Then concerning the third verse it has been put forth that, at least in part, the vocalist is speaking from the perspective of the old man. But such doesn’t really seem like a logical postulation within the grand scheme of the song. Then as far as the chorus goes, Louis Avila was actually living on the land alongside his wife. So that would be why Neil is saying that he’s “a lot like” the old man, in that he likewise ‘needs someone to love him’. a figure whom he has seemingly concluded is wiser than himself.

So on top of that, relatively speaking, being a very young age to become a divorcee, it is understandable why then, as implied in the first verse, he is looking for a sense of permanency in his life. And Neil is seeking such an item, if you will, via the old man’s advice, i.e. It appears that Neil and Louis had a few deep conversations during their time together. And as revealed in this song, “love lost” was indeed the pressing issue on Young’s mind at the time. Again, he had just divorced from his first wife, Susan Acevedo, the same year he purchased Broken Arrow Ranch.

It’s actually a massive piece of land, being 140 acres large. And as such, it wasn’t like Neil, who by this point was a divorcee, was living there alone. Instead therein was a caretaker by the name of Louis Avila who, by the looks of things, is a generation or two older than Neil. It is he upon whom the character of the “old man” in this song is based.

Neil young tell me why meaning