Old Folks
Elly Stone Lyrics
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And they talk so slowly when they do
They are rich, they are poor, their illusions are gone
They share one heart for two
Their homes all smell of thyme, of old photographs
And an old-fashioned song
Though you may live in town, you live so far away
And have they laughed too much, do their dry voices crack
Talking of times gone by
And have they cried too much, a tear or two
Still always seems to cloud the eye
They tremble as they watch the old silver clock
When day is through
It tick-tocks oh so slow, it says, "Yes," it says, "No"
It says, "I'll wait for you"
The old folks dream no more
The books have gone to sleep, the piano's out of tune
The little cat is dead and no more do they sing
On a Sunday afternoon
The old folks move no more, their world's become too small
Their bodies feel like lead
They might look out the window or else sit in a chair
Or else they stay in bed
And if they still go out, arm in arm, arm in arm
In the morning's chill
It's to have a good cry, to say their last good-bye
To one who's older still
And then they go home to the old silver clock
When day is through
It tick-tocks oh so slow, it says, "Yes," it says, "No"
It says, "I'll wait for you"
The old folks never die
They just put down their heads and go to sleep one day
They hold each other's hand like children in the dark
But one will get lost anyway
And the other will remain just sitting in that room
Which makes no sound
It doesn't matter now, the song has died away
And echoes all around
You'll see them when they walk through the sun-filled park
Where children run and play
It hurts too much to smile, it hurts too much but life goes on
For still another day
As they try to escape the old silver clock
When day is through
It tick-tocks oh so slow, it says, "Yes," it says, "No"
It says, "I'll wait for you"
The old, old silver clock that's hanging on the wall
That waits for us
All
"Old Folks" by Elly Stone is a poignant and heart-wrenching song that explores the lives of the elderly, the memories they hold, and the inevitable progression of time. The song talks about how the old folks don't talk much and that even when they do, they talk slowly. The pace of their speech can be interpreted as a metaphor for their age and the dwindling energy that comes with it. The song talks about how the elderly's illusions are gone, and they share one heart for two. This line refers to the companionship that often develops between elderly couples, where they have seen so much and done so much, and they have reached a point where they are content to share life's journey together.
The homes of the elderly are described as smelling of thyme and old photographs. This evokes a sense of nostalgia and reminiscence, as the elderly often enjoy looking back on their lives and those who have come and gone. The old folks dream no more, the books have gone to sleep, the piano's out of tune, and the little cat is dead. This is a reminder that the elderly have to let go of the things they once enjoyed and take solace in the present.
The song ends on a poignant note, with the reminder that the old folks never die; they simply put down their heads and go to sleep one day. The last line of the song speaks to the inevitability of death, which waits for each of us, regardless of age.
Line by Line Meaning
The old folks don't talk much
The elderly don't speak much.
And they talk so slowly when they do
When they do speak, they do so slowly.
They are rich, they are poor, their illusions are gone
Not limited to any particular class or status, they have lost their illusions.
They share one heart for two
Their love is so great that one heart can be shared by two.
Their homes all smell of thyme, of old photographs
Their homes have the smell of thyme and old photographs.
And an old-fashioned song
Furthermore, an old-fashioned song is heard in the background.
Though you may live in town, you live so far away
The town may be where you physically reside, but still, emotionally you're far away.
When you've lived too long
This feeling arises because of the lengthy duration of the reality.
And have they laughed too much, do their dry voices crack
Their voices often crack, maybe due to too much laughter.
Talking of times gone by
The conversations often center around incidents from the past.
And have they cried too much, a tear or two
They tend to get teary-eyed frequently, perhaps because of memories.
Still always seems to cloud the eye
Despite all the weeping, the eyes still remain cloudy.
They tremble as they watch the old silver clock
They often tremble when they gaze upon the silver clock.
When day is through
This happens towards the end of the day.
It tick-tocks oh so slow, it says, "Yes," it says, "No"
The clock ticks very slowly and answers in the affirmative or negative.
It says, "I'll wait for you"
The clock reassures that it will wait as long as needed.
The old folks dream no more
The dreams of the elderly have stopped.
The books have gone to sleep, the piano's out of tune
The books and the piano remain neglected.
The little cat is dead and no more do they sing
The little cat has passed away, leaving them unable to sing.
On a Sunday afternoon
This usually happened on Sundays.
The old folks move no more, their world's become too small
They hardly move anymore; their world has shrunk considerably.
Their bodies feel like lead
Their bodies feel heavy like lead.
They might look out the window or else sit in a chair
They often spend their days either gazing out the window or sitting in a chair.
Or else they stay in bed
They choose to stay in bed often.
And if they still go out, arm in arm, arm in arm
If they go out, they go out arm in arm to support each other.
In the morning's chill
They often venture out in the early hours when it's chilly outside.
It's to have a good cry, to say their last good-bye
The motivation for stepping out is to say their final goodbyes.
To one who's older still
They wave goodbye to those who are older than them.
And then they go home to the old silver clock
After stepping out, they return home to their silver clock.
The old folks never die
The elderly never really die.
They just put down their heads and go to sleep one day
They leave silently one day, just by putting their heads down to sleep.
They hold each other's hand like children in the dark
Like children in the darkness, they hold each other's hand.
But one will get lost anyway
One of them will still lose the other one.
And the other will remain just sitting in that room
The survivor remains and sits in the same room.
Which makes no sound
The room is quiet, devoid of any sound.
It doesn't matter now, the song has died away
It doesn't matter anymore; the song has ceased playing.
And echoes all around
Only echoes remain.
You'll see them when they walk through the sun-filled park
You may see them walking through a park filled with sunlight.
Where children run and play
Children surround them, running and playing.
It hurts too much to smile, it hurts too much but life goes on
It's painful to smile; it's still a struggle to carry on with life.
For still another day
Despite everything, they still live on, another day at a time.
As they try to escape the old silver clock
They try to escape the reminder of their mortality, represented by the old silver clock.
When day is through
This happens towards the end of the day.
It tick-tocks oh so slow, it says, "Yes," it says, "No"
The clock ticks very slowly and answers in the affirmative or negative.
It says, "I'll wait for you"
The clock reassures that it will wait as long as needed.
The old, old silver clock that's hanging on the wall
The antique silver clock that's mounted on the wall.
That waits for us
All
The clock, our inescapable fate, awaits everyone.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GERARD JOUANNEST, JACQUES ROMAN BREL, JEAN CORTI, MORT SHUMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind