The Here & The Now

Album: Older Than My Old Man Now (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The strangest story every told
    Was how I got to be this old


    Loudon Wainwright III tells us the strange story of his life in "The Here & The Now" from the album Older Than My Old Man. Like pages flipped in a family album, we see the singer being born and growing through the decades. Women come and go, his children are born, but all the while he can't understand what his purpose is in the "here and now."

    I don't know why I'm not sure how
    I wind up here to the here and now


    By the 21st century, he finds the answer staring him right in the face… or in the pants.

    My seed's been spent and my loins are cold.

    "I suppose it could be argued that I'm here to procreate. And now that my procreating days are pretty much over, there's no point in being here anymore, if you want to take a hard line on that," said Loudon to the A.V. Club.
  • All four of Wainwright's children - Rufus, Martha, Lucy and Alexandra ("Lexie") - are featured on the song, along with ex-lover Suzzy Roche and current wife Ritamarie Kelly.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.