On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese
I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed
It rolled off the table and onto the floor
then my poor meatball rolled out of the door
It rolled through the garden and under a bush
then my poor meatball was covered with mush
Early next summer that very same bush
was covered in meatballs, meatballs and mush
In the intro, Hank refers to a it being one of the "top pop tunes in the nation." This is likely a reference to the version by The Weavers, an abysmal piece of shit I couldn't bring myself to post here even in the interests of history.
A couple of weeks ago I stayed up too late drinking beer, playing piano and singing with Jeanne Tolmie, and On Top Of Old Smokey was one of the songs we played. It got me all fired up about the song (again) and Saturday afternoon, Rachelle Reath and Jeanne came over and we worked out a version of it....here it is.
The lyrics we sang are Hank's version (which differs to many versions in the second verse) with a few of our own extras and twists.
On Top Of Old Smokey - Traditional
On top of Old Smokey
all covered with snow
I lost my true lover
from courtin' too slow
On top of Old Smokey
I went there to weep
for a false-hearted lover
is worse than a thief
A thief he will rob you
and take what you've saved
But a false-hearted lover
will lay you in the grave
The grave will decay you
and turn you to dust
The price you will always pay
when you misplace your trust
They'll hug you and kiss you
and tell you more lies
than crossties on a railroad
or stars in the sky
On top of Old Smokey
Old Smokey so high
where the birds up in heaven
can hear my sad cries
On top of Old Smokey
all covered with snow
I lost my true lover
from courtin' too slow
Mothers Best Sessions
The Mother's Best shows were broadcast live between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m. on WSM out of Nashville, Tennessee and Hank was paid $100 a week for recording the shows that usually consisted of one country song, one instrumental and a gospel song to close the show. During the 15 minute show Hank and the announcer Louie Buck would pitch the flour in between Hank's songs and Hank even wrote a theme song for the show.
"I love to have that gal around
Her biscuits are so nice and brown
Her pies and cakes beat all the rest
Cause she makes them all with Mother's Best"
Back in those days if a radio show wasn't actually live, it was recorded live onto a 16 inch acetate and that's what the Mother's Best sessions are. Hank and the Drifting Cowboys had a grueling touring schedule. All the travel was by car and adding to the grind was the obligation of Opry regulars to return to Nashville most weekends, no matter where they were, to perform. The transcriptions gave WSM and its listeners a daily dose of the Lovesick Blues Boy, just as though he was there right in studio. These recordings have a compelling immediacy and show off the relaxed musicianship and professionalism of a seasoned touring band and their dynamic leader.
At some point in history, WSM was purging its vaults and the Mother's Best acetates were destined to be dumped. WSM employee and huge Hank fan Les Leverett recognized their value and saved them from oblivion. What followed was years of legal battles between the estate of Hank Williams in the persons of Jett Williams and Hank Jr and "other parties"...yeah, I can't seem to find out on the internet exactly who. While Leverett had given the acetates to Jett Williams (who had gone through a long legal battle to prove she was Hank's daughter) a copy had also gone to someone else, possibly Drifting Cowboys bass player Hilious Butrum.
Whatever the murky details are, the end result is an amazing musical document. A relaxed Hank, joking and talking, a band on top of its game, a group of musicians delving into their extensive catalogue. A real piece of country music history. After researching this blog, I'm feeling like I'm going to have to get the 15 CD set, if only to hear Hank's venereal disease PSA. "Stars In Her Eyes" is a 14 minute soap opera than Hank sings and recites, interspersed with running remarks from woman who portrays an unfaithful wife who contracts syphilis.
