Doc played guitar in both flatpicking and fingerpicking style, but was best known for his flatpick work. His virtuosity combined with his authenticity as a mountain musician made him a highly influential figure during the folk music revival. He pioneered the fast and flashy bluegrass lead guitar style which has been adopted and extended by others such as Clarence White and Tony Rice. He was also an accomplished banjo player and in the past had accompanied himself on harmonica as well.
In 1986 he received the North Carolina Award and in 2000 he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 1997, Doc received the National Medal of the Arts from President Clinton.
He was generally joined on stage by his grandson and Merle's son Richard as well as his musical partner of twenty years, Jack Lawrence.
He was host to the annual MerleFest music festival held every April at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The festival features a vast array of acoustic style music focusing on the folk, bluegrass, blues and old time music genres. It's named in honor of Merle Watson and is one of the most popular acoustic music festivals in the world, drawing over 85,000 music fans each year.
In late May 2012, Watson was listed in critical condition but was responsive at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after undergoing colon surgery. Watson had fallen early in the week. Watson did not break any bones, but an underlying condition prompted the surgery. Watson died on May 29, 2012 at the medical center at the age of 89.
Tom Dooley
Doc Watson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hang your head and cry;
You killed poor Laurie Foster,
And you know you're bound to die.
You left her by the roadside
Where you begged to be excused;
You left her by the roadside,
Then you hid her clothes and shoes.
Hang your head, Tom Dooley,
Hang your head and cry;
You killed poor Laurie Foster,
And you know you're bound to die.
You took her on the hillside
For to make her your wife;
You took her on the hillside,
And there you took her life.
You dug the grave four feet long
And you dug it three feet deep;
You rolled the cold clay over her
And tromped it with your feet.
Hang your head, Tom Dooley,
Hang your head and cry;
You killed poor Laurie Foster,
And you know you're bound to die.
"Trouble, oh it's trouble
A-rollin' through my breast;
As long as I'm a-livin', boys,
They ain't a-gonna let me rest.
I know they're gonna hang me,
Tomorrow I'll be dead,
Though I never even harmed a hair
On poor little Laurie's head."
Hang your head, Tom Dooley,
Hang your head and cry;
You killed poor Laurie Foster,
And you know you're bound to die.
"In this world and one more
Then reckon where I'll be;
If is wasn't for Sheriff Grayson,
I'd be in Tennessee.
You can take down my old violin
And play it all you please.
For at this time tomorrow, boys,
It'll be of no use to me."
Hang your head, Tom Dooley,
Hang your head and cry;
You killed poor Laurie Foster,
And you know you're bound to die.
"At this time tomorrow
Where do you reckon I'll be?
Away down yonder in the holler
Hangin' on a white oak tree.
Hang your head, Tom Dooley,
Hang your head and cry;
You killed poor Laurie Foster,
And you know you're bound to die
Doc Watson’s “Tom Dooley” is a traditional folk song that recounts the tragic tale of Tom Dula, a Civil War veteran who was hanged for the murder of his lover Laura Foster in North Carolina in 1866. The lyrics condemn Dula for the crime, and he reflects on the inevitability of his impending execution. The song opens with a haunting chorus calling for Dula to hang his head and cry, as he killed “poor Laurie Foster” and he knows he’s bound to die. The verse follows Tom as he left Laura’s body on the roadside outside town, where he begged to be excused, before proceeding to the hillside to kill her.
The song paints a vivid picture of the crime, as Tom dug a shallow grave for Laura and tromped it with his feet after rolling cold clay over her. The tempo picks up as Tom reflects on his guilt and the inevitability of his execution. He concludes on a somber note, singing that the trouble keeps “a-rollin' through my breast,” and he knows he will never find peace until he is executed. The song is an example of classic American folk storytelling through song, with its detailed narrative and haunting chorus.
Line by Line Meaning
Hang your head, Tom Dooley,
Tom Dooley, you should hang your head and be ashamed.
Hang your head and cry;
You should hang your head and cry because you killed Laurie Foster.
You killed poor Laurie Foster,
You killed Laurie Foster, who was poor and helpless.
And you know you're bound to die.
And you know that you will die for your crime.
You left her by the roadside
You left her body by the roadside
Where you begged to be excused;
You tried to make excuses but you still left her.
You took her on the hillside,
You took Laurie Foster on the hillside.
For to make her your wife;
With the intention of marrying her.
And there you took her life.
But instead, you took her life.
You dug the grave four feet long
You dug a grave that is four feet long for Laurie Foster.
And you dug it three feet deep;
And you only dug it three feet deep, which was not enough.
You rolled the cold clay over her
You buried her in the cold, hard dirt.
And tromped it with your feet.
You stomped it with your feet to make sure it was covered.
Trouble, oh it's trouble
Tom Dooley is in trouble and he knows it.
A-rollin' through my breast;
He feels this trouble deep in his chest.
As long as I'm a-livin', boys,
As long as he's alive, he'll never find peace.
They ain't a-gonna let me rest.
People won't let him forget his crime.
I know they're gonna hang me,
Tom Dooley knows that he will be executed.
Tomorrow I'll be dead,
He knows he will be killed the next day.
Though I never even harmed a hair
He claims to have never laid a hand on Laurie Foster.
On poor little Laurie's head.
So he insists that he's innocent of her murder.
In this world and one more
He may go to purgatory after he dies.
Then reckon where I'll be;
He contemplates where he'll end up after death.
If is wasn't for Sheriff Grayson,
If it wasn't for Sheriff Grayson, he would have been able to escape.
I'd be in Tennessee.
He would have escaped to Tennessee.
You can take down my old violin
Tom Dooley knows he won't need his violin anymore.
And play it all you please.
People can play his violin after he's gone.
For at this time tomorrow, boys,
But by the next day, it will be too late.
It'll be of no use to me.
And he won't be around to hear it anymore.
At this time tomorrow
By this time tomorrow.
Where do you reckon I'll be?
Where will I be by tomorrow?
Away down yonder in the holler
He'll be far away in a dark and lonely place.
Hangin' on a white oak tree.
He will be hanged on a white oak tree as punishment for his crime.
Hang your head, Tom Dooley,
Tom Dooley must be ashamed of what he did.
Hang your head and cry;
He must cry for what he has done.
You killed poor Laurie Foster,
He killed Laurie Foster and must own up to it.
And you know you're bound to die.
And he knows that he will be executed as punishment.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Dave Guard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greenwolfe Green
It's always good to hear the voice of my late cousin. I'll never forget hearing him sing to me in his kitchen when I was 10 years old in 1961.
Onyx1916
Doc was one of the all-time greats. You were very fortunate to know him.
Seafood Dunleavy
Lucky man god bless doc
Sam Williamson
He's one of the best ever.
Carlitos Harlan
That's so cool I'm glad your cousin is timeless
Shagadelic 42
Oh wow that outs you at the exact age of my grandmother, she was a '51 baby😅
Merlin of Avalon
The roots of most folk blues guitar picking today. Grandfather of Old Time Country music .Pure genius.
Kevin
A true American hero. RIP big fella
Rosebud Intuition
Great old time style, glad i ran into your channel 😄
Tom L
So good. Thank you!