Tom T Hall -- The Ballad of Forty Dollars [REACTION/RATING]

Tom T Hall is a national treasure with his songwriting and delivery. This one took me for a ride and had me crying--you'll see why. :-)
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#TomTHall #BalladOfFortyDollars #RockN2Country

[@jillmcclellan2844]

I'm from the same county as Tom T. Met him a few times. He's my favorite of all time

[@GITRDONE7117]

The person in the song who you are like “who is this guy” is Tom T himself. He used to work in a cemetery cutting grass and this actually happened to him where he lent a guy 40 bucks but the guy died shortly after without repaying him. In an interview Tom said “what do you do in this situation? You can’t go to the widow asking for the money. I guess it’s gone.”

[@mikesavage2114]

It's a true story! He wrote it after digging the grave and waiting for the funeral lol!

[@ahwhite1398]

This song always reminds me of how so many people I've worked with or known over the years just kind of "talk." Specifically, when I was young and living in Missouri, working all sorts of odd jobs with a very... interesting variety of people. It's the absolute zero amount of pretension in the dialog, no filter, just small talk, observations, and gossip of a regular lower-working class schlub just making his way through life.

[@alansonchurch3000]

You must be pretty young not to have heard this song; late sixties early 70's. Tom was in the Army in Germany with me in the mid to late 50's. Drunk most of the time but completely functional in his writing and soldiering. He appeared many times on Armed Forces Network in Germany. Years later I met up with him again when he was on a tour through my home area of Kent, CT. He played a country fair.Second day he was too drunk to perform. A fun loving genius he was, taken too soon. May he rest in peace. There is a special place for people like Tom who have brought joy to many.

[@scottandal]

To quote a wise man. “Tom T. is just… He’s the man, what do you say?” Great reaction. Have a blessed day!

[@RockN2Country]

@scattandal Ha!! I am humbled that my ramblings have come home to roost, like the wise old owl. :-)

[@warrenburlingame1172]

You can never have too much Tom T Hall on the channel. Another great song would be Homecoming. RIP Tom T

[@GITRDONE7117]

Don has actually reacted to homecoming as well. Follow this link to watch that video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2O2q6OEhseMnZI

[@settermanfishing]

His best is "The Little Lady Preacher" You will love that one! ❤

[@PapaFixit]

Been waiting for this one a long time. This will be good . Now sit back and watch Don.

[@RockN2Country]

@DaveG LOL!! Thanks for the encouragement!!

[@jolenewitzel7919]

😄❤😄❤😄❤

[@ridgerunner3144]

I love the really great wordsmiths and this gentleman was at the top of his game...

[@frankscarborough1428]

Thanks enjoyed and i laughed also

[@oldermusiclover]

my late oldest brother laughed at this song he worked at the local cemetery you need to find Ballad Of the Switchblade Knife

[@luvsknitting4378]

I always loved this song. Thanks for finally playing it.

[@edithmaxim2041]

Love everything he does. Great song writer.

[@margaretk.302]

Git R Done7117 must be a "Larry the Cable Guy" fan. He is dang funny. Tom T. was one of the best. RIP Mr. Hall

[@RockN2Country]

@Margaret K. Ha!! Now I’m looking forward a subscriber whose screen name is “here’s yer sign”!!

[@jasonmoehring5326]

He was a story teller in his music. This type of music isn't around anymore and it is a shame.

[@wgj4everlong426]

1 of my favorite Tom T songs.Waylon and Cash did a great duo on this

[@richardk.flowers3043]

Tom T. Hall recorded a lot of great songs. There's one that's not given as much attention as it deserves. Please give Tom T. Hall's "Second Handed Flowers" a try.

[@jamesjarrell8185]

Typical Tom T old but good one to hear about the days before, ur reaction is my reply also have ur self a grand day Don what a story and that title comes out right in the 🔚😲 surprising 🤔😲 altogether perfection, glad to hear this song it's been a long time since I heard it but u never forget the songs like that.

[@ronniemackechnie7328]

Tom t hall and a salute to a switchblade

[@ronnycornett81]

Just heard your reaction of the ballad of forty bucks, loved it. If you like story telling with a twist, this one I played at my Dads funeral. I’m my Dads son,” a jokester”. Any way the song is Reincarnation/ where do cowboys go when they die, by Michael Martin Murphy.

[@Warped9]

Ravishing Ruby and The Year That Clayton Delaney Died are other great Tom T. Hall songs.

[@joanyow7952]

good story

[@bobkirkpatrick4164]

Another great song by Tom T Hall……. Great reaction!

[@lostfear3032]

Still watching you from Germany and still my favourite reaction videos. Since I ask for Caroline from Colter Wall I haven‘t found anything new to request. But a few weeks ago I listened to a song called „Rats get fat“ from The Hill Country Devil. Would love to see a reaction to this. Greetings from Germany

[@lefty3141591]

Great reaction to a fun song. Tom T liked to put so many details in his song. By the end how much do you know about the guy that died? A rather backdoor eulogy.

[@RockN2Country]

@Mark T That is so well put--"a backdoor eulogy." Nicely done. It could even be a backdoor and backhanded eulogy. ;-)

[@PapaFixit]

THAT IS typical TOM T HALL!.... love it.

[@PapaFixit]

I say don't lend money if you can't afford to lose it.

[@StevenEverett7]

I was waiting thru the whole song waiting for your reaction to the punch line... grinning all the way! Tom T Hall was a genius. By the way, in my younger days I worked in a cemetery. One of the jobs was filling in the grave and Tom gave a fairly good description of the attitude of the workers (except for the drinking on the job) . It was just a job and we didn't really let a funeral bother us.

