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)
Who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs
Tom T. Hall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And why I still remember him I guess I'll never know
He'd lie there and cry out in a medicated fog,
"Here I am in this dang bed and who's gonna feed them hogs?"
"Four hundred hogs, they just standin' out there
My wife can't feed 'em and my neighbors don't care
They can't get out and roam around like my old huntin' dogs
His face was lean and his hands were rough
His way was hogs and his nature was tough
His doctors tried to tell him that he may not live at all
But all he ever talked about was who's gonna feed them hogs
"Four hundred hogs, they just standin' out there
My wife can't feed 'em and my neighbors don't care
They can't get out and roam around like my old huntin' dogs
Here I am in this dang bed and who's gonna feed them hogs?"
Four hundred hogs comes to eight hundred hams
And that's a lot of money for a hog-raisin' man
Four hundred hogs comes to sixteen hundred feet
The market's up and there are people a-waitin' on that meat
Well, the doctors say they do not know what saved the man from death
But in a few days he put on his overalls and he left
That's all there is to this small song but waitress, before you leave,
Would you bring me some coffee and a hot ham sandwich, please?
Four hundred hogs they're just standing out there
His wife couldn't feed 'em and his neighbors didn't care
They couldn't get out and roam around like his old huntin' dogs...
The song "Who’s Gonna Feed Them Hogs" by Tom T. Hall tells the story of a man who is in the hospital and is worried about who will take care of his four hundred hogs while he's away. The man is in a medicated haze and can only think about his hogs. The song has a melancholic tone, as the man's obsession with his animals seems to overpower any human connections he may have.
The lyrics are a commentary on the rural lifestyle, where farmers and other agriculturists have a special connection to their animals and the land. The man in the song is completely devoted to his hogs, and his thoughts are consumed by their needs despite his deteriorating condition. The song highlights the struggles of living in rural areas and the personal connections that people often have with their livestock and the land.
Line by Line Meaning
I met him in a hospital about a year ago
The singer encountered a man in a hospital
And why I still remember him I guess I'll never know
The singer is unsure of why he remembers the man
He'd lie there and cry out in a medicated fog,
The man was in a medicated state and would cry out
"Here I am in this dang bed and who's gonna feed them hogs?"
The man was worried about who would take care of his 400 hogs
His face was lean and his hands were rough
The man appeared to be physically worn from his work with hogs
His way was hogs and his nature was tough
Raising hogs was the man's way of life and he was a tough individual
His doctors tried to tell him that he may not live at all
The man's doctors warned him that he may not survive his illness
But all he ever talked about was who's gonna feed them hogs
Despite his illness, the man's only concern was the well-being of his hogs
"Four hundred hogs, they just standin' out there
The man had 400 hogs that needed to be taken care of
My wife can't feed 'em and my neighbors don't care
Neither the man's wife nor his neighbors were able or willing to care for his hogs
They can't get out and roam around like my old huntin' dogs
The hogs were unable to move around freely like the man's dogs that he used to go hunting with
Four hundred hogs comes to eight hundred hams
The man would be able to make 800 hams from his 400 hogs
And that's a lot of money for a hog-raisin' man
Raising hogs could be a profitable business for the man
Four hundred hogs comes to sixteen hundred feet
The man would also be able to sell the feet of the hogs for additional profit
The market's up and there are people a-waitin' on that meat
There was a demand for the hogs and their meat, making it an even more valuable resource
Well, the doctors say they do not know what saved the man from death
The man's doctors cannot explain how he survived his illness
But in a few days he put on his overalls and he left
Despite being gravely ill, the man was able to recover quickly and return to work
That's all there is to this small song but waitress, before you leave,
The song is coming to an end, but the singer addresses the waitress
Would you bring me some coffee and a hot ham sandwich, please?
The singer orders a cup of coffee and a hot ham sandwich from the waitress
Four hundred hogs they're just standing out there
The man left the hospital, but his 400 hogs still needed to be taken care of
His wife couldn't feed 'em and his neighbors didn't care
The man's wife and neighbors were still unable or unwilling to care for the hogs
They couldn't get out and roam around like his old huntin' dogs...
The hogs remained trapped and unable to move around like the man's dogs
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOM T. HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
GooglFascists
Our favorite is "The Little Lady Preacher" because Tom refers to a sinner
in the song by the name of "Luther Short", which just happened to be the
name of my 2 son's 4th grade teacher. Of course when the song would
come on and talk about Luther being a "hairy-legged soul lost out in sin",
gales of laughter would take over the room.
Having been a farmer I know about hogs, and its a fact that if they're
used to being fed, (as opposed to rooting around in the woods finding
their own food), they'll stand right there until they drop over from star-
vation.
Steven Spolar
This song is based is upon a true story. While Tom T. Hall was visiting a friend in the hospital, he heard the commotion of the medical staff in a nearby room and asked his friend about it. His friend told Mr. Hall that a farmer, who was badly injured in a tractor accident, was the patient in that room and that he may not survive. A few days later Mr. Hall returned to the hospital for a visit and the farmers room was empty. Tom asked if he had passed, but his friend said he got dressed and left.
Brian Schwarz
Thanks Steven for posting so much of this man's great, creative music. I also heard him tell this on a video. One of my favorites from him - though very hard to choose from all those great ones!!!
Randy Miller
I remember Tom T Hall actually telling this story just the way you told it.
It seems like I heard him tell this story back in the 80s on Ralph Emery's Nashville Tonight show on the old TNN Network.
Much love from Mobile Alabama.
Nick Uhlig
So what? You should do a youtube video on the history of the song, and comoare hits ro duscourse in the song, in relation to the actual song. When your song comes on, you turn it down, and talk about it, without hearing it. But yiu only di that when its playing. But i can talk about it, and not gas
Stephen Mahala
Most of his stories were true
DL Mullins
I remember my old Dad who was in the hospital about when this came out and he loved it because he also worried about his own 400 hogs. He needn't have worried though because I took care of them along with my brothers. Dad died at 92 last year. This song made me smile.
Timnor
He didn't need neighbors... he had you and your brothers🇺🇸
jayjay nella
I bet your dad smiled on hearing that song? You did play that song for him?
DigitalShark99
The 17 people giving "thumbs down" must be the hog farmer's neighbors.
ElijahMathews
Lol