The speaker describes himself as an “old pensioner,” a lightly mocking allusion to his late stage of life. While the gender of the speaker isn’t specified, the references to younger boys picking up social battles and women turning their eyes away suggests the speaker is an old man. Through the poem, he looks back on his life and the way a new generation has taken the place he once filled in his community. He holds on to his memories, which are interwoven with regret for his lost years. The speaker disdains the passage of time, but ultimately comes to understand that he has no control over it.