Today is my 64th birthday and the first song that came to mind was the Beatles “When I’m 64”.
When I’m Sixty-Four is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and released on their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was one of the first songs written by McCartney, who wrote it when he was 14. The song is sung by a young man to his lover and is about his plans of their growing old together. (Wikipedia)
Here are the lyrics:
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
You’ll be older too
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
Every 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
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I’m sixty-four
I still can’t get over that this song was written by a 14-year old! I guess that may have been an early sign of McCartney’s genius.
And while I may not know how to mend a fuse, spending a summer on the Isle of Wight does sound quite appealing.
So what do you think, will you still read me?
*image of Isle of Wight from Forbes
From the lyrics, it sounds like quite a boring life at age 64. But I’ll still read you if you regale us with posts about your exciting younger days, bravely balancing ledgers and cunningly creating depreciation schedules.
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I’m not sure if reliving those exciting younger days that you describe would be good for my heart…
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Better not chance it. I hope you had a nice birthday.
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I did have a nice day, thanks…
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I’ll read you, but I won’t feed you.😊 I agree it is amazing that the song was written by a 14 year old.
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hopefully my wife will feed me if necessary 🙂
and yes, 14 years old…
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Happy Birthday, yesterday!!! And getting older sure beats the alternative. Some might say McCartney’s lyrics never progressed much.
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thanks, John. but McCartney’s wealth sure did…
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Wow written by a 14 year old…..much talent!
Happy 64th Birthday Jim! Hope your having a fantastic day. 😁
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thank you; it was a great day!
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Definitely. Happy Birthday.
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thank you!
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Hippo Birdie Two Ewes!!
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clever; thank you!
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It’s from an old card by Sandra Boynton. There’s also Deer Ewe. All with accompanying cartoonish animals.
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Sandra seems pretty creative…
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She’s fantastic! I bought the hippo birdie cards in the 80s and still have it…and several others. With no internet back then, the images were too cute to give away!
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collector’s items!
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I have all kinds of clever cards from back then that I hoarded. I used to have them lining the walls of an office cube.
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nice way to personalize your office cube…
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It was till HR got all pissy about it!! They claimed a couple cards from 1950s movie posters (“she was the kind of woman every man wanted – but wouldn’t marry”) were offensive.
I had a separate equip room where I spent most of my time. Coworkers would come to my cube to read cards/pins, and play with toys, when they needed a break.
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hr can be quite sensitive; sound slike you were providing a valuable resource in the equip room!
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It happened back in the 90s, when HR went from representing employees to representing mgmt. You had to go waaaay into my cube to see the postcards so I’m not sure what instigated the issue… probably part of the harassment campaign which led toy 6mos of stress disability. When I went out, my supervisor violated HIPAA by calling my doctor to ask about my diagnosis. They nearly killed me but in the end I got 1 full paid year off. And PTSD.
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wow. I’m sorry to hear you had to go through all of that…
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NBD now… if it hadn’t happened then I might not have ended up at a great company, which led to a great career. But it’s why I’m intensely sensitive to work crap now – which is both good & bad.
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it’s always good to learn to stand up for yourself…
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Happy birthday, Jim! I’m with you. I have to see you break Ripken’s record followed by some accounting trash talk. I’m fifteen months and hundreds if not thousands of blog posts behind you.
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thanks, Pete! you’re a spring chicken!
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Happy Birthday Jim! Did Villanova have school closed today in honor of your birthday? Hope it was an extra special day! And yes, I will still read you, you keep the smiles coming. 🙂
Oh and the Beatles were a Great band! One of my husband’s favorites!
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thanks, Carolyn! Can you believe I had to teach yesterday?! But it was a fun day.
and the Beatles are one of the all-time best…
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Birthday blessings 🎉 I hope your had a super day!
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thanks, Tandy! It was a good day!
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Happy birthday and hope you have an amazing day! If anything this post makes me want to read your blog posts even more. I was just listening to this song in the afternoon but I had no idea Paul McCartney wrote it so young. Anyway, have an awesome birthday!!
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thanks, Pooja! And yes, 14 years old is amazing…
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Happy Birthday.
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thank you!
