ll are shooting down could have way more meaning than you think. The lyrics say it all. Time flies by so fast that in a blink of an eye your whole world may come crashing down on you.
Take for instance 9-11 one second those people on the plane were happy and then the next there lives came crashing down around them. And so did many others. How much do you think that this song would mean to those that lost there loved ones during this time.
Chris and Casey thanks for writing such an inspirational song. Great job ya’ll! This song has so much meaning to me. I got goosebumps the first time I heard it. I still get goosebumps everytime I hear it. I can assure you that it will go far. Thank you so much for bringing us yet another great song. It’ll be a huge hit.
The song makes perfect sense to many of us and those that it don’t then hopefully one day they will learn to understand the meaning of real life.
Live everyday like you have no other.
Great job ya’ll and keep the hits a coming.

Just to be a dick about it, I think I might start blinking more often.

You have no idea what you’re talking about. Kenny Chesney is amazing and this song is perfect, if you don’t understand it then you got somethin wrong with you. Listen to the song, have you ever heard the expression “a split second could change anything” and if you havent, just seriously think about it. That split second you took to make that turn could have you in a horriffic car crash. He’s saying pay attention to the little things in life that make you happy, it goes by so fast.

“Dont waiste your breath on anything but laughter
because lifes to short to be anything but happy..”

I’m shocked by this post. When I heard this song, it sent me searching the internet for the writer. I thought the lyrics were genius. Just seems to me that you couldn’t be more off base with this song. Of course no one takes a nap at six and wakes up 25. But, being 44, I can tell you that it seems like time has gone by that quickly for me.

And as far as not being able to “blink”… I see that as someone who spends too much time on the unimportant things in this life. So much so that they don’t see the really good stuff.

Anyway… I’m off to find out who wrote this thing…
John

Unlike Matt and others (Hollerin Ben, for another), I was blown away by the lyrics of this song and like John, searched out the exact words and the writer. Maybe you need to have a few more years under your belt to appreciate the words. The lyrics of songs have always been what draws me to them, and in this case - I can very much relate as I have been on this earth some 60+ years already. And it does go by that fast. That’s what country music is and always has been about-singing about real life.

Shelby this is country and country is a genre and has different channels than rap does so don’t bring in rap
And plenty of country songs are about getting it on
So therefore you don’t know what you’re talking about

Waylon, Willie, Dwight, Johnny & June, Merle, Kris, Dolly…Why is there even a discussion about a Chesney (C. Wallin) song? With Chesney you know what you get: simple, broadly appealing pop. (I suppose that’s redundant) Either way, musical snobs look down their noses at what is broadly appealing while touting the virtues of a little heard, obscure artist. While the obscure artist may stay true to his convictions, he will also generally have to find a real job. And is there really anything wrong with touching the hearts of millions? Simple isn’t even an insult, it’s a compliment. Having said that, it is a waste of time to over-analyze a pop song. Looking for great lyrics? Probably going to find them on an album cut and not a single. And more often than not, from an under-appreciated artist. With exceptions like those I mentioned above, who find mass appeal while writing songs with perhaps more merit. Although it is worth noting that all, at one point or another, have been tossed aside and put back on the has-been fire despite the fact that all wrote stellar music over decades (or continue to do so) and that some have been accused at times of writing pandering pop. Anywho, music that touches someone is music worth making be it pop or not. And if someone doesn’t get Dwight, I realize that he is limited in taste and is the one missing out, not I. I also realize that sometimes very popular artists release very good pop songs and if I am a snob, it is I that misses out.

Dan B: We already got Pinson covered. Excellent recommendation, though.

Josh, You can’t be serious can you?

Your song …Old Whiskey “now the hour glass has a little less sand…” and I was very shocked to hear almost the exact same line in this song.

The line in the Kenny song is “Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand You can’t flip it over and start again…

Not a unique idea, but not the same as your song.

I guarantee this song hits #1 in the next couple months……the author of this post is an idiot….way to read too much into it….

it’s a good song….period

i just love this song and im gonna bye the cd when it comes out it’s the best song ever

Um, the CD has been out for several weeks now.

I love this song I think it is awesome I could listen to it for hours without a break.

I love Kenny Chesney I got Front Row and on one of his song vidios totched him and got his aughtograph!

if you can’t realize that the whole blinking-waking-up-19-years-older thing is a metaphor saying that life goes unbelievably fast, then you obviously shouldn’t be writing

He’s a fine singer; if he takes it in the jaw–that’s his own business. People have
a right to privacy.

