4 Neil Young Lyrics That Still Stop Us in Our Tracks

Neil Young is, without a doubt, one of the most prolific songwriters of our time. Here are some lyrics of his that might convince you to listen to his music, if you haven’t already.

“Old Man”

“Doesn’t mean that much to me /To mean that much to you.”

There’s something about “Old Man” that is just so haunting. Maybe it’s the lyrics, or maybe it’s the harmonies that James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt sang.

“I’d listened to the Buffalo Springfield harmonies and I knew how to get that 7th they always used,” Ronstadt told Mojo about this song, per Songfacts. “I don’t think we started until midnight and it was dawn when we came out, and it was snowing – we came out to this beautiful snow storm in the rising sun. It was really exciting. I just thought I’ve been part of something really wonderful.”

“Unknown Legend”

“She used to work in a diner /Never saw a woman look finer / I used to order just to watch her float across the floor.”

I mean, talk about details. “Unknown Legend”, off of Young’s Harvest Moon album, already presents the listener with a fascinating concept. However, I’d argue that the way he describes the character in this song is what really reels you in.

“Cowgirl In The Sand”

“Old enough now to change your name / When so many love you, is it the same?”

Even though this one is ten minutes long, I still find it hard to get enough of “Cowgirl In The Sand”. Part of what makes this song so great is that it’s open to interpretation, but that’s also part of its curse. Who is the cowgirl in the sand? We may never really know.

“Rockin’ In The Free World”

“There’s one more kid that’ll never go to school / Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool.”

Young was inspired by something his guitarist, Frank, said when he wrote this song in 1989. Apparently, Young was on tour and was supposed to go to the Soviet Union until those shows were canceled. Frank said, “We’ll have to keep rockin’ in the free world,” and naturally, that led to this song. This song is a bit of a political rant, and you honestly can’t help but love the gutsy statements Young makes, like this lyric.

Photo by: Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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