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The church door was opened as I stepped inside,
I went there hoping that she'd change her mind;
There were beautiful roses in a bridal bouquet,
Where she stood at the alter beneath a veil of white lace.
A stranger in silence reached out for her hand,
And he placed on her finger a gold wedding band;
There was happiness written in the smile on his face,
But I couldn't see her's beneath the veil of white lace.
I pitied that stranger, for all he could see,
Was their life together until eternity;
My heart filled with anger as I pictured the face,
Of a false-hearted quitter beneath a veil of white lace.
I reached in my pocket when the wedding was done,
My hand touched a locket, then it fell on a gun;
It shattered the silence as it left its trace,
Stains of red crimson on a veil of white lace.
I ran from the church house as I threw down the gun,
But stopped on the door step for there crossing the lawn;
My darling said she had decided to wait,
Death to a stranger beneath a veil of white lace.
Yes, it's death to a stranger beneath a veil of white lace.
This variant arranged and recorded by Dick Nolan (Newfoundland Good Times, trk#4, 1999, Heritage Music, Newmarket, Ontario).
Popularized by Lonnie Melvin (Mel) Tillis [b.1932] (One More Time, trk#10, 1970, MGM SE-4681; and The Very Best Of Mel Tillis And The Statesiders, trk#7, 1972, MGM SE-4806).
Also recorded by many Newfoundland-Labrador artists: Lloyd Snow (Country Favourites, trk#14, unknown date); The Soirees (Seven Spanish Trawlers, trk#3, 1985, St. John's NL); The Isle aux Morts Boys (My Newfoundland Shore, trk#3, c.1988, Isle aux Morts, NL); Tony Sexton (Celebrate Newfoundland, trk#9, 1997, St. Anthony, NL); Derrick Vaters (Until The End Of Time, trk#7, c.2000, Victoria, NL); Peter Conway (There's No Place Like Home, trk#5, c.2000, St. Brides, NL); Chuck Simms (Old And New - Volume Two, trk#1, 2003, Grand Banks, NL); Percy Cutler (Our House Is A Home, trk#3, 2007, Churchill Falls, NL).
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All guitar tabs have been contributed by visitors to this site and represent their interpretation of the tune. We are unable to verify their accuracy.
[D] The church door was open, as I stepped [A] inside,
I went there hoping that she'd change her [D] mind;
There were beautiful roses in [D] a bridal bouquet, [G]
Where she stood at the [D] alter beneath a [A] veil of white [D] lace.
[D] A stranger in silence reached out for her [A] hand,
And he placed on her finger a gold [D] wedding band;
There was happiness written in the smile [D] on his face,[G]
But I couldn't see [D] hers[A] beneath the veil of white [D] lace.
[D] I pity that stranger, for all he [A] could see,
Was their life together until [D] eternity;
My heart filled with anger [D] as I pictured the [G] face,
Of a false hearted [D]quitter [A] beneath a veil of white [D] lace.
[D] I reached in my pocket when the wedding [A] was done,
My hand touch a locket, then it fell on a [D] gun;
It shattered the silence as it [D] left its [G] trace,
Stains of red [D] crimson on a [A] veil of white [D] lace.
[D] I ran from the church house as I threw down [A] the gun,
But stopped at the doorstep for there crossing [D] the lawn;
My darling said she had [D] decided to [G] wait,
Death to a [D] stranger [A] beneath the veil of white [D] lace.
Yes,[D] it's death to a stranger [A] beneath the veil of white [D] lace.
