Last 3 plays: Dalgleish (15/15), Peachie13 (15/15), infinite_jest (15/15).
"'How old do you think I am?' he said
I said, 'Well, I didn't know'
He said, 'I turned 65 about 11 months ago'
I was in blended whiskey down
When this old gray black was up the lounge
There wasn't anyone around, 'cept this old man and me
The who ran the bar was Ironsides on TV
Uninvited, he sat down and opened up his mind
On old dogs and children and watermelon wine
"Ever had a drink of watermelon wine?" he asked
He told me all about it, though I didn't answer back
Ain't but three things in this world that's worth a solitary dime
But old dogs and children and watermelon wine
He said, ' think about they-selves, when ain't around
And are hard to find when they discover that you're down"
He said, "I tried it all when I was young and in my natural prime
Now it's old dogs and children and watermelon wine"
Old dogs about you even when you make mistakes
God little children while they're still too young to '
When he moved away, I found my pen and copied down that line
'Bout old dogs and children and watermelon wine
I had to catch a plane up to that next day
As I left for my room, I saw him up my change
That night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime
Of old dogs and children and watermelon wine"
American country musician Tom T. Hall (1936-2021) wrote and recorded the song "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine" in 1972. In country western circles, Hall was known as "The Storyteller" and the recording was released on an album of the same name.
In his songwriting career, Hall wrote twelve songs which charted number one on Billboard and another 26 which were in the top ten. In 2008, the Country Music Hall of Fame inducted Tom T. Hall, The Statler Brothers, and Emmylou Harris. Rolling Stone named him one of the "100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time" in August of 2015.
Hall wrote "Harper Valley PTA" (1968) which became an international hit for singer Jeannie C. Riley. He wrote and recorded "The Monkey That Became President" in 1972.
According to Hall himself, he was in Miami Beach attending the Democratic National Convention in July of 1972. He chatted with an old black janitor cleaning a hotel bar. The elder gentleman recounted his life's experiences and concluded that the only worthwhile things were old dogs, little children, and watermelon wine. The songwriter quickly wrote this down and it became the basis for the song.
Watermelon wine is a natural fermented fruit wine. It is made by adding sugar and wine yeast to watermelon juice and fermenting the mixture. Watermelon wine has long been made at home in parts of the United States where watermelons grow. More recently, it has been produced commercially. It tends to be low in alcohol, sweet or dry depending upon the amount of sugar added, and pink or golden depending upon the colour of the watermelon juice used. A tiny bit of beet juice may be added to watermelon to redden its colour.
The song was covered by Frankie Laine in 2002, George Burns in 2007, John Prine and Mac Wiseman in 2007, and Ferlin Husky in 2012.
The lyrics can be heard as sexist: "Women think about they-selves, when menfolk ain't around." This is dependent upon interpretation. In the best possible light, it is a song about simple and enduring pleasures. In the worst light, it could mean that women are not "worth a solitary dime." While not explicitly sexist, its sentiment could certainly be found to be dated after more than fifty years since it was written.
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