"Seven Spanish Angels"

The song's provenance.

That one song that gets me right in the gut? It plays, I have to stop and overcome the tidal wave of emotion: "Seven Spanish Angels"

 

Refrain: "There were seven spanish angels at the altar of the sun...they were praying for the lovers in the Valley of the Gun."

 

Of course, the ballad is a story of violent death.

 

Of course, since the age of 25, I've been trained to deal with violent death, so why does THIS account of it affect me so?

 

"She reached down and picked the gun up,

that lay smoking in his hand,

she said, "Father please forgive me,

I can't make it without my man',

and she knew the gun was empty,

and she knew she couldn't win, but

her final prayer was answered

When their rifles fired again."

 

That's known as Suicide by Cop.

 

I was a cop for 25 years. MY gun could have dealt Death like that, on any duty-day of those 25 years.

For 25 years, I dreaded that it would.

I have not gotten OVER that dread. Put it in a box, but never got OVER it.

 

And then I hear "Seven Spanish Angels" again....