Tom Dooley
Lyrics:
[English]
Throughout history
There have been many songs written about the eternal triangle
This next one tells the story of a Mr. Grayson
A beautiful woman
And a condemned man name Tom Dooley
When the sun rises tomorrow
Tom Dooley must hang
...
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're bound to die
I met her on the mountain
There I took her life
Met her on the mountain
Stabbed her with my knife
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're bound to die
This time tomorrow
Reckon where I'll be
Hadn't ha' been for Greyson
I'd been in Tennessee
Well now boy
Hang down your head and cry (Tom Dooley)
Hang down your head and cry (Poor boy)
Well a, hang down your head and cry (Tom Dooley)
Poor boy, you're bound to die
Hang down your head and cry (Tom Dooley)
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down your head and cry (Tom Dooley)
Poor boy, you're bound to die
This time tomorrow
Reckon where I'll be
Down in some lonesome valley
Hanging from a white oak tree
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry
Hang Down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're bound to die
Well now boy
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're bound to die
Poor boy, you're bound to die
Poor boy, you're bound to die
Poor boy, you're bound to
Die
...
Vocabulary in this song:
Vocabulary | Meanings |
---|---|
hang /hæŋ/ A2 |
|
head /hɛd/ A1 |
|
cry /kraɪ/ A1 |
|
poor /pʊər/ A1 |
|
boy /bɔɪ/ A1 |
|
die /daɪ/ A1 |
|
mountain /ˈmaʊntɪn/ A2 |
|
life /laɪf/ A1 |
|
knife /naɪf/ A1 |
|
time /taɪm/ A1 |
|
valley /ˈvæli/ B1 |
|
tree /triː/ A1 |
|
sun /sʌn/ A1 |
|
rises /ˈraɪzɪz/ A1 |
|
white /waɪt/ A1 |
|
Grammar:
-
When the sun rises tomorrow, Tom Dooley must hang.
➔ Future tense with modal verb 'must'
➔ "Must" indicates obligation or necessity. This sentence describes a future event that is predetermined.
-
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley
➔ Imperative mood
➔ The phrase "Hang down your head" is a direct command or instruction.
-
Poor boy, you're bound to die
➔ 'Be bound to' structure
➔ "Be bound to" expresses certainty about a future event. It means something is certain to happen.
-
There I took her life
➔ Past simple tense
➔ "Took" is the past simple of "take", used to describe a completed action in the past.
-
Stabbed her with my knife
➔ Past simple tense with preposition 'with'
➔ "Stabbed" is past simple, and "with" indicates the instrument used to perform the action.
-
Hadn't ha' been for Greyson, I'd been in Tennessee
➔ Third conditional (mixed type)
➔ This sentence is a mixed conditional. "Hadn't ha' been for" is a shortened and folksy version of "If it hadn't been for." The structure implies that if Greyson hadn't been involved (past condition), Tom Dooley would be in Tennessee now (present result).
-
Reckon where I'll be
➔ Informal future with 'reckon'
➔ "Reckon" is a colloquial verb meaning 'think' or 'suppose'. Here, it's used to express a guess about the future. "I'll be" is a contraction of "I will be", indicating future tense.