Tom T. Hall (born May 25, 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky; died August 20, 202… Read Full Bio ↴Tom T. Hall (born May 25, 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky; died August 20, 2021) was an American country music songwriter, singer, instrumentalist, novelist, and short-story writer. He wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more that reached the Top 10, including the No. 1 international pop crossover hit "Harper Valley PTA" and "I Love", which reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. He is included in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Songwriters. He became known to fans as "The Storyteller", thanks to his storytelling skills in his songwriting. Hall won the Grammy Award for Best Album Notes in 1973 for the notes he wrote for his album Tom T. Hall's Greatest Hits. He was nominated for, but did not win, the same award in 1976 for his album Greatest Hits Volume 2. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry from 1971.

As a teen, Hall put together a band called the Kentucky Travelers that performed before movies for a travelling theater. During a stint in the Army, Hall performed over the Armed Forces Radio Network and wrote comic songs about Army experiences. His early career included being a radio announcer at WRON, a local radio station in Ronceverte, West Virginia.

Hall's big break came in 1963 when singer Jimmy C. Newman recorded his song "DJ For a Day." In 1964 Hall moved to Nashville, TN, and within months had songs climbing the charts. Nicknamed "The Story Teller", he has written songs for dozens of country stars such as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and Alan Jackson.

One of the most popular songs, "Harper Valley PTA", was originally recorded in 1968 by Jeannie C. Riley, sold over six million copies, and won both a Grammy and CMA award. The song later would inspire the motion picture and television program of the same name.

Hall's own recording career took off after that and he had such hits as "A Week in the Country Jail," "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine," "I Love," "Country Is", "The Year Clayton Delaney Died," "The Old Side of Town," and "I Like Beer." He was also noted for his children's songs, the most popular being "Sneaky Snake".

He also hosted the syndicated country music TV show Pop Goes the Country.

His son, Dean Hall, is also a singer and is member of the MuzikMafia.

A hard-rock adaptation of his song I love was featured in a series of successful television commercials for Coors beer.

Hall largely retired from writing new material in 1986 and from performing in 1994; his final public performance, which was also his first in several years, was in 2011.

Discography

Singles Written and Performed By Tom T. Hall

* "I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew" (#30, 1967)
* "Ain't Got The Time" (#68, 1968)
* "The World The Way I Want It" (#66, 1968)
* "Ballad of Forty Dollars" (#4, 1969)
* "Homecoming" (#5, 1969)
* "Strawberry Farms" (#40, 1969)
* "Day Drinkin'" (#23, 1970)
* "Salute to a Switchblade" (#8, 1970)
* "Shoeshine Man" (#8, 1970)
* "A Week in a Country Jail" (#1, 1970)
* "Ode to Half a Pound of Ground Round" (#21, 1971)
* "One Hundred Children" (#14, 1971)
* "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" (#1, 1971) (also reached #42 on the Pop Singles Chart)
* "Me and Jesus" (#8, 1972) (also reached #92 on the Pop Chart)
* "More About John Henry" (#26, 1972)
* "The Monkey That Became President" (#11, 1972)
* "Old Dogs, Children, And Watermelon Wine" (#1, 1973)
* "Ravishing Ruby" (#3, 1973)
* "Spokane Motel Blues" (#16, 1973)
* "Watergate Blues" (#16, 1973)
* "Country Is" (#1, 1974)
* "I Love" (#1, 1974) (also reached #2 on the Adult Contemporary Chart and #12 on the Pop Singles Chart)
* "Sneaky Snake" (#69, 1974) (reached #55 on the Pop Singles Chart the following year)
* "That Song Is Driving Me Crazy" (#2, 1974) (also reached #63 on the Pop Singles Chart)
* "Deal" (#8, 1975)
* "I Care" (#1, 1975)
* "I Like Beer" (#4, 1975)
* "Faster Horses (The Cowboy And The Poet)" (#1, 1976)
* "Fox On The Run" (#9, 1976)
* "Negatory Romance" (#24, 1976)
* "It's All in the Game" (#12, 1977)
* "Your Man Loves You, Honey" (#4, 1977)
* "What Have You Got to Lose" (#9, 1978)
* "Son of Clayton Delaney" (#14, 1979)
* "You Show Me Your Heart (And I'll Show You Mine)" (#11, 1979)
* "Back When Gas Was Thirty Cents a Gallon" (#36, 1980)
* "Jesus On the Radio (Daddy On the Phone)" (#9, 1980)
* "Solder Of Fortune" (#51, 1980)
* "The Old Side of Town" (#9, 1980)
* "Everything From Jesus To Jack Daniels (#42, 1983)
* "P.S. I Love You" (#8, 1984)
* "A Bar with No Beer" (#40, 1985)
* "Down At The Mall" (#65, 1986)

Singles Written By Tom T. Hall But Performed By Other Artists

* "Mad" performed by Dave Dudley (#6, 1964)
* "Artificial Rose" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#8, 1965)
* "Back In Circulation" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#13, 1965)
* "City of the Angels" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#37, 1965)
* "What We're Fighting For" performed by Dave Dudley (#4, 1966)
* "Back Pocket Money" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#10, 1966)
* "California Uptight Band" performed by Flatt & Scruggs (#20, 1967)
* "Dropping Out of Sight" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#32, 1967)
* "Louisiana Saturday Night" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#24, 1967)
* "Town That Broke My Heart" performed by Bobby Bare (#16, 1968)
* "Anything Leaving Town Today" performed by Dave Dudley (#12, 1968)
* "There Ain't No Easy Run" performed by Dave Dudley (#10, 1968)
* "Harper Valley PTA" performed by Jeannie C. Riley (#1, 1968) (also reached #1 on the Pop Singles Chart and #4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart)
* "Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman" performed by Jim & Jesse (#49, 1968)
* "(Margie's At) The Lincoln Park Inn" performed by Bobby Bare (#4, 1969)
* "George (And the Northwoods)" performed by Dave Dudley (#10, 1969)
* "One More Mile" performed by Dave Dudley (#12, 1969)
* "Boo Dan" peroformed by Jimmy C. Newman (#31, 1969)
* "That's How I Got To Memphis" performed by Bobby Bare (#3, 1970)
* "Pool Shark" performed by Dave Dudley (#1, 1970)
* "If I Ever Fall in Love (With a Honky Tonk Girl)" performed by Faron Young (#4, 1970)
* "Second Handed Flowers" performed by George Jones (#5, 1972)
* "You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me)" performed by Johnny Rodriguez (#1, 1973) (also #86 on the Pop Singles Chart)
* "I Can Still Hear the Music in the Restroom" performed by Jerry Lee Lewis (#13, 1975)
* "I'm Not Ready Yet" performed by George Jones (#2, 1980)
* "Dropping Out Of Sight" performed by Bobby Bare (#35, 1981)
* "Little Bitty" performed by Alan Jackson (#1, 1996)
* "That's How I Got To Memphis" performed by Deryl Dodd (#36, 1996)

Highways
Tom T. Hall Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Highways take me everywhere I want to go with one exception standing
That road leads into the quiet places in the shadows of your mind
The beaten path of common words can only lead us to misunderstanding
I believe that I can see the love for you that is a greater kind

Highways take me over the mountains into the valleys and out through the plains
Wanting to be in your heart's understanding I travel each highway in vain
Highways only take me into places where the average of the crowd goes

Where they affix the standard on the language and emotions of the love

Highways never reach above the ground and cannot know the things a cloud knows
In a million volumes they have never written to express my love

Highways take me over the mountains...
Highways take me over the mountains...

Overall Meaning

In Tom T. Hall's song "Highways," the singer reflects on the limitations of the physical world and language when it comes to expressing his love for someone. He recognizes that while highways can take him anywhere he wants to go, there is one exception - the road that leads into the quiet, shadowy places of his lover's mind. The beaten path of common words can only lead to misunderstanding, and he yearns to see a greater kind of love that transcends the limitations of language.

As he travels each highway, he longs to be in his lover's heart's understanding, but feels like the highways only take him to places where the average crowd goes. These places are where the standard is affixed on the language and emotions of love, and he feels that his love cannot be fully expressed in that context. He recognizes that highways are bound by the physical world and cannot know the things that a cloud knows, and in a million volumes, they have never been able to fully capture or express his love.

Overall, "Highways" is a song about the limitations of language and the physical world when it comes to experiencing and expressing love. The singer recognizes these limitations and longs for a greater kind of love that can transcend them.

Line by Line Meaning

Highways take me everywhere I want to go with one exception standing
I can go anywhere I want on the highways except the one that takes me to the deepest parts of your mind.

That road leads into the quiet places in the shadows of your mind
The road that I can't take leads me to the hidden and private parts of your thoughts and feelings.

The beaten path of common words can only lead us to misunderstanding
Using the same old phrases and expressions will only create confusion and misinterpretation between us.

I believe that I can see the love for you that is a greater kind
Despite the limits of language and words, I know that my love for you is beyond measure and greater than any words can express.

Highways take me over the mountains into the valleys and out through the plains
The highways take me through different terrains and landscapes as I try to find a way to your heart.

Wanting to be in your heart's understanding I travel each highway in vain
No matter how much I travel on the highways, I know deep down that I can never truly understand what's in your heart.

Highways only take me into places where the average of the crowd goes
The highways only lead me to places that are common and ordinary, where everyone else goes.

Where they affix the standard on the language and emotions of the love
In these common places, people have set standards on how love should be expressed, and it's limited by language and words.

Highways never reach above the ground and cannot know the things a cloud knows
The highways are limited to the ground and cannot reach the heights of the sky where there's a deeper understanding of the world.

In a million volumes they have never written to express my love
Even if there were a million books written about love, they would never be able to fully express the depth of my love for you.

Highways take me over the mountains...
The highways continue to take me on a journey to find a way to your heart, no matter what obstacles I face.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEFF BECK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS