Most Nirvana fans know, or think they know, that Nirvana's unplugged version of “In the Pines” is a cover of a track by the 40s blues man Leadbelly. Here's the Nirvana version:

Here's one of a number of versions Leadbelly recorded:

So is this the “original” version? Well if it is, then what's this?

That's an older, bluegrass version of the same song by Bill Monroe, but that isn't the “original” version either.

The original version of In the Pines is older than the hills- we know it existed as an Appalachian folk song in the 1870s, but how much older the song really is, nobody knows. The references to trains and railroads suggest the 19^th century, but the song could easily have been modified and expanded over the years, so there's no way to say for sure.

 

When I first heard Nirvana perform this song, I thought “oh, that's one of the songs mom used to sing,” only her lyrics were different:

 

“True love, true love, don't lie to me,

Tell me where did you sleep last night?

In the pines, in the pines,

Where the sun never shines,

I shivered the whole night through.

 

My husband was a railroad man,

Killed a mile and a half from town.

His head was found by the railroad tracks,

But his body was never found.”

 

The tune as my mother sang it was different too- not blues like the Leadbelly version or bluegrass like the Bill Monroe version, but a lot like an Appalachian folk ballad. So is this the long-lost “original” version? Probably not. It's just one more version among many.