2017-12-28 15:10:51流浪阿狗
老歌亂談(787)Long Black Veil
此首歌為Danny Dill及Marijhon Wilkin兩位所寫，1959由鄉村歌手Lefty Frizzell首錄發行，在告示牌熱門鄉村/西部排行榜奪得第6名的佳績，也是這位老兄近5年來成績最好的一首歌。
歌曲述說的是，歌曲的男主角被指為殺人犯，法官問他有何不在場證明？他卻完全不替自己辯護，因為當晚他正和最要好朋友的妻子睡在一起，為了為維護這位妻子的名節，他寧願赴死並將這個秘密帶進墳墓。也因而，有位著黑色長面紗的女子，會在夜晚悲號的風中，在他的墳前佇立良久。別人未見到或不明究理，他卻地下有知。
依據寫歌者自爆，寫此歌的靈感來源資料有三。一是歌曲《God Walks These Hills With Me》；再來是當年報紙的新聞：一位牧師在夜晚靠近市政廳燈光 ( town hall light ) 的照射處，及有近50位目擊者的情況下遭到殺害，卻一直查不出殺人動機與兇手到底為何人。再來，就是義裔美籍演員Rudolph Valentino，由於盲腸炎及十二指腸潰瘍入院開刀，卻引發腹膜炎，再擴延為肋膜炎而終告不治，僅享年31歲。在他死後，有神秘的女子著面紗 ( 據傳是Valentino的粉絲 )，會定期造訪他的墳墓，並且留下一枝紅色的玫瑰花。
Rudolph Valentino
願默默為愛人犧牲生命的男人，古今中外所在多有，問題是當時的社會大眾或並不知情，有些是待後來的發現，才感覺特別的悲悽浪漫。這和替女友頂罪的「Tom Dooley」的故事也頗雷同。或許美國社會特別推崇這類的悲劇英雄，翻唱此曲的歌手也是多到不行。
延伸閱讀：亂談(257)Tom Dooley
http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/tabidog01/post/1327590668/
Ten years ago, on a cold dark night
There was someone 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 said, "Son what is your alibi?
If you were somewhere else then you won't have to die"
I spoke not a word though it meant my life
For I had been in the arms of my best friend's wife
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 is high, and eternity nears
She stood in the crowd and shed not a tear
But sometimes at night when the cold wind mourns
In a long black veil she cries over 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, nobody knows but me, nobody knows but me
(悄悄話)
2017-12-30 01:41:15