One of the privileges of age is to be able to sound convincing when singing old people’s songs. And I don’t mean old songs; I mean those lyrics that require time and experience to be sung right. A very good example is Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters: one thing is to hear a 25 year old sing it, a whole different story is to hear a 50 year old Muddy deliver it – and mean it. Another song of the same family is Born Loose by Rod Stewart (circa 1977, when Rod still brewed his nasty brand of Rolling Stones on steroids r’n’r). Maybe he meant it when he sung it (he didn’t know he’d be making Christmas albums in the future), but I can truly wear his lyrics with pride, especially when he says:
Born loose, I was born loose baby
Slow me down, you can’t slow me down
I was born loose, born loose
Wrong side of my mama
Wrong side of my dad
Wrong side of the tracks
I was born loose baby
Can’t change me now
Cause you’re too late now
Too late
To change me now
Never change me now
Born loose
Born loose