Tom T. Hall is not just your ordinary songwriter and singer. He brings to life every story he gets to encounter. That’s why every song he wrote for himself or for other artists are precious. It’s worth listening to because it’s not like what we mostly hear. One particular song that was pushed into the spotlight was his single “Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine.”
It seems to have an ordinary title to it. It’s as if you may not want to take the time to listen to the song, but you must because its simplicity makes it great.
“Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine” Inspiration
Hall’s single was inspired from a conversation he had with a janitor in a Miami beach hotel. It was during this conversation that the janitor told Hall about the three important things in his life – Old dogs, children, and watermelon wine. Therefore, when you listen to the song, one part says,
Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes
God bless little children while they’re still too young to hate
When he moved away I found my pen and copied down that line
‘Bout old dogs and children and watermelon wine
It’s like we are really having an authentic conversation with the janitor. Hall performed the song in a way that we can all experience talking to him.
Tom T Hall. Photo from BMI/ Tom T. Hall’s Official Website
The song was released as a single from his Storyteller album. “Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine” reached number one on both the Canadian and US chart. In addition, it was ranked as one of the Greatest Country Songs according to Rolling Stones.
In Hall’s song, the man tells the narrator about the important things in his life. It’s obvious that he mentioned the simple things, the ones that are innocent. Sometimes we are so caught up with so many things we forget to appreciate the important ones. Let us all be like the man in the song, loving what truly matters in life.
Other of Tom T. Hall’s Songs
Hall has written a lot of chart-topping songs for other artists, and one of which is the song recorded by Jeannie C. Riley. “Harper Valley PTA” reached the top of the Country and Hot 100 chart. It was not only a win for Riley but for Hall too. The song was nominated for Best Country Song and Song of the Year.
We hope you enjoy this wonderful song by ‘The Storyteller.’
Get your daily dose of country music at Country Thang Daily.