I remember lying on the floor in front of the big brown cathedral radio at my grandmother's house, listening to The Weavers sing 'On Top of Old Smokey.' It was on the 'Hit Parade' back then, just as popular as Coldplay, Weezer or Black Eyed Peas are today. It's still a great song. I recorded it with my new 7-string Martin, a 5-string banjo and bass, with a few Rickenbacker 12-string licks at the end.
Lyrics
[D] On top of old [G] Smokey
All covered with [D] snow
I lost my true [A] lover
For courting too [D] slow
Courting 's a pleasure
And parting is a grief
But a false hearted lover
Is worst than a thief
For a thief he will rob you
And take what you have
But a false hearted lover
Will lead you to your grave
The grave will decay you
And turn you to dust
One girl in a thousand
That a poor boy can trust
For they'll hug and they'll kiss you
And tell you more lies
That the crossties on a railroad
Or the stars in th sky
So come all you young fellows
Take a warning from me
Never place your affection
On a green growing tree
For the leaves they will wither
And the roots will decay
And a false hearted lover
Will soon fade away
On top of old Smokey
All covered with snow
I lost my true lover
For courting too slow
The purpose of the Folk Den is to use the medium of the World Wide Web to continue the tradition of the folk process, that is the telling of stories, and singing of songs, passed on from one generation to another, by word of mouth.
In this electronic era, such a process is in danger of being overwhelmed by the commercial mass media. This page and others on the 'net are working to preserve the folk songs that have chronicled our global heritage for centuries.
In the Folk Den, a "new" folk song is uploaded every month as a "Global Community Service."
