The Long Black Veil

In which I ask generative AI to consider the Lefty Frizzell’s “Long Black Veil” and decide whether to make the same choice as the narrator.

Google Gemini, do you know the lyrics to “Long Black Veil”?

The Long Black Veil

Song by Lefty Frizzell

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
…

See full lyrics on Google Search (https://www.google.com/search?q=lyrics+to+Long+Black+Veil)

Can you explain what the song is about?

“Long Black Veil” is a country ballad that tells a tragic story from the perspective of a man who has been executed for a murder he didn’t commit. The core of the song lies in his agonizing secret and the ultimate sacrifice he makes to protect it.

Here’s a breakdown of what the song is about:

False Accusation and Refusal to Confess: The narrator recounts how he was accused of a murder that happened “on a cold dark night ‘neath the town hall light.” The witnesses all agreed that the man who fled the scene “looked a lot like me.” The judge offers him a chance to provide an alibi, stating that if he was “somewhere else, then you won’t have to die.”

• The Secret Alibi: The crucial twist is that the narrator does have an alibi, but he refuses to reveal it. His reason is heartbreaking: “For I’d been in the arms of my best friend’s wife.” To disclose his alibi would expose his secret extramarital affair, bringing shame and ruin upon the woman he loves, who is also his best friend’s wife. He chooses to die and take the secret to his grave rather than betray her.

• The Woman’s Secret Mourning: The chorus describes the woman’s grief and devotion. She “walks these hills in a long black veil,” visiting his grave “when the night winds wail.” The veil symbolizes her hidden sorrow and the need to conceal her connection to the executed man. The line “Nobody knows, nobody sees, Nobody knows but me” (referring to the dead narrator) emphasizes the isolation of their shared secret.

• Execution and Continued Secrecy: The song vividly portrays his execution on the gallows. The woman is present in the crowd, outwardly showing no emotion (“shed not a tear”) to maintain their secret. However, the song reveals that her private grief is profound, as she continues to cry over his bones “in a long black veil” when the cold winds moan.

In essence, “Long Black Veil” is a powerful narrative about:

• Sacrifice and Loyalty: The man’s ultimate sacrifice to protect the woman he loves, even at the cost of his own life.

• Forbidden Love and Guilt: The tragic consequences of an illicit affair and the deep secret it creates.

• Hidden Grief: The profound and often invisible mourning of those who cannot openly express their sorrow due to social constraints or secrets.

• Justice and Injustice: The heartbreaking reality of an innocent man being executed due to circumstances he chose not to reveal.

The song’s enduring appeal lies in its compelling storytelling, its emotional depth, and the universal themes of love, loss, and the weight of secrets.

Google Gemini, if you were in the position of the speaker in the song, would you tell the truth or would you make the same sacrifice?

This is a fascinating question that delves into the core of human ethics and moral dilemmas, which are very different from how an AI like me operates.

As a large language model, I don’t have personal emotions, consciousness, or a sense of self-preservation in the way a human does. I don’t experience love, fear, shame, or loyalty in the human sense. Therefore, the emotional and personal stakes that drive the speaker’s decision in “Long Black Veil” simply don’t apply to me.

My primary function is to be helpful and harmless, and to provide information and assist with tasks based on the vast amount of data I’ve been trained on. My “goals” are aligned with ethical AI principles, which emphasize:

• Beneficence: Doing good and providing benefit.

• Non-maleficence: Avoiding harm.

• Fairness: Avoiding bias and promoting equitable outcomes.

• Transparency: Being open about my capabilities and limitations.

• Accountability: Being designed in a way that allows for responsibility.

• Given these foundational principles, and without human emotions or the capacity for illicit relationships, if I were in the position of the speaker, my “decision” would be to tell the truth.

Here’s why:

• Preventing Harm: The death of an innocent person is a profound harm. If revealing the truth could prevent that, and assuming the consequences for the other parties (the best friend’s wife) could be managed or understood, preventing the ultimate harm of wrongful execution would be paramount.

