Good Old Mountain Dew

Along with being an amateur folklorist and musician, Bascom Lamar Lunsford was a lawyer practicing in rural North Carolina during the 1920s.

Lunsford frequently defended local clients that were accused of the practice,[2] and the original lyrics and banjo accompaniment to "Good Old Mountain Dew" were written during the course of one of these cases.

Lunsford was impressed with it; later the same night, he sold the song to Wiseman for $25 (equivalent to $440 in 2023) so he could buy a train ticket back to North Carolina.

[6] In the final verse, the judge offers the young man clemency if he is willing to pay court costs for the trial.

[8] Since 1935, "Good Old Mountain Dew" has been rerecorded and covered by a wide variety of folk, old time, and country musicians, including Grandpa Jones,[3] Glen Campbell, and Willie Nelson.

[12] The gospel song "Traveling the Highway Home" is based on "Good Old Mountain Dew" and uses the same tune, but has lyrics about moving closer to eternal life after death instead of about moonshine.