Annotation:I'll Be All Smiles Tonight

Back to I'll Be All Smiles Tonight

---

I'LL BE ALL SMILES TONIGHT. American, Waltz. C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Popularized by the 1934 Carter Family recording, however, the tune is considerably older, with words and music written in 1879 by T.B. Ranson. Many recordings of the song predate the Carter Family as well, including Luther B. Clark and the Blue Ridge Highballers (1926); Mac and Bob (1927); Allen Brothers (1928); Reed Children (1928); Jenkins and Whitworth (1929); Bradley Kincaid (1929); and Linda Parker and The Cumberland Ridge Runners (1933) [1].

I'll deck my brow with roses,
The loved one may be there.
The gems that others gave me,
Will shine within my hair.
And even them that know me,
Will think my heart is light.
Though my heart may break tomorrow,
I'll be all smiles tonight. (Ford)

The song has become a country and western standard, and has international currency.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; p. 137 (additional verses on p. 414).

Recorded sources:

---

Back to I'll Be All Smiles Tonight