From the recording Dark Hollow
This song has a complicated history. This version probably owes the most to the one released by Bill Browning in 1958 as the "B" side of his single "Born with the Blues." However, its roots are in an old traditional tune called "East Virginia Blues," and, to a lesser degree, "Little Birdie." In 1929, Clarence Ashley recorded a song called "Dark Holler" that closely resembles "East Virginia Blues"; Ashley's "Dark Holler," though set to a different, minor-key melody than Browning's, nevertheless contains many of the same lyrics.