On a lonely walk this morning
A light mist in the air
Dark clouds laughing at me in silence
Casting shadows through my hair
In the distance I saw a woman
Dressed in black with eyes of grey
She wore her pain like a shackled spirit
Eternal life was her debt to pay
The lady wore black
It's the sign of the prisoners lives
The lady wore black
See the years through the tears in her eyes
The lady wore black
Her mystic power calls to me
The lady wore black
Her love can set me free
The wind song whispered a warning
Telling me to beware
Of the quiet shadowed woman
And of the sadness I would share
We sat for sometime together in silence
Never speaking in words
Of all her thoughts she spoke with her eyes
And I listened remembering all I heard
The lady wore black
It's the sign of the prisoners lives
The lady wore black
See the years through the tears in her eyes
The lady wore black
Her mystic power calls to me
The lady wore black
Her love can set me free
The words she spoke were of forgotten lives
And of all knowledge gained
Mem'ries I had and didn't know why
With a smile she explained
I should have listened to the wind's cold warning
And walked the other way
I touched her soul and now I bear her sentence
But for her love I'll gladly pay
The lady wore black
It's the sign of the prisoners lives
The lady wore black
See the years through the tears in her eyes
The lady wore black
Her mystic power calls to me
The lady wore black
Her love can set me free
"The Lady Wore Black" describes a foreboding encounter with a woman burdened with sadness and pain. Drawn in by her mysterious darkness, the author's soul connects with hers, and he discovers that the price of sharing this woman's revelations is that he must also take her pain.
The song opens in a bleak, solitary atmosphere, with the author taking a morning walk. "A light mist in the air" may suggest that some surroundings are hidden, obscuring knowledge of things past and present. The dark clouds laugh at him in silence, personifying the hostility of his surroundings.
Next, the woman is introduced; a somber figure. Her "eyes of grey," like the rest of the piece, lack color, adding to the already visually grim ensemble. "She wore her pain like a shackled spirit" suggests that her pain is its own entity; not a part of her, but bound to her, and indeed it is also contagious, as we later discover. "Eternal life was her debt to pay" implies that she, or someone, must have done something to earn this daunting sentence. While the crime is left unknown, the enormous guilt she bears becomes evident.
Who is the woman and what is her purpose? The text suggests that what she carries is more than the sorrow of one mere human being, especially in the third verse, where she conveys knowledge of "forgotten lives" from ages past. The pain she carries is not her own, as evidenced in line 7, where we learn that her pain is worn like a "shackled spirit," and in the second verse of the chorus, where the black she wears is "the sign of the prisoners lives." The woman's burden is symbolic of the pain of humanity; in meeting her, the author comes face to face with the sadness of the world, and in doing so, discovers the key to love.
The chorus goes on the describe more about the woman. The refrain, also the title of the song, "The lady wore black," is repeated throughout. What does the black represent? Black visually signifies the burden of pain and guilt she carries. Black may also suggest death; it is common worn as funeral garb. The song tells us that "It's the sign of the prisoners lives," so black may be a metaphor for her mental incarceration. "See the years through the tears in her eyes" tells us that she is also old and has carried this pain for a long time. Finally, she beckons him, not with words or physical gestures, but with her "mystic power," implying a spiritual connection, a meeting of minds.
The last line of the chorus, "Her love can set me free," reveals the reason for his fascination with this woman. Somehow he knows that along with her pain, she holds the key to his freedom. This begs the question, what imprisons him? Perhaps his mental turmoil, existing in a world where even the clouds mock him is a confinement. Maybe ignorance, a lost identity, or simply isolation keeps him bound; he feels a connection with her would release him from his shackles of loneliness.
As the second verse commences, the wind rushes in to counter the author's fixation with the forlorn femme fatale, foreshadowing his fate in its warning of "the sadness I would share." The wind's voice of caution is ignored, and he proceeds to approach her. Their communication is not verbal, but she speaks "Of all her thoughts... with her eyes." He listens intently, "remembering all I heard."
In the third verse, we learn that the woman bears a great deal of knowledge, and she shares it generously. Signs are rampant that she is no ordinary woman, but something much more. She teaches him of "forgotten lives" and "all knowledge gained." She also bears an intimate knowledge of him, explaining mysterious memories he "had and didn't know why." Afterward, he expresses regret at not listening to the wind. Perhaps the knowledge he gained was too painful. "I touched her soul and now I bear her sentence" He must now shoulder her pain. Was learning the truth not worth it? In the last line of the third verse, he concludes that the experience was worth the price. Perhaps it was not mere knowledge which made the encounter worthwhile, but the sharing of love with the one who shouldered this enormous burden of sorrow.