Tom Dooley
David Holt Lyrics

Hang your head, Tom Dooley,
Feeling guilt, shame, and remorse for killing Laurie Foster, Tom Dooley is asked to hang his head low in disapproval of his own actions.

Hang your head and cry;
Tom Dooley is advised to express his emotions by crying, as the gravity of his crimes is beyond words.

You killed poor Laurie Foster,
Tom Dooley acknowledges that he is responsible for the untimely death of Laurie Foster.

And you know you're bound to die.
Tom Dooley realizes that he is to be executed for his criminal actions.

You left her by the roadside
Tom Dooley admits to abandoning Laurie Foster's lifeless body by the roadside.

Where you begged to be excused;
Tom Dooley pleads for mercy and forgiveness for what he has done.

Then you hid her clothes and shoes.
Tom Dooley tried to conceal the evidence of his crime by hiding her clothes and shoes away from her body.

You took her on the hillside
Tom Dooley took Laurie up the hillside with the intention of making her his wife.

For to make her your wife;
Tom Dooley's ambition was to have Laurie Foster as his wife, but he chose to take her life instead.

And there you took her life.
Tom Dooley has the awareness that he snuffed the life out of Laurie Foster on the hillside that day.

You dug the grave four feet long
Tom Dooley dug a grave with a depth of three feet and a length of four feet to bury Laurie Foster's remains.

And you dug it three feet deep;
Three feet was the depth of the grave Tom Dooley had dug to bury Laurie Foster's corpse in.

You rolled the cold clay over her
Tom Dooley used cold clay as a replacement for a coffin to bury poor Laurie Foster.

And tromped it with your feet.
Tom Dooley used his feet to compact the clay overlay on Laurie's body.

Trouble, oh it's trouble
In his present predicament, Tom Dooley feels significant emotional distress.

A-rollin' through my breast;
Tom Dooley is overwhelmed and unable to contain his emotions.

As long as I'm a-livin', boys,
Tom Dooley conveys to his listeners that he is resigned to the fact that he will never be at peace.

They ain't a-gonna let me rest.
Tom Dooley would never know a moment's peace because of his guilt over murdering Laurie Foster.

I know they're gonna hang me,
Tom Dooley has no illusions about his forthcoming execution.

Tomorrow I'll be dead,
Tom Dooley's end is imminent, and he knows he won't live to see another day.

Though I never even harmed a hair
Tom Dooley's claim is that, despite accusations leveled against him, he never intended to hurt Laurie Foster.

On poor little Laurie's head.
Tom Dooley notes that Laurie Foster was not deserving of her fate.

In this world and one more
According to Tom Dooley, he will face punishment both in this life and the afterlife for killing Laurie Foster.

Then reckon where I'll be;
Tom Dooley speculates about where he will end up as a result of his actions.

If it wasn't for Sheriff Grayson,
Tom Dooley feels Sheriff Grayson was specifically seeking him out as a murderer, hence his imminent execution.

I'd be in Tennessee.
Tom Dooley believes he would be safe in Tennessee if not for the law enforcement officer who brought him to justice.

You can take down my old violin
Tom Dooley accepts that his dreams and possessions have no significance to him anymore, as he faces an inevitable death.

And play it all you please.
Tom Dooley invites his listeners to take an interest in his music, as it holds little importance to him anymore.

For at this time tomorrow, boys,
Tom Dooley will be on the brink of his own demise within the next few hours.

It'll be of no use to me.
Tom Dooley has no need for any material possessions as he stands on the threshold of death in a few hours.

At this time tomorrow
Tom Dooley acknowledges the imminence of his death at the same time tomorrow.

Where do you reckon I'll be?
Tom Dooley wonders where he will end up after his death due to his heinous crime.

Away down yonder in the holler
Tom Dooley speculates that his soul will go to the holler or netherworld after he is executed.

Hangin' on a white oak tree.
Tom Dooley's predictions reveal that he will be hung on a white oak tree for his crime against Laurie Foster.