When Toby Keith wrote “Don’t Let The Old Man In” in 2018, he likely never predicted the impact the song would have on his career, especially posthumously. The song, inspired by a conversation Keith had with Clint Eastwood, appears on Keith’s Greatest Hits: The Show Dog Years record, out in 2019. It was also used in the movie, The Mule, starring Eastwood.
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“Don’t Let The Old Man In” says in part, “Many moons I have lived / My body’s weathered and worn / Ask yourself how old would you be / If you didn’t know the day you were born / Try to love on your wife / And stay close to your friends / Toast each sundown with wine / Don’t let the old man in.”
Keith passed away from stomach cancer in 2024. He sang “Don’t Let The Old Man In” at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards, where he was also given the Country Icon Award. Held in September, it would be the final televised performance of Keith’s career.
How Toby Keith Wrote “Don’t Let The Old Man In”
Keith and Eastwood were both playing in Eastwood’s charity golf tournament. During their time together, Eastwood told Keith that he was beginning to work on the film, The Mule. The first day of filming happened to coincide with Eastwood’s 88th birthday.
Keith asked Eastwood how he kept going every day, especially at his advanced age. The actor’s response became the beginning of Keith’s inspiring song.
“He said, ‘I just get up every morning and go out. And I don’t let the old man in.’” Those seven words, “I don’t let the old man in,” immediately inspired the country star. “And I thought, ‘I’m writing that,’” Keith recalls to Billboard.
Keith Was Consumed by the Phrase
From the moment Eastwood uttered those words, Keith was consumed with writing what became “Don’t Let The Old Man In”.
“People were talking to me,” Keith remembers. “And they would say, ‘Did you hear what I just said?’ And I was like, ‘No,’ because I wasn’t listening to any conversations. I was consumed by ‘Don’t Let The Old Man In.’ I worked so hard on it. When I finally sang the line, I thought, it’s got to be dark, it’s got to be a ballad, and it’s got to be simple.”
Keith didn’t write “Don’t Let The Old Man In” to be part of The Mule. But after Eastwood heard the song, he insisted it be part of the film.
“I didn’t try to take what he told me about the movie,” Keith explains. “I tried to take the character he told me about, and look through his eyes. And think that maybe if you were 40 and found out the cartel is putting drugs in your pecans, you might say, ‘Whoa, I don’t want to do this because I don’t want to spend 40 years in prison.’”
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for BMI
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