Long Time Gone

Album: Home (2002)
Charted: 7
Play Video
  • Daddy sits on the front porch swinging
    Looking out on a vacant field
    Used to be filled with burley t'bacca
    Now he knows it never will

    My brother found work in Indiana
    Sister's a nurse at the old folks home
    Mama's still cooking too much for supper
    And me, I've been a long time gone

    Been a long time gone
    No, I ain't hoed a row since I don't know when
    Long time gone, and it ain't coming back again

    Delia plays that ol' church piano
    Sittin' out on her daddy's farm
    She always thought that we'd be together
    Lord, I never meant to do her harm

    Said she could hear me singin' in the choir
    Me, I heard another song
    I caught wind and hit the road runnin'
    And Lord, I've been a long time gone

    Been a long time gone
    Lord, I ain't had a prayer since I don't know when
    Long time gone, and it ain't comin' back again

    Now me, I went to Nashville
    Tryin' to beat the big deal
    Playin' down on Broadway
    Gettin' there the hard way
    Living from a tip jar
    Sleeping in my car
    Hocking my guitar
    Yeah, I'm gonna be a star

    Now, me and Delia singing every Sunday
    Watching the children and the garden grow
    We listen to the radio to hear what's cookin'
    But the music ain't got no soul

    Now they sound tired but they don't sound Haggard
    They've got money but they don't have Cash
    They got Junior but they don't have Hank
    I think, I think, I think, the rest is
    A long time gone

    No, I ain't hit the roof since I don't know when
    Long time gone, and it ain't coming back

    I said a long time gone
    No, I ain't honked the horn since I don't know when
    Long time gone, and it ain't coming back again

    I said a long time, long time, long time gone
    Well, it's been a long time

    Long time, long time, long time gone
    Oh, it's been a long time gone

    Long time, long time, long time gone
    Yeah, yeah Writer/s: Darrell Scott
    Publisher: CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • City/country Migrator from Overton, NevadaThe song makes more sense since you realize it was written by a farm boy with high ambitions to be a star. I know on small farms or ranches all the kids have to help in the fields even the girls but it is tedious back breaking work with no guarantee of it being a profitable year. The oldest is expected to keep the Old Home Place becoming its slave and prisioner. The music I haven't evaluated it yet.
  • Camille from Toronto, OhI love the instrumentation of this song; the violin is fabulous, love the banjo. Natalie Maines' voice is one of the best treasures in country music. This is a great tune that sticks in your head once you hear it.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")

Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield")Songwriter Interviews

Holly Knight talks about some of the hit songs she wrote, including "The Warrior," "Never" and "The Best," and explains some songwriting philosophy, including how to think of a bridge.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Desmond Child

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Tim and his brother Richard are the Furs' foundation; Tim explains how they write and tells the story of "Pretty In Pink."