Tom T. Hall

Dealing With Tom T. Hall

Singer/songwriter Tom T. Hall was born in Olive Hill, Kentucky in 1936 and while only in his twenties he started on a singing and songwriting road that eventually led to worldwide recognition. He is widely known for tunes such as “Fox on the Run,” “Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine” and “Faster Horses.” His ballads and songwriting skills are among the best in folk and country music.

While thousands know Hall’s most popular songs, few are familiar with a song called “Deal.” In this gambling/poker tune, Hall sings about life being a gamble and “the hours are cards they deal.” The lyrics show some inside information about poker when the listener is told “Oh you think of the time that you knew you could call so you raised.” That is some good poker advice.

Hall also sings about some of the common knowledge in poker, such as the next card may be an Ace and a flush beats a straight. But he also sings about something that every poker player struggles with: “Oh you think of the time that you got out when you should have stayed.” Who among us hasn’t had that thought?

As the song goes on to the second verse and the conclusion, the listener is advised that life is shuffled and is dealt again, though not to the same players. In the final lines the singer says, “Well, I’m not complainin’ it ain’t like a Joker to cry. Oh it won’t do to cheat cause you have to cash in when you die. So deal, hey, maybe the next card’s an Ace.”

Tom T. Hall has written 11 songs that reached number one in popularity. Twenty-six more have been top-ten hits. He played in the Kentucky Travelers, joined the Army and worked as a radio announcer before starting a songwriting career that led him to work with such legends as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Waylon Jennings. Many other artists have recorded his songs and performed them in live concerts. He has won Grammy awards and Country Music Association awards for his songs.

Hall’s popularity has crossed oceans as well. “Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine” was the second most popular song in a 1998 listener’s poll in the U.K. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.