Lyrics: Traditional
Music: Traditional
This was performed by "Bob Weir and Friends" on 17 Nov 1978 (just Weir, Garcia and Lesh - Mickey Hart joined them on stage after this song)
ChorusNotes
Hang your head, Tom Dooley
Hang your head and cry
Killed poor Laura Foster (note 1)
And you know you're bound to die
You took her on the hillside (note 2)
And begged to be excused
You took her on the hillside
Then hid her clothes and shoes
You dug her grave four feet wide
Dug it three feet deep
Rolled the cold clay over her
And tromped it with your feet
[chorus]
Took her on the hillside
Stabbed with a knife (note 3)
Took her on the hillside
And then you took her life
[chorus]
[chorus]
This time tomorrow morning
Where do you reckon I'll be
Down in some lonesome valley
Just swinging from a white oak tree
You can take down my old violin
And play it all you please
For at this time tomorrow morning
It'll be of no use to me
[chorus]
[chorus]
Grateful Dead Recordings | |||||
Date | Album | ||||
17 Nov 1978 | Reckoning (note 4) |
Trouble, oh it's troubleThe Kingston Trio's version is the best-known but includes only a few verses:
A-rollin' through my breast
As long as I'm a-livin', boys
They ain't a-gonna let me rest
I know they're gonna hang me
Tomorrow I'll be dead
Though I never even harmed a hair
On poor little Laurie's head
In this world and one more
Then reckon where I'll be
If it wasn't for Sheriff Grayson
I'd be in Tennesee
Chorus
Hang down your head Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down your head Tom Dooley
Poor boy you're bound to die
I met her on the mountain
There I took her life
I met her on the mountain
Stabbed her with a knife
[chorus]
This time tomorrow
Reckon where I'll be
If it hadn't of been for Grayson
I'd have been in Tennessee
[chorus]
This time tomorrow
Reckon where I'll be
Down in some lonesome canyon
Hanging from a wide oak tree
[chorus]