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 sittin' in miami pourin' blended whiskey down
When this old gray black gentleman was cleanin' up the lounge

There wasn't anyone around 'cept this old man and me
The guy who ran the bar was watchin' 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, women think about they-selves, when menfolk ain't around.
And friends 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 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 that line
'bout old dogs and children and watermelon wine.

I had to catch a plane up to atlanta that next day
As I left for my room I saw him pickin' up my change
That night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime
Of old dogs and children and watermelon wine.

• A Picture of Your Mother
• Ballad of Forty Dollars
• Beer Drinker's Waltz
• Candy in The Window
• Don't Forget The Coffee Billy Joe
• Faster Horses
• Fox on The Run
• Gimme Peace
• I Flew Over Our House Last Night
• I Like Beer
• I Love
• I Washed My Face in The Morning Dew
• I'm Not Ready Yet
• Magnificent Music Machine
• Old Dogs, Children & Watermelon Wine
• One of The Mysteries of Life
• Pamela Brown
• Ravishing Ruby
• She Gave Her Heart to Jethro
• Sneaky Snake
• Souvenirs
• Spokane Motel Blues
• That's How I Got to Memphis
• The Monkey That Became President
• The Old Side of Town
• The Son of Clayton Delaney
• Turn It On, Turn It On, Turn It On