Toby Keith - As Good As I Once Was - Lyrics Meaning

As Good As I Once Was by Toby Keith looks into the life a man that is growing up but is still looking to act young again on occasion. The lyrics explain how his pride gives him the ability to still perform as if he was young and in his twenties, but he can look at the situation now in a new light. He is greeted by two girls in a bar that are promising him a good time, but has to explain to them that his is not "as good as I once was" and that the offer may a little too much for him to handle. After reevaluation his predicament, however, his pride kicks in and he realizes that he can step up again one more time.

The lyrics also go into his relationship with his old friend Dave, and the confrontation that arises while they are hanging out at the bar "hustlin' a game of pool". His friend yells for him to have his back, but he does not think that he can react the same way he would have years back. The main purpose of this song is for him to look back on old times and ways and realize that while he has grown up, he is still able to hold it down at the present time, if only to be "as good once" as he ever was.

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