Long Black Veil is a 1959 country ballad written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin and originally recorded by Lefty Frizzell. It was released as a single on April 20, 1959, produced by Don Law for Columbia. The song is told from the perspective of a man falsely accused of murder who refuses to provide an alibi because he was having an extramarital affair with his best friend's wife, choosing to die and take the truth to his grave; the chorus depicts the woman visiting his grave in a long black veil. Wilkin played piano on the original recording, and the track marked a shift toward folk influenced Nashville sound. The tune has become a standard and has been covered by many artists, including Johnny Cash, The Band, Joan Baez, and Mick Jagger with The Chieftains; Frizzell's version reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot C&W Sides chart. In 2019, the Library of Congress selected Long Black Veil for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its cultural and historical significance.
