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Old Dogs, Children And Watermelon Wine.

Old Dogs, Children And Watermelon Wine.

The Late Tom T. Hall (1936 – 2021)

Lyrics and Vocals: American country music singer, songwriter and short-story author, the late Tom T. Hall (1936 – 2021), informally nicknamed “The Storyteller”.

Old Dogs, Children And Watermelon Wine.

“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.

End

If I Sing You A Love Song.

If I Sing You A Love Song.

Lyrics: British pop music promoter, group manager and songwriter Ronnie Scott and producer, songwriter and guitar player Steve Wolfe.

Ms Bonnie Tyler

Vocals: Welsh singer Ms Sullivan (née Hopkins), known professionally as Ms Bonnie Tyler.

If I Sing You A Love Song.

If I Sing You A Love Song.
If I sing you a love song, will you always remember?
Will you hear it on lonely nights, when I’m not around?
If I sing you a love song, will you hear it forever?
To remind you how much I care and how I needed you.

Love songs last longer than lovers ever do,
So, baby, let me sing a love song for you.
Love songs don’t leave you, but lovers often do,
Oh, baby, I’m afraid it could happen to me and you.

If I sing you a love song, let it always be with you,
When the others have gone away, let it still be there.

Love songs last longer than lovers ever do,
So, baby, let me sing a love song for you.
Love songs don’t leave you, like lovers often do,
Oh, baby, I’m afraid it could happen to me and you
.
Oh, oh, oh yea,
Oh, lonely nights when I’m not around
Baby, it’s a love song, so I’ll remember,
On lonely nights.
I’ll sing you a love song,
To give your love for me.
I’ll sing you a love song,

I’ll sing you a love song.

END

Celebrating Poetry & Place: Circling the Square Festival Returns To Thurles.

Popular “Circling the Square” Festival Returns To Thurles, Co. Tipperary, With Stellar Line-Up of Poets and Musicians.

Thurles is set to celebrate poetry, music and creativity in style as the fourth annual Circling the Square Festival returns to The Source Arts Centre over the weekend of October 31st to November 2nd, 2025.

Now firmly established as one of the region’s premier arts events, this festival honours the legacy of acclaimed Thurles-born poet Dennis O’Driscoll, drawing together leading voices from Ireland and abroad for a packed programme of performances, readings and workshops.

“Outside new antique pubs, young consultants
— well-toned women, gel-slick men —
drain long-necked bottles of imported beer.
Lip-glossed cigarettes are poised
at coy angles, a black bra strap
slides strategically from a Rocha top”
.

Above extract from the poem “The Celtic Tiger” by the late, acclaimed Thurles poet, Dennis O’Driscoll.

This year’s performances promise a vibrant mix of poetry, live music and discussion, with four main headline events across Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night concluding with a guided walk of Thurles, followed by Poetry readings and Open Mic Poetry on Sunday November 2nd.

The festival opens officially on Friday afternoon at 4:00pm with a reading by US former Poet Laureate and Novelist Joseph Bathanti in Bookworm No 1 Parnell Street in Thurles, followed by the first major performances at The Source Arts Centre, Cathedral Street, Thurles from 7:45pm. The evening, introduced by Jimmy Duggan, will feature music by Brendan Collins (Uilleann pipes), Gina Oberoi (Mezzo-Suprano) and Pat O’Callaghan (Saxophone), Hidden Highways, The Ed Dwan Trio and Leslie Dowdall & Hugh Buckley, alongside readings from poets Polina Cosgrave, Sean Lysaght, Moya Cannon, Joseph Bathanti, and Mary O’Donnell.

Same evening will be followed, at 10:30pm, with an Après Festival, featuring a gathering of poets, musicians and a wide audience, in the relaxed setting of “The Monks” historic licenced hostelry, on Mitchel Street, Thurles.

Saturday’s programme, November 1st, begins with a Poetry Workshop at 10:30am in the Community Rooms (above the Library) at The Source, presented by Professor Joseph Bathanti.

