Long Black Veil
Bobby and Laurie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone was killed 'neath the town hall light
There were few at the scene but they all agreed
That the slayer who ran looked a lot like me
The judge he said, ?Son, what is your alibi?
If you were somewhere else then you won't have to die?
I spoke not a word although it meant my life
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The scaffold was high and eternity was near
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear
But sometimes at night when the cold wind moans
In the long black veil, she cries o'er my bones
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The lyrics of Bobby and Laurie's song Long Black Veil tell a compelling tale of a man who is falsely accused of murder and chooses to remain silent about his whereabouts during the crime. The singer of the song knows that if he tells the truth about being with his best friend's wife, he will incriminate himself, and so he remains silent even if it means facing the death penalty. The song is also about the woman who is involved in the affair, who visits the man's grave in a long black veil and is the only one who knows the truth about what happened that night.
The Long Black Veil is a haunting song with a great storyline that leaves a lot to the imagination. It has been covered by numerous artists throughout the years, including Johnny Cash, The Band, and Bruce Springsteen. The song's lyrics were inspired by an actual event that took place in Harlan County, Kentucky, in the 1930s. A man named George Ellis was convicted of murder and maintained his innocence until his death, claiming that he was with his best friend's wife at the time of the crime. The song's writer, Marijohn Wilkin, based the lyrics on this story and added the haunting imagery of the long black veil to make the song even more memorable.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten years ago on a cold dark night
The events of the song took place ten years ago on a dark, cold night
Someone was killed 'neath the town hall light
A person was murdered under the light of the town hall
There were few at the scene but they all agreed
Although few people witnessed the crime, they all concurred on what happened
That the slayer who ran looked a lot like me
The killer fled the scene and strongly resembled the artist
The judge he said, ?Son, what is your alibi?
The judge asked the artist if he had an alibi
If you were somewhere else then you won't have to die?
The judge implied that if the singer had a believable alibi, he wouldn't be sentenced to death
I spoke not a word although it meant my life
The singer didn't say a word about his whereabouts even though it was a matter of life and death
For I had been in the arms of my best friend's wife
The artist was with his best friend's wife and couldn't bring himself to reveal it
She walks these hills in a long black veil
The woman who was involved in the crime and shares the secrecy with the artist walks around the hills wearing a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
She visits the artist's grave when the night is windy and mourns him
Nobody knows, nobody sees
No one knows the truth about the crime and the secret except for the woman and the singer
Nobody knows but me
The track ends with a repetition of a key lyric to emphasize the exclusivity of the secret between the two characters.
The scaffold was high and eternity was near
The singer was facing execution and his death was imminent
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear
The woman maintained her composure while watching the execution
But sometimes at night when the cold wind moans
Sometimes at night, when the wind makes mournful sounds, the woman is reminded of the singer
In the long black veil, she cries o'er my bones
She cries over the artist's remains while wearing her long black veil.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind