Born in Taft, Texas, LaRue actually spent the majority of his adolescence north of the Red River, where he was raised in Southeastern Oklahoma . He never really pictured himself doing anything else but making good music, so LaRue eventually made his way to the state’s Red Dirt hotbed of Stillwater, where he began to develop his individualized style from a widespread range of influences.
From Willie Nelson to Ray Charles, to The Grateful Dead and Kris Kristofferson, LaRue’s emerging style impressively blends varied elements of country, blues, and soulful rock into cohesive, vocal driven performances. His abilities earned the immediate respect of then “up and coming” peers including Cody Canada, Mike McClure, Jason Boland, and other cohorts of the revitalizing Texas and Red Dirt circuits (now electrifying audiences nationwide.)
In 2002, both fans and industry took good notice of LaRue after he spearheaded The Organic Boogie Band and released ”Downtown,” which was recorded in private sessions at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa and mixed in a trailer on the side of a cliff in Bartlesville,OK. It was just the beginning, as the debut cemented LaRue’s following and inspired a move to New Braunfels, Texas, where a vibrant music community and a persistent touring schedule spawned a vast response.
Fans anxiously awaited the August 2005 release of Stoney LaRue-the Red Dirt Album, which hit the Billboard sales charts in its debut week. A far cry from the mixing trailer on the cliff, The Red Dirt Album was recorded with a tight circle of players and professionals in a studio setting. The record was a pinnacle effort for LaRue and has inarguably established his triple threat status as a truly gifted vocalist, player, and performer.
Armed with golden ear musicianship, an amusing wit, and soulful magnetism, LaRue’s shows are infused with an uplifting quality, a cathartic barroom brand of spirituality, where venues are complimented for good bar “feng shui,” and where time and dimension can be traversed via emotive lyrics and melodic riffs. A charismatic performer, LaRue’s flawless vocals can draw a crowd to a open mouth level of sonic mesmerization, and next have them singing “Forever Young” so loudly that you can’t hear anything else.
At 28 years old, Stoney LaRue now performs close to 300 dates a year at top festivals and venues across the nation and even the Caribbean, sharing bills with renowned acts like Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan,Dierks Bentley, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Radney Foster, and others. With a newly assembled band that includes Jeremy Bryant (drums), Jesse Fritz (bass), Rodney Pyeatt (guitar), and Steve Littleton (keys), Stoney LaRue is poised for his upcoming addition to the famed Live at Billy Bob’s series and even greater horizons to come.
The music is undeniably inside of Stoney LaRue, but he’s the type of artist that doesn’t HAVE to point it out to you, his belief in the music is strong enough that it just powers through transparently. Stoney LaRue is not trying to be anybody but the artist that he is, and his sincerity just seeps out, spills off the stage, and overtakes any room.
Long Black Veil
Stoney LaRue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a cold dark night
A man was killed beneath the town hall light
Though there were few
Present at the scene
They say the man that fled looked a lot like me
And she walks these hills
In a long black veil
When the night winds wail
Nobody knows him
Nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The church said son
"What is your aliby?"
If you were somewhere else
Then you would not have to die
Oh I said not a word
It would have meant my life
For i was in the arms of my best friend′s wife
And she walks these hills
In a long black veil
She visits my grave
When the night winds wail
Nobody knows him
Nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The scaffold is high
Eternity is near
She was in a crowd
She shed not a tear
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Some time at night when a cold wind blows
A long black veil it rests oh on my bones
And she walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows him
Nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
Nobody knows him
Nobody sees
Nobody knows
But me
"Long Black Veil" is a story song about a man who is sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. Ten years before the events of the song, a man was killed in the town square, but no one saw the murderer's face except the singer, who has been falsely accused of the crime. The person who knows his innocence is the ghost of the murdered man's lover, who mourns him by walking the hills wearing a long black veil, and visiting the singer's grave when the night winds wail. The singer's alibi could have saved his life, but revealing it would have cost him his reputation, as he was with his best friend's wife at the time of the murder. In the end, he is executed while the woman lovingly mourns him, unobserved by anyone.
The song's lyrics draw heavily on the themes of guilt, loyalty, and the consequences of keeping secrets. The long black veil symbolizes the woman's mourning, the singer's fear of exposure and the doomed nature of his situation. The song suggests that keeping secrets can have terrible consequences and that withholding information can not only cause harm but can also lead to one's own destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten years ago
The events being described took place a decade ago
On a cold dark night
The atmosphere was eerie and unsettling
A man was killed beneath the town hall light
Someone was murdered in a public place
Though there were few
Not many people were present
Present at the scene
At the location where the murder took place
They say the man that fled looked a lot like me
There were witnesses who thought the person who ran away was the singer
And she walks these hills
Someone (presumably the person who committed the murder) roams around the hills in the area
In a long black veil
Wearing a concealing, mourning garment
She visits my grave
The person goes to the singer's burial site
When the night winds wail
During times of intense emotion or distress
Nobody knows him
The person who was actually responsible for the murder remains unidentified
Nobody sees
There are no witnesses who can identify the perpetrator
Nobody knows but me
The singer is the only one who knows the truth
The church said son
The authorities involved in the investigation addressed the singer
"What is your aliby?"
They asked the singer to provide an explanation of where he was at the time of the murder
If you were somewhere else
Had you been present in another location
Then you would not have to die
You would not be facing punishment or retaliation for the murder
Oh I said not a word
The singer kept silent
It would have meant my life
Revealing the truth could have put the singer in danger
For i was in the arms of my best friend′s wife
The singer was having an affair with his friend's spouse
The scaffold is high
The gallows (a method of execution) is elevated
Eternity is near
Death is imminent
She was in a crowd
The person who committed the murder wasn't alone
She shed not a tear
She didn't display any visible emotions
Some time at night when a cold wind blows
In moments of restlessness and unease
A long black veil it rests oh on my bones
The mourning garment symbolizing the murder follows the singer even in death
And she walks these hills in a long black veil
The person who committed the murder still roams around the area, hidden by her attire
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
As a haunting reminder of her actions, the person visits the singer's grave when emotions run high
Nobody knows
There is no certainty or assurance in the situation
But me
The singer is the only one aware of the full truth
Writer(s): Maren Morris
Contributed by Chloe Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.