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)
That's How I Got To Memphis
Tom T. Hall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll follow wherever they go
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
If you love somebody enough
You'll go where your heart wants to go
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
I've got to find her and find out the trouble she's in
If you tell me that she's not here
I'll follow the trail of her tears
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
She would get mad and she used to say
That she'd come back to Memphis someday
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
I haven't eaten a bite
Or slept for three days and nights
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
I've got to find her and tell her that I love her so
I'll never rest 'til I find out why she had to go
Thank you for your precious time
Forgive me if I start to cryin'
That's how I got to Memphis (x8)
The song "That's How I Got to Memphis" by Tom T. Hall is a heart-wrenching tale of a man who is deeply in love with someone and is searching for her in Memphis. The lyrics suggest that love motivates us to search for someone who has left or gone missing, even if it means traveling long distances and enduring hardships along the way. The singer is convinced that he can find his lover by following the "trail of her tears", and he is determined to find her and tell her how much he loves her.
Throughout the song, we hear about the singer's intense emotional state - he hasn't eaten or slept in days and nights, and he is on the brink of tears as he asks for help in finding his beloved. However, his persistence and determination are what drive him forward. He is willing to go wherever his heart takes him, even if it means risking rejection or failure.
Overall, the lyrics of "That's How I Got to Memphis" make a case for the power of love as a driving force in our lives. They suggest that love gives us the courage to take risks and go on an adventure in search of someone we care about deeply. In doing so, we may face hardship and heartache, but our love for the other person gives us the strength to overcome these obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
If you love somebody enough
When you love someone deeply
You'll follow wherever they go
You will go anywhere if it means being with them
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I ended up in Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's exactly how I got to Memphis
If you love somebody enough
When your heart is completely devoted to someone
You'll go where your heart wants to go
You will follow your heart's desire wherever it takes you
I know if you'd seen her you'd tell me 'cause you are my friend
I believe that you would tell me if you saw her because you are my friend
I've got to find her and find out the trouble she's in
I must find her and discover what difficulty she is facing
If you tell me that she's not here
In case you inform me that she is not present
I'll follow the trail of her tears
I'll stick to the path she left behind
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I ended up in Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's exactly how I ended up in Memphis
She would get mad and she used to say
She has a history of getting angry and saying
That she'd come back to Memphis someday
That she would return to Memphis one day
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I wound up in Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's exactly how I came to Memphis
I haven't eaten a bite
I haven't had anything to eat
Or slept for three days and nights
Or slept in three whole days and nights
That's how I got to Memphis
That's how I ended up in Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
That's the story of how I arrived in Memphis
I've got to find her and tell her that I love her so
I must seek her out and let her know how much I love her
I'll never rest 'til I find out why she had to go
I won't stop until I learn the reason for her departure
Thank you for your precious time
Thank you for taking the time to hear me out
Forgive me if I start to cryin'
Pardon me if I become emotional
That's how I got to Memphis (x8)
That's how I ended up in Memphis (repeated 8 times)
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tom T. Hall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe DeMatteo
RIP to the greatest storyteller in music history. Tom sang the song like he was having a conversation with you. It was personal and emotional. There’ll never be another.
CedarDog
That's how the greats deliver a song; like they are talking to you - Willie does this. Johnny also. In many ways Frank (Chairman of the Board) as well.
naksookow
@Joe, this comment is spot on. I am trying to figure out why I feel so down when a person I never met in a generation before my own has passed. I really enjoyed Tom T Hall’s music and song writing.
henry taaffe
the best of them all.
Janitor Bill
Lemme put it in caps GREATEST STORY TELLER IN MUSIC HISTORY
Dutchman
A timeless song 🎵! My musician friend Ericson Holt from 2 Friends in Keywest sings this song in tribute to TTH!! RIP 🙏
DL Mullins
I was sleeping on the ground beside the river next to the Manassas airport . Down on my luck and my wife left me when a car pulled up on the road beside the river and two men got out. They invited me to come to the airport and drink a beer with them. They were awaiting Tom T's flight to come in because they played in his band. I'll never forget that night. Helped me get on with my life.
John Johnson
Oldfinger Mullins. Pabst?
Jake Nash
Hell, that's a country song in itself! T would love that, I hope they told him.
Eric
WOW!!!!