Country singer Lefty Frizzell cemented his legend in early 1950s with a list of good-time, honky tonk hit singles like "If You Got the Money, I got the Time" and "Always Late with Your Kisses" where his sweet, yearning voice brought him fame and success but it seems that at certain point hits have dried up. Just when you think he was destined for has-been category, along came this brilliant song written specially for him. It is definitely a work of Nashville composers though it has a feel of an ancient folk song, with lilting melody and haunting lyrics in the best style of campfire ballad.
"The Long Black Veil" is sung from a perspective of a dead man, wrongly accused for a crime he didn't commit but the only witness who could give him alibi was somebody who could not speak out. You see, that night he was in the arms of my best friend's wife and this code of honor was stronger than anything he might have said to save his life at the court. Fully understanding that its all about exposing her infidelity and creating trouble for a woman he secretly loved, protagonist went to his death protecting her secret. Singing from the other side of the grave with a voice of a ghost, Frizzell describes how his secret lover did not share a tear during the court but in the night she visits his grave, wearing long black veil and she cries all night long for what was probably the true love of her life, somebody who actually gave life for her.
Even when listening this song on a double CD compilation of Frizzell's biggest hits, "The Long Black Veil"suddenly stands out as something special and unforgettable. The music, the lyrics, the atmosphere and above all, the idea of dead man telling his story comes across as something so striking that it must have been seismic at the original time of its release. Its surely one of the all-time greatest country songs.
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