Written by Tom T. Hall. It was originally released by The Blue Boys in 1968, whose version peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
The song was covered by American country music artist George Jones on his 1980 album I Am What I Am. It was released in August 1980 as album’s second single following the monster smash “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Jones’ version peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
On the original 45 record, it was paired with another good song: The B-Side was “Garage Sale Today” from the pen of A. Riley and W. Win.
As Rich Kienzle observes in the liner notes to the 1994 Sony compilation The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country, the Hall composition “seemed to also reflect on George’s mortality though Hall’s lyrics weren’t originally conceived that way.”
Versions:
The Blue Boys 1967
Tom T. Hall January 1978
Tammy Wynette May 25, 1979
George Jones August 1980
The Buckaroos 1997
The Mary Janes 1998
Miquel Batlle Garriga
mbatllegarriga@gmail.com
