Tom Dooley - The Smothers Brothers

Tom Dooley Lyrics

(Alan Lomax/Frank M. Warner)
(Dialogue by Tom & Dick Smothers)
(TOM) We'd like to do at this time a song that my brother wrote.
This is--this is an original song my brother wrote--
(DICK) All kidding aside.
(TOM) --five years ago, my brother wrote this song in a fit of creative, passionate genius. My brother wrote this song.
And it was--we only performed it--my brother and myself--only, three times.
We've performed this song three times and it was immediately stoled from us by this other commercial crass--
(DICK) It was stolen???
(TOM) It was stolen from us by this other commercial crass group.
They stole the song. They never acknowledged--
(DICK) Now Tommy, don't go into that--
(TOM) They just stole the song from my brother.
(DICK) Tom, don't go into that, it's--it's just embarrassing to say those accusations--
(TOM) They're--they're adults. They're entitled to know.
(DICK) Ohhh!
(TOM) They stole the song from my brother--

(DICK) Along with my luggage.
(TOM) Along with his luggage.
(DICK) Right.
(TOM) And they--they put it on one of the major record companies and they never once ack--they had sold over three million records. My brother's song that he wrote, and they never acknowledged it, as a result it sold over three million records and it was his own--pay attention --as a result, every time we perform my own brothers' song, that he wrote in his creative effort and genius re--responsible. Every time we perform this--his own song, we've been . . . ridiculed.
(DICK) And persecuted.
(TOM) And persecuted. We've been ridiculed and persecuted every time we perform this song that people will come up and say "I heard your show and ya--you stole that song from that other commercial crass group. We just stole that song . . . so we gotta ridicule you--prosecute you."
(DICK) "Persecute" you.
(TOM) Persecute you.
So I'd like to take the this time to set the record straight . . . as my brothers been deprived--depraved of the one--
(DICK) You were right the first time.
(TOM) He was depraved of this opportunity of having--for posterity to understand and enjoy--He's been--I'd like to publicly dedicate the performance of this song to my younger brother for his creative effort and genius in writing this song.
(DICK) No--no, you don't have to do that.
(TOM) I'm going to Dickie.
(DICK) Ohh.
(TOM) I'D LIKE TO PUBLICLY DEDICATE TO YOU, DICKIE SMOTHERS, THE--THE CREATIVE EFFORT AND GENIUS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SONG. I'D LIKE TO PUBLICLY DEDICATE TO YOU AT THIS TIME!
(DICK) Thanks.
(TOM) Swell!
(DICK) Thanks a lot!
(TOM) Heh! --You're welcome!
(DICK) We'd like to perform it for you now and I'm sure you've--you've all heard the song many times before. But we'd like to do it for you . . . in the original first time . . . the first time way . . . the original--
(DICK) No, no, you mean the virgin edition.
(TOM) The what?
(DICK) I said, "You mean the virgin edition."
We'll sing it in the virgin edition.
(TOM) Uh . . . I dunno what that means . . .hehe!
(DICK) Oh, come on!
(TOM) "Edition" . . . I dunno what it means.
(DICK) Edition--
(TOM) We'd like to do it in it's original version.
(DICK) No, sing . . . sing it.
Ready?
(TOM) I'm ready.
(TOM) I knew we'd be ridiculed. . . heh!
[INSTRUMENTAL INTRO]
(TOM SINGING LEAD, DICKIE ON BACKUP VOCALS)
(DICK) Oooh--ooh, ooh-ooh-oooh
(TOM) Throughout history
 . . .
There's been the story of the internal triangle--eternal triangle
This particular eternal triangle concerned a condemned man . . . named Tom Crudely
A man named Jason, and another man named Sally Jean Johnson
(DICK INTERRUPTING) Hey now--cut that out!
Oh hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy--hang down your head and cry . . aha-ha!
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're . . . hung!
I met her on a mountain
Oh, there I took her . . . several times 
I met her on a mountain
Stabbed her with my knife
Hang your head down . . . (Dooley)
Hang your head down . . . (Dooley)
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley (Poor boy)
Hang down your head and cry . . . ha, ha-ha
Hang down your hang John Bunyan
Poor boy, you're . . hung!
[LAUGHTER & APPLAUSE TO FADE]
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Lyrics submitted by Doug Hoyer.