The opening and closing melody of A Hill Country Tune is based on an old fiddle piece, The Snouts and Ears of America. It was a derivative of the familiar jig The Irish Washerwoman recast in 4/4 time, and with the order of parts reversed. The book is long out of print and the meaning of the title is unknown. The contrasting lyrical middle section is original, composed by FrankMcKinney. (3:35)