“Wild Mountain Honey” was written by Arthur Q. Smith, a songwriter known for selling his songs outright to other artists. The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen recorded it in the 1950s.
The song is a sweetheart’s song. The wild mountain honey of the title is the woman the singer loves — sweet, and of the hills — and the lyric carries the warmth of that courtship.
The song was later revived by Junior Sisk and Joe Mullins, two singers devoted to traditional bluegrass.