The Old Man Down the Road

The Old Man Down the Road - John Fogerty

He take the thunder from the mountain
He take a lightning from the sky
He bring a strong man to his begging knee
He make the young girl's mama cry.

You got to hidey-hide
You got to jump and run
You got to hidey-hidey-hide
The old man is down the road.

He got the voices speakin' riddles
He got the eye as black as coal
He got a suitcase covered with rattlesnake hide
And he stands right in the road.

Chorus

He make the river call your lover
He make the barking of the hound
Put a shadow 'cross the window
When the old man comes around.

Chorus

The old man is down the road.

%%%

As I get older I am sort of fascinated with becoming a nasty old guy out on my deck in a rocking chair yelling at skaters and young mothers walking kids and dogs…why? I can’t imagine! However, “The Old Man Down the Road” is about the right feel.

John Fogerty must have been in a period of bad dreams. You can imagine this as one of those nasty waking dreams in the early morning, where you can’t really tell if it’s real or not. You hope someone will wake you up at first, then you hope they won’t. In any case, pretty weird for a white guy from California!