Traditional; performed by Ralph Stanley and others

Verse 1
False hearts have been my downfall
Pretty women have been my crave
I’m sure my false-hearted lover
Will drive me to my lonesome grave

Verse 2
They’ll bite the hand that feeds them
Spend the money that you save
From your heartstrings and silk garters
They’ll build a doghouse on your grave

Verse 3
When my earthly stay is over
Sink my dead body in the sea
Just tell my false-hearted lover
That the whales will watch over me

Verse 4
Ragged clothes are droppin’ from my body
The wolf howls around my door
The man who won my darling girl
Will feel the bite of my forty-four

Verse 5
Corn whiskey has wrecked my body
False-hearted lovers on my mind
I’ve roamed the whole world over
Pleasure on earth I cannot find

Chorus
        When my earthly stay is over
        Sink my dead body in the sea
        Just tell my false-hearted lover
        That the whales will watch over me

Verse 6
If I meet my darlin’ girl again
I’ll tell her about my troubles
Give her these false-hearted lover blues
And leave her stranded in the shallows

Verse 7
All men take this warning
It is both for young and old
Don’t try to buy a woman’s love
With the last dollar of your gold

Verse 8
Take warning, you young ladies
If your love and honor you have sold
Good men will have no use for you
When your dark hair has turned to gold

Chorus