At least 10 versions of the song of Tom Dula's tragic story exist. The words to three of those versions are shared on this page. The origin of the song, and who sang it, is not known; the earliest version appears in 1930, almost 60 years after the murder. Captain Thomas Land, a resident of Happy Valley wrote a long ballad soon after the murder, according to legend. However, the verses bear no resemblance to the folk song we know today.

Version in Alan Lomax's Folk Songs, USA, 1947. NOTE: This is a modified version of the song Frank Proffitt sang and the version sung by the Kingston Trio.

CHORUS:
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley,
Hand down your head and cry.
Hand down your head, Tom Dooley,
Poor boy, you're bound to die.
I met he on the mountain
And there I tuck her life;
I met her on the mountain
And stobbed her with my knife.

CHORUS:
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley,
Hand down your head and cry.
Hand down your head, Tom Dooley,
Poor boy, you're bound to die.
This time tomorrer,
Reckon where I'll be?--
If it hadn'-a been for Grayson
I'd-a been in Tennessee.

CHORUS:
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley,
Hand down your head and cry.
Hand down your head, Tom Dooley,
Poor boy, you're bound to die.
This time tomorrer,
Reckon where I'll be?--
In some lonesome valley
A-hangin' on a white oak tree.

CHORUS:
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley,
Hand down your head and cry.
Hand down your head, Tom Dooley,
Poor boy, you're bound to die.

Source:
West, John Foster. The Ballad of Tom Dula: The Documented Story Behind the Murder of Laura Foster and the Trials and Execution of Tom Dula. Durham, NC: Moore Publishing, 1970.

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The Song's History - Versions of the Song