On top of Old Smokey All covered with snow, I lost my true lover For courtin' so slow Now, courtin' is a pleasure And partin' is grief, And a false-hearted lover Is worse than a thief. For a thief will just rob you And take what you save, But a false-hearted lover Will lead you to the grave. And the grave will decay you And turn you to dust; Not one man in 10 thousand A poor girl can trust. They'll hug you and kiss you And tell you more lies Than crossties on a railroad Or stars in the sky. They'll throw their arms around you And give your heart ease, But the minute your back's turned They love whom they please Come all you young women Take a learnin' from me Never place your affections On a green growin' tree The leaves they will wither The roots they will die You'll all be forsaken And never know why Yet if I am forsaken I'll not be forsworn, And he's sure he's mistaken If he thinks I will mourn. Oh Johnny is a young man But still younger am I, An often, as he told me, That he'd win me or die On top of Old Smokey All covered with snow, I lost my true lover For courtin' so slow A'courtin' is a pleasure A partin' is grief, And a false-hearted lover Is worse than a thief.