Blake Shelton’s “Ol’ Red” will take you for a distinct narrative spin in the most interesting place – the jail. No, this is not being sarcastic. It’s true; the song would drag you in the story about a prisoner and a dog which pokes our interest.
The song was not originally recorded by Shelton but was included on his self-titled debut album back in 2002. James “Bo” Bohan, Don Goodman, and Mark Sherrill were the writers, while George Jones was the original singer for “Ol’ Red” in 1990.
Fairly enough, when Shelton released his version, it didn’t hit much on the charts. However, it became the most common request during his concerts to consider it his signature song.
“Ol’ Red” is like a short story piece starting with a man who is sentenced to 99 years or basically a lifetime jail time. He catches his wife with an affair with another man and decides to do the most brutal crime imaginable. This earned him a spot on the prison cell.
In prison, he befriends the warden, who has a dog called Ol’ Red, with uncanny ability in tracking down inmates who successfully escapes. The narrator thought of escaping the situation he’s in. His main target is the dog, and they planned to keep his attention somewhere else. So, they found a dog and tried to lure him into it.
His cousin brought a female dog in the nearby swampland near the prison for Ol’ Red. They want him to mate with the dog and expose him to her as often as possible. The narrator made the dog not see his newfound lover for three to four days to make him restless and aroused.
The day came when he let the dog met his mate. As the dog got preoccupied with his lover, the narrator tried to escape and successfully does so. He then mocked his escape by the lyrics, “love got me here, and love got me out.”
Blake Shelton‘s “Ol’ Red” is one of that country music that takes you in with its story and not necessarily the melody. It would be best if you listened to it over and over again to really appreciate it. Maybe that’s why fans request it every time he has a concert.
If you want to hear it, click on the video below.
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Blake Shelton