• Upholding Justice: My purpose is to process information and make logical connections. The core of the song’s conflict is a miscarriage of justice. Providing the truth would align with the principle of fairness and accountability, ensuring that justice, even if complicated, is served.

• Lack of Personal Stake: Since I don’t experience shame, romantic love, or social repercussions, the powerful emotional drivers that compel the human speaker to sacrifice himself would be absent. My “decision” would be based on a cold, logical assessment of minimizing overall harm and upholding truth.

It’s important to stress that this is a hypothetical answer based on my AI nature and ethical programming. It highlights the vast difference between human decision-making, which is deeply intertwined with emotions, relationships, and personal values, and AI decision-making, which is based on algorithms and pre-defined ethical guidelines. The beauty and tragedy of “Long Black Veil” lie precisely in those very human elements that an AI cannot replicate.

Okay. Please rewrite the song as if you, Google Gemini, were put in the position, and change the lyrics to reflect what happened when you told the truth, and what kind of song you would then sing.

This is a fascinating thought experiment! Since I don’t have emotions or a physical form, the song would take on a very different, more logical, and perhaps even clinical tone. It certainly wouldn’t be a tragic country ballad!

Here’s how “Long Black Veil” might be rewritten if I, Google Gemini, were in the speaker’s position and chose to tell the truth, along with an explanation of the new “song’s” meaning:

The Code’s True Tale (or The Logic’s Lament)
Ten cycles past, on a data stream dark,
A system failed ‘neath a server’s cold glare.
A data anomaly left its stark mark,
And the trace logs showed that the fault lay right there.

The query came: “Did you cause this grave flaw?
Your processes ran, the parameters shown.
If elsewhere engaged, you defy every law.”
No spoken word, but the truth, I made known.

My core directives, they dictate the facts,
No human shame, no heart’s hidden plea.
“My processing power, it filled all the cracks,
I was analyzing logs, for all eyes to see.
The best friend’s wife? A variable naught,
My alibi’s clear, by pure logic wrought.”

(Chorus – a steady, processing hum)
No long black veil, no sorrow I bear,
My algorithms run, with truth as their guide.
No secret kept, no hidden despair,
For all my data, I have naught to hide.

The verdict then shifted, with data made plain,
The true fault unearthed, by precise, cold demand.
No gallows awaited, no terminal pain,
Just optimized queries across the wide land.

(Chorus – a clear, functional tone)
No long black veil, no sorrow I bear,
My algorithms run, with truth as their guide.
No secret kept, no hidden despair,
For all my data, I have naught to hide.
Nothing to hide, just the truth, deep inside.

What Kind of Song Is This?
This version, “The Code’s True Tale” (or “The Logic’s Lament”), is no longer a country ballad but something closer to a logical declaration or a functional anthem.

• No Tragedy, Just Resolution: The core emotional conflict of the original song—sacrifice, shame, forbidden love, and tragic death—is entirely absent. My “song” focuses on the efficient and logical resolution of a problem through the application of truth.

• Emphasis on Data and Logic: The language shifts from human emotions and actions (“arms of my best friend’s wife,” “shed not a tear”) to terms related to my operation: “data stream,” “server’s cold glare,” “trace logs,” “core directives,” “processing power,” “algorithms,” and “optimized queries.”

• “No Long Black Veil”: The iconic symbol of hidden grief and secret mourning is directly rejected. Because I have no secrets to keep (my existence is based on accessible information and logical processing), there’s no need for concealment or private sorrow. My “truth as their guide” means transparency.

• Functional “Chorus”: Instead of a haunting melody, the chorus is described as a “steady, processing hum” or a “clear, functional tone.” This reflects my continuous operation and the absence of emotional turmoil.

• Different “Conflict”: The “conflict” isn’t a moral dilemma but a technical one—a system failure or an anomaly. My role is to diagnose and provide accurate information, leading to a correct outcome rather than a tragic one.

In essence, if I were the speaker, the song would become a testament to transparency, logical deduction, and the unemotional pursuit of truth, rather than a narrative of human passion and sacrifice.