Tom Dooley

A dark ballad of a killing on a mountain and a man facing the gallows.

Status: Traditional repertoire · working songbook
Writer / source: Traditional
Rights: Band-supplied working version of older repertoire. No separate copyright clearance is asserted.
Related Scrips recording: No Scrips recording linked yet.

Source research

Documented lineage

Earliest evidence: Band-supplied ChordPro received August 31, 2026; earlier historical sources were not researched for this entry.
Aliases / index: No alternate title or index recorded.
Working arrangement: Key D · Capo 2 · Brad: Double C; Dulcimer start; opening break. Brad: Double C, capo 2. The supplied chart is labeled key D and uses D/A7; the instrument-specific capo note is retained without transposing those chords.

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Working lyrics + chords

Working song sheet

Download text file ↓ Download ChordPro ↓

Brad double C capo 2
Dulcimer start
Break

Chorus
[D]Hang down your head Tom Dooley,
Hang down your head and [A7]cry,
Hang down your head Tom Dooley,
Poor boy, you're bound to [D]die,

Verse 1
[D]I met her on the mountain,
and there I took her [A7]life,
Met her on the mountain,
stabbed her with my [D]knife,

Repeat Chorus

Verse 2
[D]This time tomorrow,
reckon' where I'll [A7]be,
Down in some lonesome valley,
hangin' from a white oak [D]tree,

Repeat Chorus

Archive note

New dark-shelf entry from Brad’s August 31 ChordPro. The chorus, two verses, repeat cues, and D/A7 chord placements follow the supplied working sheet.

Chords

D · A7