[@maryannanderson2213]

"Who is this guy?" This song is from the point of view of the man who was hired to dig the grave ("They hired me and Fred and Joe to dig the grave and carry up some chairs.") and he also is responsible for mowing the lawn in the cemetery after the service is over and everyone is gone. All his ruminating is because he actually KNOWS the guy but is a bit chagrined because dude owes him $40 and that's $40 he will never see again and that's forty dollars that he cannot really afford to lose because he obviously is a poor man because he can't attend the service because he doesn't own a suit and no one would be digging a grave unless he needed money pretty badly. The song mentions the car with all the chrome that belongs to the dead man's great uncle so he has to be young enough that his grandfather's or grandmother's brother is still alive so the dead man has to be fairly young. Because that's the way my mind works, I wonder if the widow who looks so good in black, actually killed her husband. The man "laid down one afternoon and never opened up his eyes" which is a rather strange way for a young man to die unless someone has helped him die. He also said "they SAY she took it pretty hard" but when someone prefaces a statement with "they say" it is usually because he doesn't quite believe what "they say" is actually true. Also, there's no proof that she took it hard because "you can't tell too much behind that veil" and of course if she poisoned him, for example, she would not be taking his death very hard and she would be careful to wear a veil that would hide the actual expression on her face. Great song from the master story teller.

[@PapaFixit]

And she already has his truck for sale.

[@Baumeister40]

I waited till the very end wondering what this song had to do with forty dollars. The song doesn't have a chorus. Tom H Hall has another one like this called "A Week in a Country Jail."

[@rogersmith626]

Love this! I was raised on Tom T. My dad’s fave..

[@vanhammer73]

its TomT,my friend big thumps up reaction...keep em coming .... ;)

[@ronniebockman5298]

Time to dollars a great songwriter he has songs that will make you laugh and make you cry

[@darkomtobia]

Tom T Hall is my favorite singer/songwriter of all time. When I was a kid I heard I Love, The Year Clayton Delaney Died, Sneaky Snake and countless others. When I hear his music, I'm a young kid all over again, with all the feelings that come with that. I'd suggest "who's Gonna Feed Them Hogs". Thank you for reviewing "Homecoming", also!

[@mikebarnett9012]

Howdy!!! Don, Absolutely love Tom T. He is in my Top 5 all-time songwriters any genre. Great song funny and clever. You love doing this and we love you doing it. Keep up the good work? Great selection GitrDone.

[@joycemcfee1829]

I had a big smile going because I knew the ending of this song. The anticipation of your reaction made it extra amusing. I love his "Old dogs and watermelon wine." The writing is so good.

[@shannonpattenthepatriot517]

Country is that was one of my favorites back when gas was 40 cents a gallon and me and Jesus got a good thing going those were my favor he's up there with George Jones Johnny Cash Merle Haggard Loretta Lynn Tammy Wynette Rodger Miller Jimmy Dean and a whole bunch of them that was real country music back in the Golden Age of it

[@RubesGoodBrainCoffee]

When I heard this song when I was a kid, I used to take everything the narrator said at face value. Now, especially when I hear the second verse, I can't help but think that he's trying to justify not attending the funeral by giving us excuses why he can't. Even if his reasons are valid, he seems especially keen to convince us that he's not just blowing off attending. I also find it interesting the things the narrator notices. He doesn't wax poetic about the deceased man or his life, but rather notes the car, the beauty of the widow, etc. From these observations, we can really understand what the narrator values; what's important to him. The final line and the title remove all doubt from our minds.

[@GITRDONE7117]

One of my favourite lines from this song is actually the beginning. I don’t really know if it was on purpose (because Tom was a bit of a philosopher as well) but this line makes me wonder. “The man who preached the funeral said it really was a simple way to die. He laid down to rest one afternoon and never opened up his eye.” Is that really a simple way to die though? I think the man who died was younger given this songs backstory so to all of his loved ones, it is probably the most confusing way he could’ve died.

[@settermanfishing]

That is almost everyone's dream way to die just go to sleep and never wake up.

[@chuckc7594]

Your reaction is priceless, it is funny as crap, great video Pal. I’m a new watcher, and love your happy vibe. Thanks .

[@hookalakah]

Tom T. was one of the greatest storytellers in country music--NO--make that American music, RN2. Check out "The Homecoming"; you'll love it.

[@RubesGoodBrainCoffee]

Incidentally, $40 in 1970 would be worth about $300 today. When you hear about the people at the funeral, you can't think that they're hurting for money. Maybe the narrator is poor, but the fact that the deceased had to borrow the $40 from the narrator tells us a lot about those attending the funeral as it does about the narrator.

[@Dsmwarrior1996]

The whole reason he was there is because the guy owed him 40 bucks, I don't know if he was hoping to get it from somebody or what, but he was explaining what he saw while he was there, but there are parts in the beginning of the song that make me think that he might even work at the cemetery

[@Rareed63]

I hope it rains at my funeral is another one of his I hope you react to

[@HGWTPaladin]

….trouble is the fellow owed me forty bucks.

[@keithbrown4487]

like a Norm McDonald joke from a great story teller

[@Vice_Spiel]

I like the faster paced country, reverend Horton heat is kinda like that

[@CruiserNation]

I bet if I go to Olive Hill, sit down in Walker's Grill and ask, someone can tell me who it was being buried. Or maybe stop by Sturgill's Music and ask Alma, I bet she knows.

[@Dsmwarrior1996]

If you want a good Tom T Hall song that I don't think you've done that gives a good idea of country heart, the song "country is" would be a good one

[@JG-ib6pn]

Hillbilly heaven by Tex Ritter.