On Top of Old Smokey is a traditional folk song from the US which has gone on to be recorded by numerous artists over the years, despite still being sung as a playground tune. It remains a popular tune today and most US-based people will recall hearing it at least once when they were small. It can be traced back to the Appalachian Mountains to the 1840s, but it’s possible that it dates back even further.
Old Smokey is one of the peaks in the Smokey Mountain range, also known as the Smokies. There is a very famous parody of this song from 1961 which refers to meatballs and cheese and is sung almost as often as the original!
The original version deals with the subject of infidelity and shares the upset that the singer feels about her lover being unfaithful and tells us how she has learned that she cannot trust more than one man in a thousand.
On Top of Old Smokey Lyrics
On top of old Smokey,
All covered with snow,
I lost my true lover
From courtin’ too slow.
From courtin’ too slow, dear,
From courtin’ too slow,
I lost my true lover
From courtin’ too slow.
On top of old Smokey,
I went for to weep,
For a false-hearted lover
Is worse than a thief.
Is worse than a thief, dear,
Is worse than a thief,
For a false-hearted lover
Is worse than a thief.
For a thief, he will rob you,
Of all that you have,
But a false-hearted lover
Will send you to your grave.
Will send you to your grave, dear,
Will send you to your grave,
But a false-hearted lover
Will send you to your grave.
He’ll hug you and kiss you,
And tell you more lies,
Than the ties of the railroad
Or the stars in the skies.
The stars in the skies, dear,
The stars in the skies,
He’ll tell you more lies, dear,
than the stars in the skies.
On Top of Old Smokey Music Sheet
