"A Week in a Country Jail" is a song written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Tom T. Hall Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "The Storyteller," was an American country music singer-songwriter and short-story author. He wrote 12 number-one hit songs, with 26 more ...

. It was released in November 1969 as the third and final single from his 1969 studio album ''Homecoming''. The song was Hall's fifth release to reach the U.S. country singles chart and the first of seven number-ones. "A Week in a Country Jail" stayed at the top for two weeks and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the chart.

Content

The song begins with the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

being arrested for

speeding Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed, expre ...

while standing on red at traffic lights. He spends the night in a jail cell, being served hot bologna, eggs and gravy and, during his prolonged stay, becomes interested in the jailer's wife. After seven days, the inmate is finally lectured on traffic laws by the judge who takes "every nickel he had" and releases him.

Chart performance

References

1969 songs 1969 singles Tom T. Hall songs Songs written by Tom T. Hall Song recordings produced by Jerry Kennedy Mercury Records singles Songs about prison {{1960s-country-song-stub