Which folk song is parodied by the children's song "On Top of Spaghetti"?

The children’s song “On Top of Spaghetti” parodies the folk song “On Top of Old Smoky.”

The spaghetti song keeps the older tune’s recognizable melodic framework while replacing its lyrics with a comic story about a meatball rolling off a plate. Tom Glazer’s recording helped popularize “On Top of Spaghetti” in the early 1960s, and the song quickly became part of children’s musical folklore.

“On Top of Old Smoky” is a traditional American folk song associated with the Appalachian Mountains. Its exact original authorship is unknown because folk songs were transmitted orally and changed across communities. Folklorists documented versions in the Appalachians during the early twentieth century, while later performers such as Pete Seeger and the Weavers helped spread the song nationally.

The title is sometimes written “On Top of Old Smokey,” with an alternate spelling of Smoky. That variation does not indicate a different source song. The parody’s familiar opening melody is the key link, so the other options—such as “Clementine” or “Home on the Range”—are not the canonical answer.