Tom Dooley
Tom Dooley is an American folk song about the 1866 murder of Laura Foster in North Carolina and the hanging of her lover Tom Dula for the crime.
The Kingston Trio's 1958 recording became a major hit and helped spark the folk music revival.
The refrain—Hang down your head, Tom Dooley—is widely recognized even by those unfamiliar with the full song.
- balladNarrative poem or song
- murder balladSong narrating a homicide
- folkRegular common people
- murderDeliberate unlawful killing
- hangingExecution by noose
gallows · old time music · Appalachian · North Carolina · true love · condemned · noose · guilty · guilty verdict · innocent · lover · betrayal · mountain · fiddle · banjo · tragedy · execution · sheriff
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