The Geniuses: Willie Nelson and Ray Charles duet about Death in ‘Seven Spanish Angels’

Welcome to Country Thang Daily’s ‘Duet Wednesdays’ where we will feature some incredible duets by your favorite country artists. Our first take is incredibly a tough choice but Willie Nelson and Ray Charles’ duet of “ Seven Spanish Angels ” deserves a spotlight today.

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“ Seven Spanish Angels ” lyrics

He looked down into her brown eyes
And said, ” Say a prayer for me.”
She threw her arms around him,
whispered, “God will keep us free.”

And they could hear the riders comin’
He said, “This is my last fight.
If they take me back to Texas,
They won’t take me back alive.”

And there were seven Spanish Angels
At the alter of the Sun
They were prayin’ for the lovers
In the valley of the gun

And when the battle stopped
And the smoke cleared
There was thunder from the throne
And seven Spanish angels
Took another angel home

She reached down and picked the gun up
That lay smokin in his hand
Said, “Father please forgive me,
I can’t make it without my man.”

And she knew the gun was empty
And she knew she could not win
But her final prayer was answered
When the rifles fired again

And there were seven Spanish Angels
At the alter of the Sun
They were prayin’ for the lovers
In the valley of the gun

 

Seven Spanish Angels, Wille Nelson & Ray Charles

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Rolling Stone ranked “Seven Spanish Angels” in the 24^th spot as one of the saddest country songs of all time.

True enough, Seven Spanish Angels talks about a Southern death. It’s a Marty Robbins-esque ballad that talks about Mexican bandits who lose their life to bounty hunters while attempting to bring their heads back to Texas. However, it did not end very well as, presumably, the two lovers engaged the posse with a gunfight. Soon enough, the husband was killed first while the wife picked up an empty rifle prompting the posse to shoot her dead.

Ray Charles who had been blind since he was seven shared his musical gift with Willie Nelson and in this video captured before “Seven Spanish Angels” became a commercial hit. We see that their voices blended perfectly well together to tell a heartbreaking story of love caught in the world of crime and justice.

Tell us what you think about the duet in the comments below!