Tom Dooley

The Kingston Trio

About Tom Dooley

"Tom Dooley" is a North Carolina folk song based on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster in Wilkes County, North Carolina, allegedly by Tom Dula. The song is best known today because of a hit version recorded in 1958 by The Kingston Trio. This version was a multi-format hit, which reached #1 in Billboard and the Billboard R&B listing, and appeared in the Cashbox Country Music Top 20. The song was selected as one of the American Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time."Tom Dooley" fits within the wider genre of Appalachian "sweetheart murder ballads". A local poet named Thomas Land wrote a song about the tragedy, titled "Tom Dooley" (which was how Dula's name was pronounced), shortly after Dula was hanged. In the documentary Appalachian Journey (1991), folklorist Alan Lomax describes Frank Proffitt as the "original source" for the song, which was misleading only in that he didn't write it. There are several earlier known recordings, notably one that Grayson and Whitter made in 1929, approximately 10 years before Proffitt cut his own recording. 


Year:
2000
2:28
36 
#1

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Throughout history there have been many songs 
Written about the Eternal Triangle.  
This next one tells the story of a Mr. Grayson, 
A beautiful woman, and a condemned man named Tom Dooley.  
When the sun rises tomorrow, Tom Dooley must hang.

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
Met her on the mountain, stabbed her with my knife

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry (ah-uh-eye)
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're bound to die

This time tomorrow reckon where I'll be
Hadn't-a been for Grayson, I'd-a been in Tennessee (well now, boy)

Hang down (your head) your head (Dooley) and cry
Hang down your head and cry (ah poor boy, ah well-ah)
Hang down (your head) your head (Dooley) and cry
Poor boy, you're bound to die (ah well now boy)

Hang down (your head) your head (Dooley) and cry
Hang down your head and cry (ah poor boy, ah well-ah)
Hang down (your head) your head (Dooley) and cry
Poor boy, you're bound to die

This time tomorrow reckon where I'll be
Down in some lonesome valley hangin' from a white oak tree

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry (ah-uh-eye)
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're bound to die (ah well now boy)

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry (poor boy ah well uh)
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're bound to die 
Poor boy, you're bound to die 
Poor boy, you're bound to die 
Poor boy, you're bound to die

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The Kingston Trio

The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds. It rose to international popularity, fueled by unprecedented sales of 33⅓ rpm long-playing record albums (LPs), and helped to alter the direction of popular music in the U.S. more »

4 fans

Written by: Alan Lomax, Frank Warner, John A. Lomax

Lyrics © T.R.O. INC.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


12 facts about this song

Release Date
"Tom Dooley" by The Kingston Trio was released in 1958.
Charts Performance
The song was a commercial success and reached No.1 on the Billboard Pop chart.
Inspiration
The song is based on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and the man hanged for the crime, Tom Dula.
Pop Culture Impact
The song's popularity sparked off the folk revival of the late 1950s and early 1960s, influencing notable artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.
Grammy Recognition
"Tom Dooley" won a Grammy Award in 1959 for Best Country & Western Performance.
Record Sales
The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.
Popular Version
The version we know today by The Kingston Trio is an adaptation of a old North American folk song.
Earlier Versions
Folklorist Frank Warner had already recorded a version of the song in 1940. Also, artists such as G. B. Grayson and Henry Whitter had recorded earlier versions during the 1920s.
Henry Whitter's Contribution
Henry Whitter, an early country music recording artist, is known for recording an instrumental version of "Tom Dooley" in 1923.
Legacy
The Kingston Trio's "Tom Dooley" remains one of the most popular and recognizable songs in the folk genre.
Lyrics Origin
The song's lyrics are often attributed to Thomas Land who might have learned them from his mother, who reputedly knew and sang hundreds of old-time songs.
Song Message
"Tom Dooley" is a ballad that tells the story of a protagonist who is sentenced to death after being convicted of murder.

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    Tom Dooley

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    Top Hot 100 Songs 1958

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