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Happy Birthday. We’ll take it day by day. Aim for Alive at Sixty Five
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Thanks, Geoff! I like that saying; hopefully there is one to go with every birthday moving forward!
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Happy 64th! And of course I will!
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thanks, James!
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absolutely! you’ve now like a fine glass of wine, (whine?) happy birthday and i’m right behind you in november.
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thanks, Beth! 1957 was a good year!
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An excellent vintage
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👍
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Happy birthday, my friend! I will stop reading your posts when you stop writing them, and not a minute before! Enjoy your day and my best to you and yours!
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thanks, Brad! You have always been so supportive, it is greatly appreciated!
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Happy birthday! Hope you had a great day! I posted a video of that song on my 64th and within a week it had been taken down for copyright! Yours looks like an official one so hopefully you won’t befall the same fate!
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thanks, Clive! I was hoping to find a live performance of it by the Beatles, but I could not find one…
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You’re welcome! I very much doubt they ever played it live – by the time Sgt Pepper came out they had given up gigs.
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I was not aware of that. such a shame. I guess we’re left watching Aerosmith sing Come Together (which I actually like better than the Beatles version)…
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Hordes of screaming teenage girls put them off, especially when they couldn’t hear what each other was playing. They stopped touring fairly early in their career, concentrating on their music and movies. I’ll stick with the Beatles’ version of that one – Aerosmith don’t so much cover it as massacre it 😂
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today, they would probably have to tour to make some money.
like you said, Aerosmith killed it… 🙂
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Yes, before the pandemic that is where the big money lies: it’s why the Stones keep touring.
I don’t think that was the word I used, or what I meant 😂
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I would hope that bands like the Stones and SPringsteen still tour because they love it, and money is secondary.
and I just switched massacred with killed… 🙂
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I guess I’m more cynical than you!
Yes, I saw what you did, but we’ll have to agree to differ on this one 😊
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I always wonder why people like Warren Buffett, or Mick Jagger, or Bruce Springsteen keep working. They have more money than they will ever need. So I just assume it must be the work itself, they just love what they do.
but the money doesn’t hurt..
🙂
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I’m sure there’s something in that, and many of the bands I grew up with are still around, albeit without some original members. I guess it’s a case of ‘Bop Till You Drop,’ as Ry Cooder put it.
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some of them should stop, though…
had to do a little background reading on Ry Cooder – quite impressive!
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There are many bands who should never have started!
Ry Cooder is a long time favourite of mine, though he has gone under most people’s radar. He is what they call ‘a musician’s musician’ on account of his many collaborations. I’ve been thinking about including him in a post, as one of my attempts at introducing people to an unknown, and have been checking out his discography to see when he released which album. Watch my space…
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good point about some bands not starting.
I will be on the lookout for a post about Ry Cooder – apparently he was quite the guitarist…
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He still is! He will be in next week’s Tuesday Tunes – though I’m having difficulty whittling down the tracks to just two, so there may be three 😉
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nice to sort of get a sneak preview!
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I just hope you enjoy them!
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I can safely predict that I will… 🙂
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🤞
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Happy Birthday Jim!! Last year my twin brother and I turned 64. We sang the same song together on zoom. It did make us smile.
Enjoy this year … and all the mailings about Medicare 😆
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thanks, Val! I’ll be on the lookout for the Medicare info!
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Happy birthday Jim. I’ve always loved this song. It has a sweetness missing from much of the Beatles repertoire.
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thanks, Jeff! and perhaps that sweetness comes from the fact that it was written by a 14-year old!
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Yes, they got jaded quite quickly
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the price of money and fame…
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Been there; done that; bought the record; sang the song (with a chorale group); had the birthday… too long ago to mention.
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how nice to sing the song with a chorale group; I just sang along with the Beatles…
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We sang it on a couple of occasions as part of our ‘entertainment’ for care homes.
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I’m sure it was a big hit!
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Happiest Birthday, Quincy! 🎂 🎉 🥂 🎈 🎁 Sixty-four and many more!
Yes, I’ll still read you. If it’s A Hard Day’s Night, or just A Day in the Life. In Spite of All the Danger. Anytime at All, really. Eight Days a Week.
Don’t Let Me Down. Don’t Ever Change.
