I'm in tears watching this. I don't know why, I'm just a young guy. Nobody talks or thinks deeply about things that truly matter anymore, it seems.

My mom had this album when I was a little boy...used to make me cry! Funny thing? I'm now 65, and still brings a tear!!! Lol! Great record!!!

Stuart was a wonderful songwriter. I look forward to meeting him when I get to Heaven.

I hope many people hear this song and thereby come to realize the intentions of the songwriter

My gma recently passed on Feb 11th and she requested I sing this song at her memorial. I hope he took the dog with him and loved it for it's remaining years.

I never knew the real reason behind this song, but now I do, and it made me sad and I cried. Lovely and touching true meaning

My grandpa sang this song when I was a kid and it is one of my favorite.

It’s October 25th and I’m sitting in a winter cabin thinking about this song. I heard it when I was a little girl in southern Georgia. This inspired me do that I’m going to write as well. Thank you Stuart for this wonderful memory.

I never see an old house without thinking of this song that used to play when ùi was a little girl. Thank you so much the story is so intetesting!

Animals are Truly one of the most Beautiful, Loving creations God made for us, I'm sure Greatful !!

Sitting here crying as I listen, worry about my dog when I go to be with the lord

I'm shedding tears.

The story hits home.

I've understood the metaphor of the two houses for years now. Just listened to two versions of the song, the one by Rosemary Clooney and another by Johnny Cash. Only the latter had the verse about the hound dog sitting by the fireplace and Gabriel's chariot. Anyhow, song popped to mind this morning and enjoyed this look-up about it's origins. I was in the 7th grade when it came out in the mid '50s.

We meet Stuart Hamblen, years ago up at Monty Mountains farm , there was a bunch of old country singers,

I simply love his deep throated voice, love to possess such a silken voice.....

Man o man, I'm not sure if this is the case....but it puts my heart in a happy place! ...I've always loved this song anyway!

Thanks for this post. It's so nice to hear how a song is created from a story.

how can someone not like this

Back in 2008 I moved into a house in Freetown New York live there for 8 years with my two dogs Daisy and American Staffordshire terrier who was just a pup when we moved in and bandit he was a beagle Blue heeler mix he was about five when we moved in and my daughter who was about 13 or 14 at the time I remember when we moved out I was singing this song this Old House my dogs are long since gone now my daughter's all grown up little kids of her own and I sure do miss that old house those were some of the best 8 years of my life sometimes when I drive by there that old house where I used to live I get a sense that my old dogs spirits are roaming around in there just looking out the windows like they used to do big old grins on their faces tails wagging just like they used to greet me at the door when I return home from work it isn't just that old house that I miss but what that old house used to hold

What a voice!

What a story!

Stuart's recorded version of this song never really made a very big splash in the charts. It was Rosemary Clooney who made it to the top of the charts in America and who vied with Billie Anthony for the number one spot in Britain. Rosemary eventually won the race. Stuart was so pleased with Rosemary's success with his song that he presented her with a bassinet with 125 yards of pink tulle for her baby. In gratitude for Billie Anthony's success, he presented her with another of his songs that he hadn't yet published ..... "Shake The Hand Of A Stranger" which did very well for her in Britain.

I understood it from the get go . Great story it happens everyday.

Happy birthday to Stuart Hamblen his birth verse is Deuteronomy 10:20 rest in peace ✌️ Blessings and hugs 🤗🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏!

God Damn you Hamblen. I knew there was a sadness to this song but D A M N ! Im going to need a heroine adiction to get over this story.

Great story!

Beautiful!

like many - my first thought is did he help the poor old dog??? or just leave him there? A great song, though, my grandmother used to sing it to me back home in Atlanta....

Me too RastaSaiyaman

I head the story that he and John Wayne were deer hunting when they came upon the cabin

...what happened to the old hound dog?

But did you save the dog?

what happened to the dog then?

Knowing that the song had such a tragic story behind to me tells me that making the song "happy sounding" was a very bad idea.

So did he left that dead man?

Did you Ever feed the Dog?

P

What kind of irresponsibly is it to die without finding the dog a home first?

So good to have this poignant story of how the song was inspired. I hope that dog ended up ok. To me the double reference was obvious. How about others? I think Rosemary Clooney's version was better, but the way she changed the pronouns from "I" to "he", etc. was confusing and detracted from the actual power of this great song.

Transcript

I dont think Shakin Stevens really conveyed meaning behind the song