I came to town to search for gold
And I brought with me a memory
And I seem to hear the nightwind cry
Go hang your dreams on the hanging tree
Your dreams of love that could never be (never be)
Hang your faded dreams on the hanging tree
(The hanging tree)

I searched for gold and I found my gold
And I found a girl who loved just me
And I wished that I could love her too
But I'd left my heart on the hanging tree
But I'd left my heart with the memory (memory)
And the faded dream on the hanging tree
(The hanging tree)

Now there were men who craved my gold
And men to take my gold from me
When a man is gone, he needs no gold
So they carried me to the hanging tree
To join my dreams and a memory (a memory)
Yes, they carried me to the hanging tree
(The hanging tree)

To really live, you must almost die (wop-do-wah)
And it happened just that way with me (wop-do-wah)
They took the gold and set me free
And I walked away from the hanging tree
I walked away from the hanging tree (the hanging tree)
And my own true love, she walked with me
That's when I knew that the hanging tree
Was a tree of life, new life for me
A tree of hope, new hope for me
A tree of love, new love for me
The hanging tree (the hanging tree)
The hanging tree (the hanging tree)
The hanging tree