This is a wonderful song, a joy to sing, and it always amazes me but it seems to go over well with every kind of audience. So many people know it, sing along or just listen carefully.I learned this song because I heard a wonderful recording of it (it seems to me it was Eddy Arnold) one dawn as I was sailing out of Appanaugh Rhode Island to Cutty Hunk.
My friend Billy Dunlop had taken me, and a few other friends for a three day weekend sailing trip. The other guys all crashed and burned by Midnight, on our first night out, and the wind was so low that Billy wanted to make as much headway as possible. So he and I sat up and sailed all night, and by dawn we were well off shore and watched a magnificient sunrise accompanied by some great country music, in particular For teh Good Times. I determined to learn the song and have sung it ever since.
Billy went on, years later to sail the Atlantic in a 9'1" sail boat, and in deed was sailing that same boat around the world when he got lost off the coast of Australia. He was a very interesting character, and a good friend. I never sing that song without remembering him.