I'm an Old, Old Man (Tryin' to Live While I Can)

"I'm an Old, Old Man (Tryin' to Live While I Can)"
Single by Lefty Frizzell
B-side"You're Just Mine (Only In My Dreams)"
ReleasedOctober 20, 1952
GenreCountry
Length2:24
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Lefty Frizzell
Lefty Frizzell singles chronology
"You're Just Mine (Only In My Dreams)"
(1952) 		"I'm an Old, Old Man (Tryin' to Live While I Can)"
(1952) 		"Hurry! (Bring Your Sweet Self Back to Me)"
(1953)

"I'm an Old, Old Man (Tryin' to Live While I Can)" is a song written and sung by Frizzell and released on the Columbia label (catalog no. 21034). In December 1952, it peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's country and western best seller chart. It spent nine weeks on the charts.[1]

The song was later covered by Merle Haggard on If We Make It Through December (1974). After Frizzell died in 1975, Haggard wrote a tribute song, "Goodbye Lefty" that referenced the 1952 song: "But the old old man is gone. There'll be no more Lefty's songs."[2]

The country rock band Rank and File also covered the song on its album Long Gone Dead (1984).[3]

Andre Williams and The Sadies also covered the song on their album Red Dirt (1999).[4]

References

  1. ^ Joel Whitburn (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Billboard Books. p. 119. ISBN 0823076326.
  2. ^ Dave Mulholland (June 18, 1981). "Frizzell's influence still heard in country music". The Advocate. p. 8C – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Rank and File - Long Gone Dead". Discogs. 1984. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  4. ^ "Red Dirt". AllMusic. Retrieved December 13, 2020.