You may know the song from the Flatt & Scruggs recording and Mac Wiseman immortalized his own take on his latest CD, Songs in My Mother's Hand. Dock Walsh recorded the first "hillbilly" version on Oct. 3, 1925, but the song traces it's origins to an older tune called Going for a Pardon, copyrighted in 1896.
Going for a Pardon was written by James Thornton who composed popular sentimental ballads for the early vaudeville stage. He's best remembered for his most enduring hit, When You Were Sweet Sixteen.