This event will be followed in the afternoon at 2:00pm by a panel discussion on the poetry of the late, great Irish poet Seamus Heaney. For this event Rosie Lavin & Bernard O’Donoghue, (latter editors of the newly published definitive edition of Seamus Heaney’s poetry) will join in conversation with Declan O’Driscoll.

Same will be followed by poetry readings from Amy Abdullah Barry, Michael Dooley, Charlotte Buckley, and Laoighseach Ni Choistealbha, accompanied by Classical Flautist Emma Roche from 2:30pm.

The Saturday evening showcase beginning sharp at 7:45pm, promises another standout event, featuring music from Classical Flautist Emma Roche, Hidden Pathways, Leslie Dowdall and Hugh Buckley, and the Ed Dwan Quartet, interwoven with poetry from Eleanor Hooker, Mark Roper, Bernard O’Donoghue, Grace Wilentz and Jane Clarke.

Again the night will round off at 10:30pm with the ever-popular Après Festival in The Monk’s licenced hostelry with a relaxed acoustic music session.

Note: For this event, tickets are available from The Source Arts Centre box office and website.

On the final day Sunday November 2nd at 11:30pm, commencing from the Anner Hotel, a guided heritage and history walk around Thurles will take place led by local historian Jimmy Duggan.

Finally, at 2:30pm, in The Monk’s, a Poetry Reading session, will take place, including an open Mic Session (For the latter those wishing to take part are invited to submit their names in advance). Those already taking part are D’or Seifer, Philip Lynch, John Noonan, Cathy Conlon, Trish Bennett, Linda Tavokali, Susan Miller Demars, Lauren Mc Namara, Cora Peters and Ron Carey.

This most enjoyable and relaxed weekend of festival events is supported by Tipperary Co. Council and Premier Credit Union.

It Ain’t Me Babe.

It Ain’t Me Babe.

Lyrics and Vocals: American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.

It Ain’t Me Babe.

Bob Dylan.

Go away from my window,
Leave at your own chosen speed.
I’m not the one you want, babe,
I’m not the one you need.
You say you’re lookin’ for someone,
Who’s never weak but always strong,
To protect you and defend you,
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Go lightly from the ledge, babe,
Go lightly on the ground,
I’m not the one you want, babe,
I’ll only let you down.
You say you’re looking for someone,
Who will promise never to part,
Someone to close his eyes for you,
Someone to close his heart,
Someone who will die for you and more,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Go melt back in the night.
Everything inside is made of stone,
There’s nothing in here moving,
And anyway I’m not alone.
You say you’re looking for someone,
Who’ll pick you up each time you fall,
To gather flowers constantly,
And to come each time you call,
A lover for your life and nothing more,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

END

Clay Pigeons.

Clay Pigeons.

Lyric: American singer-songwriter Blaze Foley.
Vocals: American actor, country singer and songwriter Luke Grimes.

Clay Pigeons.

I’m going down to the Greyhound station,
Gonna get a ticket to ride.
Gonna find that lady with two or three kids,
And sit down by her side.
Ride till the sun comes up and down around me about two or three times,
Smoking cigarettes in the last seat,
Trying to hide my sorrow from the people I meet,
And get along with it all.
Go down where people say y’all,
Sing a song with a friend.
Change the shape that I’m in,
And get back in the game,
And start praying again.

Luke Grimes.

I’d like to stay but I might have to go to start over again.
I might go back down to Texas.
I might go somewhere that I never been,
And get up in the morning and go out at night,
And I won’t have to go home.
Get used to being alone.
Change the words to this song,
And start singing again.

I’m tired of running round,
Looking for answers to questions that I already know.
I could build me a castle of memories,
Just to have somewhere to go.
Count the days and the nights that it takes,
To get back in the saddle again.
Feed the pigeons some clay.
Turn the night into day.
And start talking again when I know what to say.

I’m going down to the Greyhound station,
Gonna get a ticket to ride.
Gonna find that lady with two or three kids,
And sit down by her side,
Ride till the sun comes up and down around me about two or three times.
Smoking cigarettes in the last seat,
Trying to hide my sorrow from the people I meet,
And get along with it all,
Go down where people say y’all.
Feed the pigeons some clay.
Turn the night into day.
Start talking again when I know what to say
.

END