This particular version is Hank Snow’s cover from his album “I’ve Been Everywhere”. You can play along with the 2nd video.

***WORD document revised June 9, 2015 - SR***

~~~ChordPro Verson UPDATED June 11, 2015 CEL~~~

This cautionary tale recorded by noted story-singer Johnny Horton flips the murder ballad script by retelling the action from the point of view of the victim — not the killer or some omnipresent third party. In this case, the poor soul makes the mistake of "dancing" with the wife-to-be of a goon named "Big Ed." Horton ends each verse with "it's forty below," setting up the mother lode of all payoffs in the final line. It was his first big hit, a No.1 song in 1959. It was written by Horton's manager, Tillman Ben Franks, Sr.

During 1960, Horton had two other successes with "North to Alaska" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska and "Sink the Bismarck". Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.