On Top of Old Smoky — Nursery Rhyme Lyrics

On top of old Smokey,
All covered with snow,
I lost my true lover
From courtin' too slow.
From courtin' too slow, dear,
From courtin' too slow,
I lost my true lover
From courtin' too slow.
On top of old Smokey,
I went for to weep,
For a false-hearted lover
Is worse than a thief.
Is worse than a thief, dear,
Is worse than a thief,
For a false-hearted lover
Is worse than a thief.
For a thief, he will rob you,
Of all that you have,
But a false-hearted lover
Will send you to your grave.
Will send you to your grave, dear,
Will send you to your grave,
But a false-hearted lover
Will send you to your grave.
He'll hug you and kiss you,
And tell you more lies,
Than the ties of the railroad
Or the stars in the skies.
The stars in the skies, dear,
The stars in the skies,
He'll tell you more lies, dear,
than the stars in the skies.

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Learning from "On Top of Old Smoky"

Nursery rhymes are some of the best teachers of rhythm and rhyme. "On Top of Old Smoky" uses 32 lines to create a memorable verse — proof that effective poetry doesn't need to be long. Pay attention to the meter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables is what makes the rhyme stick in your head.

Songwriters and poets can borrow these patterns. Try writing your own lyrics using the same rhyme scheme and line length as this nursery rhyme. You can also use words from the poem above as starting points — click any word to find rhymes or look up its definition, then build from there.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the words to On Top of Old Smoky?
The lyrics to On Top of Old Smoky are: On top of old Smokey, / All covered with snow, / I lost my true lover / From courtin' too slow. / From courtin' too slow, dear, / From courtin' too slow, ... Read the full 32-line nursery rhyme at Rhyme Buster.
How many lines does On Top of Old Smoky have?
"On Top of Old Smoky" has 32 lines of verse.

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