Day eighty nine

On the 1st June 1967, 26 year old John and 25 year old Paul released (with the Beatles) the song below:

When I get older, losing my hair

Many years from now,

Will you still be sending me a valentine,

birthday greetings, bottle of wine?

If I'd been out till quarter to three,

Would you lock the door?

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty four? Ooh

You'll be older too.

Ah, and if you say the word,

I could stay with you.

I could be handy mending a fuse

When your lights have gone.

You can knit a sweater by the fireside,

Sunday mornings, go for a ride.

Doing the garden, digging the weeds,

Who could ask for more?

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty four?

Ev'ry summer we can rent a cottage

In the Isle of Wight if it's not too dear.

We shall scrimp and save.

Grandchildren on your knee;

Vera, Chuck and Dave.

Send me a postcard, drop me a line,

stating point of view.I

ndicate precisely what you mean to say,

yours sincerely, wasting away.

Give me your answer, fill in a form,

Mine forevermore.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty four? Ho!

John met Cynthia in 1957, and he married her on the 23rd August 1962. Paul had met Linda on the 15 May 1967, so these may have been the subjects addressed here.

In November 1968 John and Cynthia were divorced.  Linda died on April 17, 1998, when Paul was 55 years old.

The song didn’t work out for either of them.  But then John was 40 when he was murdered.

And if you add the other Beatles, George was 57 when he died, and Ringo, in 1967, was married to Maureen when the song was released, but divorced in 1975, when Ringo was 35.

A hopeful song, but you never know what life will do next.

Today is my 64^th birthday!

I thought I’d look at John & Paul’s view of what a 64 year-old should be doing:

“Losing my hair”. I know where mine is!

“Doing the garden, digging the weeds” - I can do that!

“Ev'ry summer we can rent a cottageIn the Isle of Wight if it's not too dear.” 

We could see the Isle of Wight from where we lived in our last circuit. And I imagine it would cost a lot.  We could afford to rent a cottage.  I think Paul and Ringo could manage that when they were 64, without having to scrimp and save.

“Grandchildren on your knee;Vera, Chuck and Dave.”

No grandchildren, but I would hope they would have better names if there were any!

Given my current state, I like:

“yours sincerely, wasting away.”“

Will you still need me, will you still feed me,

When I'm sixty four? Ho!”

My wife assures me that she will/does.

So that’s today!

Ouch!