Nestled in the heart of the Tennessee Hills
There neat the pines midst the rocks and the rills
There stands my old homestead of long long ago
It brings back sweet memories of the one I loved so
I'll tell you the reason why I left her there
To roam this old world with its sorrow and care
I saw her one night in the arms of a man hugging and kissing as two lovers can
I went to my home with a heart full of woe packed my belongings determined to go
For many long years this old world I did roam
With thoughts of my sweetheart my darling my own
[ fiddle ]
While dining one day in a little country town
A stranger walked in and he chanced to sit down
While talking of loved ones I happened to find
That his sister was that old sweetheart of mine
When he heard my story to me then he said
The one you left there has a long time been dead
She waited so long for the day you'd return
And why you had left her she never did learn
Now I was the one who you saw that fatal night
Wrapped in the arms of my sister so tight
She loved you so dearly but you broke her heart
Stranger from her ever more you must part