How old
do you think I am? said.
I said, well, I didn't know.
He said, you know, I turned sixty -five about,
oh, eleven months ago
I was sittin' in Miami
pourin' blended whiskey down
When this old gray black gentleman
was cleaning up the lounge
There wasn't anyone around
except this old man and me
The guy who ran the bar
was watching Ironsides on TV
When uninvited, he sat down
and opened up his mind
On old dogs and children
an d watermelon wine
Have you ever had a drink
of watermelon wine,
he asked
And he told me all about it,
though I didn't answer back
He said, there ain't but three
things in the world
that's worth a solitary dime
But old dogs and children
an d watermelon wine
He said, you know women,
they think about themselves
Well, when menfolk ain't around
And friends are hard to find
When they discover that you're down
He said, son, I tried it all when I was young
And in my natural pride
Now it's old dogs and children
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 the line
About old dogs and children
an d watermelon wine
I had to catch a plane up to Atlanta
that next day
As I left for my room
I saw him picking up my change
And that night I dreamed
in peaceful sleep
of shady summertime
Our whole dogs and children
An d watermelon wine