High upon the mountainside
There grows an ancient tree
It's story has been handed down
All through my family
A Vile and twisted, evil thing
That stood the test of time
Through wind and rain and hurricane
And still the Tree's alive
But Toinight It's comin' down
I'm gonna put it on the ground
The Hangin' tree
The year was 1864
When a band of rebel men
Were captured by the union boys
That's how the tale began
The hung em' up
And shot em' in
Before they cut em' down
Their blood ran down the trunk
And fed the roots down underground
But Toinight It's comin' down
I'm gonna put it on the ground
The Hangin' tree
I heard that it's been there
Since the before the dawn of men
But I'm the one who brang it down
Tonight with these two hands
The hangin' tree
In 1952,
A young man sleepin' in his bed
Was wakin' by an angry mob with hoods upon their heads
The cowards hung him from the tree
Afraid to show their face
Convinced the evil thing they'd done
Was strengthining their race
But Toinight It's comin' down
I'm gonna put it on the ground
The Hangin' tree
Ten years ago
My daddy lost his job down at the mill
And then he fell into the world of alcohol and bills
My momma left
The only thing she took with her was me
And my daddy climbed the mountainside to board the hangin tree
But Toinight It's comin' down
I'll put the damn thing on the ground
The Hangin' tree
I heard that it's been there
Since the before the dawn of men
But I'm the one who brang it down
Tonight with these two hands
The hangin' tree