Talk:On Top of Old Smoky

Gangstered?
" Alternative country band The Gourds gangstered the lyrics to "On Top of Old Smoky" in the song "I'm troubled" on their 1998 release "Gogitchyershinebox." " - What does that even mean? Gangstered?

Typo in Title?
The title of this entry says "On Top of Old Smoky" - is that a typo? Shouldn't it be "Smokey"?

Thanks!

According to writingexplained.com, prior to the invention of Smokey the Bear as an advertising symbol, all usages of Smoky were spelled without the "e". Smokey the Bear was intentionally misspelled, in order to differentiate the character from smokiness. The Great Smoky Mountains are spelled without an "e". I am unable to find any references to a geographical feature that might be Old Smoky Mountain, Ole Smokey Mountain, or anything similar. As far as I can see, the only proper use of "On Top of Old Smokey" would be in quoting someone else's misspelled title. The earliest collected version of the song, 1913, was simply titled "Old Smoky". The two most popular recordings of the song, by the Weavers and by Burl Ives, were both titled "On Top of Old Smoky" - all without the "e". I would have to conclude that the title of this entry is spelled correctly (Smoky) while the song is consistently misspelled (Smokey) throughout the text of the article.Ramseyman (talk) 23:45, 30 March 2019 (UTC)

The Cuckoo
This song takes stanzas almost to the word from The Cuckoo (song). knoodelhed (talk) 23:34, 16 June 2018 (UTC)

At least 3 interesting discussions among the musicologists of Mudcat Café - main one here: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=76295 - trace several well-known antecedents in English folk music (via early Appalachian balladry) dating back at least as far as the 1690's. These include the Wagoner's Lad, The Cuckoo Is a Pretty Bird, The Maid of Constant Misfortune, and Over Hills and High Mountains. Ramseyman (talk) 01:56, 1 October 2020 (UTC)

Alternate Words
I listened to a 45 rpm record in the fifties that had entirely different words. I heard it so many times that I still know the entire song by heart (pretty accurately, I think).

On top of Old Smoky, All covered with snow, I learned a great lesson, That all people should know.

For I met a great hunter, He was only a youth, But he wasn't hunting rabbits; He was hunting the truth.

And he told me he found it, In the Red River's glow, In the sound of the thunder, And the touch of the snow.

And the truth was quite simple, Just as plain as can be, And I'll always remember, What the hunter told me:

"Be kind to your neighbor, Be honest and true, Be kind to your neighbor, And he'll be kind to you."

My recollection is that the "B" side was "Green Grow the Lilacs," but I don't remember whether they were the traditional lyrics.

I've hunted for these lyrics on the Internet for years, but cannot find anything. My guess has been that the singer was a fifties cowboy like Gene Autry or Fess Parker, but apparently neither of those two recorded the song. Gbmcgeehan (talk) 14:18, 11 May 2022 (UTC)


 * Thank you!
 * I also grew up with these lyrics and they are the best of all time! Still inspire me today.
 * I also hope to learn the author of these lyrics but all I can offer is the recording I have, given to me as a set of LPs:
 * The Golden Record Library Volume 05 - Folk Songs Of America [1959 Vinyl Lp] Vonuan (talk) 11:48, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
 * The details you have given led me to this info on Win Stracke which confirms that the version you cite is the same version I heard on Golden Records, since Win Stracke recorded (uncredited) for them, according to:
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win_Stracke Vonuan (talk) 11:56, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Oh, I forgot to explain why I found Win Stracke - since you did not mention him.
 * I simply searched discogs.org database on the B side you mentioned: "Green Grow the Lilacs" along with "On Top Of Old Smokey" and Win Stracke was the only match.
 * So there we have it: Win Stracke appears to have been the author of these (uncredited) lyrics. Vonuan (talk) 11:59, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
 * https://www.discogs.com/release/14129536-Win-Stracke-And-The-Sandpipers-On-Top-Of-Old-Smokey Vonuan (talk) 12:10, 11 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I just came across this year-old reply to my post, and want to thank you so much for your diligent research. I ordered the 45 from discogs.org and I'm delighted that the set includes another song whose alternate lyrics I had been searching for: "Old Man Tucker." I only remember the lines
 * Old Dan Tucker, he's a dandy from Alabam'
 * Fancy walking, big time talking
 * Old Dan Tucker was a dirty old mean old man.
 * I bet this is what Win Stracke sang! Looking forward to finding out! Thanks again. Gbmcgeehan (talk) 16:13, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Parodies
This must be one of the most parodied songs in the English language. I bet there are hundreds of versions. Just one example, I heard this at school when I was a kid:

On top of Old Smokey / All covered in grass / A pretty young lady / Sat scratching her - no don't get excited / Don't be misled / This pretty young lady / Was scratching her head

86.1.129.140 (talk) 18:34, 12 July 2023 (UTC)