The Toby Keith song inspired by Clint Eastwood that Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones lives by
What keeps Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones going?
Jones, who turned 79 in October, told a story on Christmas Eve that sheds some light on where he finds inspiration.
During his weekly radio show on KRLD/105.3 FM “The Fan,” Jones described the genesis of a Toby Keith song, which was inspired by a conversation the country star had with film legend Clint Eastwood.
Eastwood, who turns 92 in May, had to leave a charity golf tournament early to work on the 2018 film “The Mule,” in which he plays a character based on a true story of an aging World War II veteran who became a drug courier for a Mexican cartel in the 1980s.
“Well, Clint had to leave a golf tournament that he and Toby were playing in Tennessee and go back and go to work,” Jones said. “And Toby said, ‘Why in the world would you go to work? You don’t need to work. You got all the money in the world.’ And ol’ Clint looked over at him and said, ‘Toby, I ain’t going to let the old man in. I will not let that old man in. I’m going to work.’”
Keith told WideOpenCountry.com that he was inspired to write his song “Don’t Let the Old Man In” on the spot.
“I [asked] ‘What keeps you going?’ and he said ‘I get up every day and don’t let the old man in,’” Keith said. “And I went, ‘I’m writing this damn thing right now.’”
That’s what Keith did. He sent Eastwood the track, hoping it would be considered for the film.
“And, you know, he did,” Keith said of the song, which adds some poignancy to the film’s ending.
Jones intimated that he has remained a hands-on, active general manager of the Cowboys by refusing to let the “old man in.”
“There was a whole bunch of that, too. He ain’t coming in. We got to get that championship,” Jones said. “There’s no satisfaction here until we get us a Super Bowl win.”
Jones told the story, in part, to push back at the perception held by some that he cares more about making money than winning titles.
“You know, a lot of people think it’s about financial [success], that’s where I get up in the morning and go to bed at night,” he said. “Well, I gave every dollar for all practical purposes I had to get to be a Dallas Cowboy. And it wasn’t, back then, a given that it was going to be successful. But I did it because I wanted to be right in the spot like we’re in right now. This is where it all happens for me [with] a chance to win the championship.”
The Cowboys (10-4) host the Washington Football Team at 7:20 p.m. Sunday at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2018 when the 49ers lost on Thursday. They’ll clinch an NFC East title with a win Sunday.
Jones compared a successful Cowboys season like a room doused with lighter fluid.
“Picture you a full room and you have a half-inch of lighter fluid all over that room. What would happen if you stood outside that door and pitched that match in there,” Jones suggested. “It would blow that thing up sky high. That’s your Dallas Cowboys. We’re sitting here, we’re always sitting here, with that kind of interest in us, a lot of people wanting us to go down, a lot of people wanting us to stay up and keep up. But the interest is there. So, when this thing does hit and hits at a high level, then it goes higher and further than you can ever imagine. That’s been my experience. I’ve always underestimated that it sure can happen.”