This has turned into a bit of a Magical Mystery Tour. I should just Let it Be. I’m a Paperback Writer with a Ticket to Ride on The Long and Winding Road.
Wait! We Can Work it Out.
No. I’ll stop. I can do it WIth a Little Help from My Friends.
I’ll Be On My Way, now. Goodbye. 🤪
(So sorry. I’m a Beatles fan. That went off the rails pretty fast. I hope the rest of your birthday wishes are better than this one was. Have a wonderful day!)
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thanks, Staci! This was the best birthday greeting I received. Loved how you weaved everything together – so creative!
And it’s hard not to be a Beatles fan…
I hope you have a wonderful day as well…
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I’m sure it wasn’t your best message. I’m certain it was the dorkiest. Hope the rest of your day is amazing!
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I thought it was the best, and dorky always helps… 🙂
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A summer on the Isle of Wight would be very pleasant and they do have a music festival. The poet Tennyson also lived there. I can see the Isle from our cliff top and though I have never spent a whole summer there I did have my first holiday as a toddler and school holiday when I was eleven. Love lasts past sixty four though we didn’t imagine that when the song came out. My friend past seventy has been knitting jumpers for her husband for deades…
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from the images I looked at, the Isle of Wight looks lovely. Good to know that love lasts past 64. and how nice about your friend knitting jumpers for her spouse…
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Before we head off to the Isle of Wight, let’s take a little journey back to before you were 64. Back to yesterday, when all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they’re here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday. Yesterday, when my birthday wishes wouldn’t be belated. Cheers to another year!
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thank you – love the clever comment!
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Happy birthday, Jim. You’re my hubby’s baby brother. He is 65 and will be 66 in January. I’ve seen you around and am glad to come over. Hope you had a day with the Beatles parade Staci had sent your way. 🙂
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thank you, Miriam! Staci’s comment was the best!
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I think so, Jim!
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Happy Birthday, Jim a bit belated now but hope you had an enjoyable day…:) x
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thanks, Carol! I had a wonderful day…
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Happy Birthday, Jim! I am turning 64 in two weeks, I’ll read yours, will you read mine?
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I look forward to reading about all of your adventures, including turning 64!
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First you are not old, second life can’t be judged on just some numbers ,ya I know everyone feel about their age. Than even I want you to live your life the way you want ,healthy, happy and desiring not satisfied, god and everyone around are always there for you stay blessed, congratulation for being more experienced not for just 64 .live long.
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thank you for your positive words, Pratigya…
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Happy Birthday Jim! Ah, one can never go wrong with a song written by Paul McCartney. Just as debits must always equal credits, your blog will still be found, even if you try to flee to the Isle of Wight.
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thanks, Richard! and yes, Paul McCartney is a talented individual. Hopefully I’ll get to the Isle of Wight someday! That would probably be good for a blog or two…
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Back in the 60’s when he was 14 – 64 year olds had a different life style. Now at 61 and 65 my hubby and I have never knitted, I am as capable of mending a fuse as he is. We have the technology to keep us young.
And for those of you who are not familiar with the Isle of Wiggt – it is an island off the south coast of England- stuck in the 60’s old fashioned or quaint call it what you will. One road around the island – little development. Great if your 64!!
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thanks for your wonderful comment. you are right 64 is the new 40…
I’d love to see the Isle of Wight.
and I’m impressed with your fuse mending ability!
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A classic! And, Happy Birthday, Jim. When I was 64 (seven years ago) and people asked me how old I was, I started belting out the song. Too bad it was only good for a year.
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thanks, Jennie. It seems like everyone sings this song on this birthday!
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Lucky you!
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🙂
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Happy belated birthday Jim. I couldn’t pass by without stopping here😇. Getting to read writings of a soul who walked this earth for all these years is an honour. Stay blessed and healthy…and sing on with the spirit of a 14 year.🥰
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thanks, fairy dust! best wishes to you as well…
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Happy birthday Jim! 🙂
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thank, Debby!
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🙂
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Happy (belated) 64th birthday. I remember singing that song when I was 64 too. 🙂
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it seems like a rite of passgae to sing that when you turn 64!
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Yep. But when the song first came out, 64 seemed a loooooong way off. 🤣
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yes it did, and 64 seemed really old…
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It sure did!!!!
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👍
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