What is the story behind the folk song “Tom Dooley?”
Alexander Durvin Jr.
Fort Washington, Maryland
“Hang down your head Tom Dooley, poor boy, you’re bound to die.” I can’t tell you how many times I have sung that song over the years.
Tom Dula (pronounced locally as “Dooley”) was born in 1845 in the Appalachian hill country of North Carolina. As a youngster he fell in love with Ann Foster, but he had to leave his love behind when the Civil War broke out and Tom and hi
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