I came to town to search for gold
 And I brought with me a memory
 And I seem to hear the night wind cry,
 "Go hang your dreams on the hangin' tree
 Your dreams of love that could never be
 Hang your faded dreams on the hangin' tree!"

 I searched tor 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 hangin' tree
 I'd left my heart with a memory
 And a faded dream on the hangin' tree.

 Now there were men who craved my gold
 And meant to take my gold from me
 When a man is gone he needs no gold
 So they carried me to the hangin' tree
 To join my dreams and a memory
 Yes they carried me to the hangin' tree.

 To really live you must almost die
 And it happened just that way with me
 They took the gold and set me free
 And I walked away from the hangin' tree
 I walked away from the hangin' tree
 And my own [bad word] love, she walked with me!

 That's when I knew that the hangin' tree
 Was a tree of life, new life for me
 tree of hope, new hope for me
 tree of love, new love tor me
 The hangin' tree, the hangin' tree, the hangin' tree!