Level: 2
Tuning: Standard

This is a folk standard, meaning no one knows who wrote it. Leadbelly's version has become the most widely recognized. Most recorded versions are much tamer than Lead Belly's original, with the line "I'll get you in my dreams" replaced with "I'll see you in my dreams."

In 1950, one year after Leadbelly died, this was a #1 hit for the folk group The Weavers. Other artists to record the song include Ry Cooder, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, The Chieftains, Tom Waits and Peter, Paul and Mary.

Taught by Harry Lewman.