According to some, "Old Man" is one of three related songs by Young. Sugar Mountain, Tell Me Why, and Old Man are thought to be a trilogy. Sugar Mountain is about a young person waiting to leave home and accept new freedom. Tell Me Why is about a person who is learning to accept responsibility now that they're "Old Enough to Repay." Old Man is about the same character, and in that song the character has decided that they can't accept the responsibility of life on their own, and so they "Float Home" to the place they wanted to leave in Sugar Mountain.
