Willie Nelson who, along with Snoop Dog, has become the poster boy for smoking marijuana, is turning 90 but is still active, writing songs and planning a new tour.
His song There’s nothing I can do about it now is my personal favorite. In it, he captures a sentiment that those of us who are older and looking back will recognize, that it is too late to change some things, however much we may regret them now, and that while we should do what we can to rectify things, there is no point in wallowing over what we can’t do. The message is one of cheerful resignation, set to a bouncy, uptempo beat.
I found these words to especially resonate with me.
I could cry for the time I’ve wasted
But that’s a waste of time and tears
And I know just what I’d change if I went back in time somehow
But there’s nothing I can do about it now
I’m forgiving everything that forgiveness will allow
And there’s nothing I can do about it now.
There are many other great lines in the song, such as these:
I’ve seen the fire of a woman scorned
Turn her heart of gold to steel.
God, I love Willie.
Jesus, Mano! That title made me think he had died!
(Hm, that phrasing makes it seem I was genuinely angry at the title. I actually found it funny, after the surprise.)
The funny thing is that Willie released the song in 1989, when he was a sprightly 56 years old.