"(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Tom T. Hall.
[2] The song is a true account of Hall's experience at the 1972 Democratic National Convention, where he had a conversation with an old porter (janitor) at a Miami Beach hotel.
The porter appraises his own life by concluding that the only worthwhile things are the three listed in the song's title.
[3] The song was covered by artists such as Frankie Laine, whose version changed what the bartender was watching from Ironside to Rawhide; George Burns; John Prine; and Mac Wiseman and Ferlin Husky.
Alf Robertson wrote new lyrics and recorded the song in 1977 in Swedish as Hundar och ungar och hembryggt äppelvin (Swedish for Dogs and children and home-brewed apple wine);[4] he scored a Svensktoppen hit with the song for 10 weeks between 2 November 1980[5] and 18 January 1981,[6] topping the chart for 4 weeks.