Three Dog Night

I learn something new every day.

Three Dog Night was a very popular rock group when I was growing up. From 1969 – 1974 nobody sold more top ten hits or sold more concert tickets. I still remember the lyrics of their most popular tunes.

Eli’s coming hide your heart girl. I’ve never been to Spain but I kinda like the music. I never been to heaven but I been to Oklahoma. One is the loneliest number that you'll ever do. Jeremiah was a bullfrog. Was a good friend of mine. Never understood a single word he said but I helped him drink his wine. And he always had some mighty fine wine.

I remember being blown away by this popular band when they came to Macon in 1970 for a concert. I think that was the first rock concert I ever attended. To hear those rich voices and their rockin music live and in person after I had listened to them over and over on 8 track tapes was quite an experience for a 16 year old boy with a good looking girl on his arm. I even remember the girl.

Man I had it going on that night.

But I never understood how they got the name Three Dog Night.

It seems in years past people slept with their dog to keep warm. A one dog night was a cold night. A two dog night was really cold. A three dog night was cold as a well digger’s booty.

I learned first-hand late one very cold winter night many years ago what it means to be cold as a well digger’s booty. The pump on our well went out and I had to call my friend, Bubba Hinton, to come work on it so we could have water. He came out about midnight and it was definitely a three dog night. I was standing behind Bubba as he was bent over working on the pump. He was cracking me up as he bent over. I knew at that moment where the saying cold as a well digger’s booty came from. Bubba definitely had a cold booty that night.

Now I also have a better understanding about a three dog night.


Last night Luke came in from wherever he had been and as usual came in our room and flipped on the lights and asked me if we were asleep. Also as usual, Kathy never woke up. She never even knew this picture was taken. Look at it in a hurry because she will probably make me remove it when she realizes it is out here in cyberspace.

As you can tell, her hair ain’t doing nothing.

Luke was laughing at our little dog, Lucy, sleeping in the bed with Kathy and me like a human. Next thing I knew he was standing on the bed taking a picture.

I spent the first fifty years of my life and never slept with a dog. (I did date a few along the way). For the past almost two years I have slept with one many nights. She sleeps right between my wife and me.

I guess you could say every night at our house is a one dog night.

In a month or so when it gets cold as a well digger’s booty, I suppose we could turn the heat off, save our money, get a couple of our neighbor’s dogs to join us and be quite comfortable.

I'm glad the neighbor's dogs are a little bigger than ours though.

I’m sure most people think having a dog in their bed is absolutely crazy. But then I remember those special Three Dog Night lyrics.

How can people be so heartless? How can people be so cruel?

Easy to be hard. Easy to be cold.