“(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine “
Tom T. Hall
Written by Tom T. Hall
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
January 27, 1973
Country music is so compelling when it lets the unheard and unseen have their stories told.
Few singer-songwriters have ever done this as well as Tom T. Hall, and you can hear his influence all over the Americana scene today, with its Isbells and Hawk Harrises.
It’s hard to believe a song like this could have been such a big mainstream hit, which is a credit to how Hall developed his characters so boldly that they transcend the intimacy of the performance. It’s like there’s this little private conversation, and Hall is letting us listen in.
The man he encounters in this song finds such strength in the few members of society that accept and don’t judge a man like him, gently prodding us listeners to look at those whom we are ourselves most likely to judge, simply by sharing his perspective on the few who have treated him with kindness.
The takeaway isn’t just an appreciation of old dogs, children, and watermelon wine. It’s a challenge to be more like them and less like the rest of the world that only sees such downtrodden men through a judgmental lens.
“(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine” gets an A.
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…what a way to pack life into six words – and a few more to round off this wonderful effort.
“A+”. If I was reviewing this song on just the “art” of it, it would easily be in the Top 10 of all time country greats. No, it’s not a song you can appreciate driving around in your car or cleaning your house. It’s a song you have to actually sit and really listen to. However, if you do you will discover and learn something new each time you listen. It’s not just a story but an observation on how we usually fall short of how we should be. This song is so good that I struggle to put into words on describing it. A pure Masterpiece.
The Storyteller at his very best, Tom T’s songs generally made the top ten prior to this song, rarely made it to #1. This song seemingly introduced him to a new audience as four more of his songs would reach the top after this song. I think that one of the things that may have impeded his singles sales was that so many of his songs were so compelling that many of his fans purchased his albums rather than wasting money on singles. Five of his albums placed on the Billboard 200 which was rather unusual for country artist not of the country-pop persuasion.
Unfortunately, during Tom T’s heyday record labels usually issued one single (rarely more than two singles) from an album so there are literally dozens of great songs that most people have never heard
A couple of interesting things about the back story to this song: Tom T. starts off after the spoken intro with “I was sitting in Miami…” Tom T. claimed that the song recounts an actual enocounter that he had with a porter/busman at the lounge of a hotel where he was staying when he attended the Democratic National Convention, held in Miami in 1972, (which gave it presidential nomination to George McGovern). He was getting ready to fly out the next morning when this perhaps embellished encounter occurred.
Tom T. sings that the man who ran the bar “was watching ‘Ironsides’ on TV” “Ironside” was a popular 1960s-’70s NBC TV series starring Raymond Burr (most famous for playing “Perry Mason” in an earlier series) as a police chief/detective named Robert Ironside, who was paralyzed by a bullet and is confined to a wheelchair. I remember as a kid that older people would almost invariably misstate the name of the show as “Ironsides” (in the plural). That’s because there was a very famous Naval ship called the U.S.S. Constitution, which saw major action in the War of 1812 and later, and was nicknamed “Old Ironsides.” The ship is still commissioned by the Navy and serves mainly as a tourist attraction in Boston, Mass. Whether Tom T., a U.S. Army veteran, initially thought the TV program was called “Ironsides,” he and his producers obviously decided to stick with the mis-title.
Frankie Laine, the legendary pop, and western movie singer, covered “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine” on a Nashville album that he recorded in the 1980s. In Laine’s version, the guy who runs the bar is watching “Rawhide” on TV–a ’60s TV series with which Laine had some familiarity
My favorite Tom T. Hall song. His peak in terms of telling a story with relatable, interesting characters and a good message… AND my favorite single of the entire year.
This Hall masterpiece, along with The Oak’s “Elvira” and Marty Robbins “El Paso,” are the three most influential songs from my childhood. I could play any of the three endlessly on repeat and still be captivated with each listen.
I think that children figured into Hall’s narrative mattered to me as a kid even though I wouldn’t realize that until I became an adult.
In “Chicken Soup for the Soul:Country Music” Hall contributes an essay about the writing of this song. He recounts writing “watermelon wine” on bar napkin. While on a flight to Atlanta, he found the napkin in his pocket and was inspired to write. He got a sick bag from the seat pocket in front of him and wrote down what happened in the conversation from the night before at the bar.
He remembers drinking Seagram’s 7 Canadian blended whiskey.
Of course he does.
This was the song that pulled me in to the Storyteller’s writing. I’d argue it’s probably his signature song as well. I’ll echo Peter’s excellent point that while no one wrote about real life better than Tom T. Hall in a way that catered to adults, his inclusion of children in so much that he did was impactful and felt personal. I love this song and it really helped me fall in love with the songwriting of country music as a kid.
I’m curious, has anyone here ever actually consumed a glass of watermelon wine, perhaps spurred on by the lyrics to this song? (I have not.)
I agree with the consensus view it’s yet another masterpiece from the 1970s. So poignant. So unforgettable.
Yes, and it is nothing special – anything with a high sugar content can be fermented and a classmate of mine made some watermelon wine a year or two before this song came out.
Bonus Beats:
Here’s the version of “Watermelon Wine” that John Prine and Mac Wiseman recorded for their 2007 collaborative covers album Standard Songs for Average People:
https://youtu.be/p3QnnzA2c4A
Also, George Burns (yes, that George Burns) recorded a version for his 1980 album I Wish I Was Eighteen Again. It was produced by Jerry Kennedy, just like the original. Make of that what you will. Here it is:
https://youtu.be/EPTs6aetmgY
Funny, Tom T. was only 37 when he wrote and recorded “Old Dogs and Children…,” though he sounded older. But all of the covers were done by seniors, older than the “old man” in the song. Mac Wiseman (above) was 81 when he did it with Prine; George Burns was 84 when he did his version. And Frankie Laine was 73 when he put it out in 1986, with one lyrical switch.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=frankie+laine+old+dogs