I learned "Tom Dooley" from Josh Hayes of Watauga County, North Carolina. My instrument is an early 2000s minstrel banjo reproduction by Terry Bell, tuned eBEGβ―B ~ gDGBD.

Hang your head Tom Dooley hang your head and cry
You killed poor Laura Foster poor boy you're bound to die,
You took her on the hillside to make her your wife
You took her on the hillside and stabbed her with your knife
You took her on the hillside where you begged to be excused
You took her on the hillside where you hid her clothes and shoes...
About this time tomorrow where do you reckon I'll be?
If it hadn't been for Grayson I'd been in Tennessee...
You cut the grave two feet wide and you dug it three feet deep
You rolled the cold clay over her and tromped it with your feet...
About this time tomorrow where do you reckin I'll be?
Down in a lonesome valley hanging on a white oak tree...
Neil MacDonald
2024-06-23 04:03:03 +0000 UTCjosh waller
2024-04-13 22:02:40 +0000 UTC