Long Black Veil is a country ballad written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin in 1959. The song narrates the tale of a man wrongly accused of murder and executed, while his alibi, having been in the arms of his best friends wife, remains a secret he takes to his grave. The song is noted for its somber mood and theme of loyalty, betrayal, and lost love.
Key: G
G
Ten years ago on a cool dark night
D
C
G
There was someone killed beneath the town hall light
G
There were few at the scene and they all did agree
D
C
G
That the man who ran looked a lot like me
G
The judge said, "Son, what is your alibi?
D
C
G
If you were somewhere else then you won't have to die"