Mama cries, "Son, don't leave town
Find a girl and settle down"
Well, I hate to break her heart
But that's not in the cards
While I'm a young man
She says I could find a job
In the fields or on the docks
But I've always had a dream
To see all I can see
While I'm a young man
When I'm just an old man on a front porch, in a chair
Rocking with the memories from my past
The lines you see on my face should tell a tale of no regrets
I want to look forward to looking back on the race I ran
When I was a young man
I want to see those seven seas
Climb the highest mountain peak
Make it my career
To make the most of every year
While I'm a young man
Daddy says, "Young man, I know
You have to stand on your own, you can't sit at home"
He says, "I understand
Once I had big plans like you
I was a young man too"
When I'm just an old man on a front porch in a chair
Rocking with the memories from my past
The lines you see on my face should tell a tale of no regrets
I want to look forward to looking back on the race I ran
When I was a young man
Mama, please understand
I'm just a young man
I'm just a young man