Toby Keith Fights Against Age in ‘Don’t Let the Old Man In’

You're only as old as you feel ...

Written by Chris Parton
Toby Keith Fights Against Age in ‘Don’t Let the Old Man In’
Toby Keith; Photo courtesy of Shock Ink

Toby Keith puts a weathered face to 2018’s “Don’t Let the Old Man In” in a new video, a defiant anthem of refusing to let age get the best of you.

Part of his ongoing Furniture Store Guitar Sessions — a series of videos made during the pandemic, played on an old guitar he found at a random furniture store in Mexico just before lockdowns took effect — the video presents Keith’s acoustic ballad in a new light. It was written by the hit maker after a golf-course chat with the legendary actor, Clint Eastwood, and inspired by the star’s drive to keep working as he approached 90 years old. When Keith asked Eastwood how he did it, the actor and directed remarked that he just got up everyday and went outside, and didn’t let the old man in.

Keith’s song ended up being a deep reflection on the process of getting older — and the natural rebellion against it — and was chosen by Eastwood as the perfect track to play over the closing credits of his 2018 film, The Mule. It will also be covered by Willie Nelson in the upcoming album, First Rose Of Spring, and in the new video, it’s brought to life through a series of gritty, black-and-white photos by director Michael Salomon.

“I knew all of my life, that someday it would end/Get up and go outside, don’t let the old man in,” goes the defiant ode.

Taking the song’s theme to heart, Keith has been staying plenty busy through the COVID-19 outbreak. He’s already posted dozens of performances of covers and originals as part of the Furniture Store Guitar Sessions series, and still has plans to continue. Up next is another of his own tunes, “Closing Time At Home.”