When I'm 64

Last year, I planned a funny surprise for my hubby. On the morning of his 64th birthday, I grooved into the room while my phone played the Beatles’ rendition of Paul McCartney’s When I’m 64.

My joke backfired. Hubby didn’t recognize the song, catch the lyrics, or make the connection. How is that possible? When the Beatles released the song in 1967, Hubby and I were nine and eight years old, respectively. But while Hubby was the oldest kid in his household, I had teenage sisters listening to pop music. To this day, I know those tunes better than anything from the 1980s. Plus, Hubby always preferred country music. Alan Jackson’s The Older I Get might have been a better choice. But not nearly as fun.

Now it’s my turn. This week I turn 64 and McCartney’s questions, “Will you still need me? Will you still feed me?” ring in my head. I may put the song on repeat for the day. For fun, I decided to do a bit of digging.

When James Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool in 1942, the average life expectancy of a British infant boy was 63 years. According to most accounts, McCartney (who was 13 when his mother died of breast cancer) wrote the lyrics at the age of 14, for his father. A decade later, the song finally saw the light of day when The Beatles included it on their Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, not long after the elder McCartney turned 64. No doubt, turning 64 seemed an eternity away, both to the 14-year-old songwriter and to the 24-year-old superstar when he recorded it. Now Sir Paul McCartney is 80. Funny how fast that happens, isn’t it?

Ironically, only two of the Beatles made it to 64, with John Lennon’s death at age 40 and George Harrison’s at 58. Even McCartney’s life has played out much differently than the ideals expressed in the song, of a young couple growing old together. (“You can knit a sweater by the fireside, Sunday mornings go for a ride…”) His first wife, Linda, died of cancer in 1998 at only 56. His second marriage, to Heather Mills, lasted three or four years. He’s been married to his current wife, Nancy Shevell, since 2011. Seventeen years his junior, she’ll turn 64 this year, like me. I hope they stick it out.

As a teenager, I never gave any thought to what my life might look like in my sixties and beyond. Did you? Now that I’m here, I can look back with sharper vision. While life has held its share of joy and heartache, failure and success, what shines through most brightly is the faithfulness of God and the enduring power of faith. Maybe instead of listening to McCartney’s lyrics all day, I’ll write my own. Borrowing his catchy tune, I’ll address mine to the Lord.

When I get older, losing my hair
Any minute now
Will you still be sending me your grace and love
Daily blessings, sent from above?

If I have a really bad day
You’ll never lock your door
I know you’ll still heed me, I know you’ll still feed me
When I’m sixty-four!

I will keep writing, maybe a song
You’ll smile at me and nod
I know you’ll never leave me in a lurch
Sunday mornings, goin’ to church.

Planting a garden, digging the weeds
Who could ask for more?
I know you’ll still heed me, I know you’ll still feed me
When I’m sixty-four!