I'm going to the hills of East Tennessee
That's where he said he'll marry me
Right under the limb of my old family tree
Yes, that's where he said he'll marry me
I'm going to the hills of East Tennessee
The hickory wind is blowing cold
I hear the shrill of an old black crow
It breaks my spirit, bends my hope
It chills me to my brittle bones
When the hickory wind is blowing cold
Oooooooh... Oooooooooh...
As I slumbered he crept in
And held my face close to his chin
He whispered that he loved me then
His words they burned upon my skin
As I slumbered he crept in
When I awoke I said a prayer
That I would find him standing there
My eyes still closed; I would not dare
To gaze upon an empty stair
When I awoke I said this prayer
Oooooooh... Oooooooooh...