Okay if you find this song hard to understand then you must be partially retarded. What you said made no sense whatso ever. This song is about how fast time flys and the fact that life can be over in the blink of an eye. You say you don’t believe and old man would tell you that the secret to life is “don’t blink”. Well then you must do the same repetitive tasks every day and want your life to be over. Anyway the meaning of the song is very clear, and its that life goes by fast so enjoy it. Maybe if you watch the music video it will click

Chris, I have a hard time believing that you sincerely feel that this song “doesn’t make sense.” You either have never suffered or accepted loss or are simply choosing to play devil’s advocate in a futile attempt to knock this song. The first time i heard this song i was imediately touched and played it again. Little did i know at that time, this song would have a much greater meaning in my life. A few months after hearing this song my grandfather passed away at the age of 91. Unfortunately, I was finishing up my last bit of finals at Virginia Tech and did not get home until the next day. After being a pallbearer and giving a eulogy at his funeral my parents and I got in our car and began to drive to where everyone was going to eat. We turned on our radio and the first song we heard was Don’t Blink by Kenny Chesney. Listening to those words and his vocals brought gave me reflection on my grandpa and an inspiration to apprciate each moment of our time here. The song was much more than some non-sense rambling.

Chris Wallen, I really liked the song before I knew my cousin wrote it. We are all very proud of you here at home. Keep up the good work. Come see us! Ron

“Don’t Blink” could have been a great song if the writers gave the old man an actual character, a story to tell, or real wisdom instead of a cliche.

Imagine if the Old Man had something to say about how he came to know this lesson of “Don’t Blink” is true; imagine if the old man had real wisdom - if he could say not merely “don’t waste any time” but tell us something about how to spend this time. Imagine if the old man had some insight into why we all waste time even though we know we shouldn’t.

Compare “Letter To Me” with “Don’t Blink.” Brad Paisley may not be offering his 17 year old counterpart any sage advice, but at least he offers advice beyond “Don’t waste your time.”Paisley’s song isn’t profound, but its sturdy, common sense advice that we can actually use. “Take a typing class; thank your teachers” at least says something specific about how how to live rather than spouting off mindless platitudes like “Don’t Waste Your Time.” Brad Paisley is able to reflect on his life in a somewhat thoughtful way, while the Chesney song’s old man seems pathetic because his advice is so cliche-ridden. After 102 years, he has no more wisdom than that of a mindless cliche?

“Don’t waste your time” is totally vacuous advice absent some notion of what time well spend is, and Chesney has no such notion. If the Chesney song has any such content, it has to do with family, as the examples of things not to miss revolve around family life. But, again, its pretty empty to say “watch your kids grow up into adults themselves” because that, in and of itself, tells us nothing about being a decent parent other than one should be involved with our kids. It just says the obvious.

The problem with “Don’t Blink” is that it tells us what we already know. Ironically, a song about not wasting one’s life does just that — it takes 4 minutes to say what could be said in 40 seconds.

This song is suppose to be figurative. I don’t care for the melody but once again the message hits me. As i go through high school. Towards the end of my sophomore year I look back and wonder where all the time has gone. So no you may not take a nap and wake up 25 but it’s figuritive and a way to express how fast time passes.

Jacob, so you’re advocating the dumbing down of our reviews and music to make them more accessible?

——

I went back and read through a few of the comments and they kinda irk me. We have people trivializing youth, and while I believe you acquire certain insights with age, I don’t believe “Don’t Blink” is one of them and you certainly don’t need to be old to experience loss.

This song directly addresses the time that flies during youth, so if someone who is young doesn’t agree, is it necessarily because they haven’t experienced life, or is it because their memories of that period in time are better?

Another thing is that the songwriters use the age of the old man as a vehicle to try to establish credence despite themselves most likely being half his age. I sure hope there’s more to learn in the second half of life than what you learn in the first half.

KL Franklin, you say that anyone under thirty can’t relate to the lyric and then turn around and call it great? Shouldn’t a great lyric be accessible to everyone? I’m under thirty and understand the phrase perfectly, but it doesn’t strike me as profound.

I had a great grandmother who was nearing 104 when she passed away a year and a half ago and she wouldn’t have condensed life into such a banal phrase.