"Merriweather" is known as a Kentucky tune and most modern versions are modeled after the "Meriwether" of W.L. "Jake" Phelps of Todd County, Kentucky, recorded in the field in 1973 by fiddler Bruce Greene. No one knows for certain what the title refers to, it is likely it refers to the name of a prominent 19th century Todd County family named Meriwether. The tune is related to the Irish reels “Tom Ward’s Downfall” and “The Mourne Mountains". It is similar to "Waynesboro" and the two play well together in a medley. It was printed in Phillips' Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1 (1994), Songer's Portland Collection (1997) and Titon's Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes (2001).