"In the Pines" (Roud 3421)^[a] is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back to at least the 1870s. The songs originated in the Southern Appalachian area of the United States in the contiguous areas of East Tennessee and Kentucky, Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia.^[1][2]

Versions of the song have been recorded by many artists in numerous genres, but it was most often associated with American bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and American blues musician Lead Belly, both of whom recorded a version of the song in the 1940s, before achieving wide fame with the grunge band Nirvana.^[3]

In 1964, a version of the song by English Beat music group the Four Pennies reached the top-twenty in the United Kingdom.^[4] A live rendition by American grunge band Nirvana, based on Lead Belly's interpretation, was recorded during their MTV Unplugged performance in 1993, and released the following year on their platinum-selling album, MTV Unplugged in New York. The song was listed as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" on that album.^[5][6]

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