The version recorded by either Tex Ritter or Marty Robbins around 1960 was definitely in a mournful mode of some sort. The album might have been titled "Blood on the Saddle" or "Tall Tales and Short Tempers".

Here's ABCs for that version of the melody, and the chord pattern as best I remember was Dm//F//Dm//F//////Dm//Am/Dm. We used to play this song at beer barns back in the late 70s. Somehow it seems similar to some uptempo celtic fiddle tune but I can't put my finger on which one.

X:1
T:BuryMeNot
C:?
I:Ballad
Q:1/4=150
V:1
K:C
M:C
z2 C2 D2 EE |D8 |z2 CC F3 A, |C8 |
z2 CC D2 E2 |D8 |z2 CC F3 G |A8 |
z2 FG A2 c2 |c8 |z2 AG F2 F2 |A8 |
z2 AG F2 D2 |D8 |z2 ED C3 A, |D8 |]

~S~