Long Gone
Cornmeal Lyrics


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Pops, did you hear the story of Long John Dean?
Not yet drummer
A bold bank robber from Bowlin' Green
Was sent to the jail house yesterday
But late last night he made his getaway

[Chorus]
He was long gone from Kentucky
Long gone, ain't he lucky?
Long gone, what I mean
A long gone John from Bowlin' Green

Long John stood on the railroad tie
Waitin' for freight train to come by
Freight train came by puffin' and flyin'
Oughta seen long John grabbin' that blind

[Chorus]

They caught him in 'Frisco to seal his fate
At San Quentin they jailed him one evening late
But out on the ocean John did escape
'Cause the guards forgot to close the Golden Gate

[Chorus]

Well, they offered a reward to bring him back
Even put bloodhounds on his track
Those doggone bloodhounds lost his scent
Now nobody knows where John went

[Chorus]

A gang of men tried to capture Dean
So they chased him with a submarine
Dean jumped overboard and grabbed the submarine
And made that gang catch a flyin' machine

He's long gone from Kentucky
A long gone, that boy's lucky
A long gone, what I mean
A long gone John from Bowlin' Green

He's long gone, I said, from Kentucky
Long gone, hmm, that boy's lucky




Long gone; yeah, he's got nothing in the head
Long gone, long gone

Overall Meaning

The song "Long Gone" by Cornmeal tells the story of a notorious bank robber named Long John Dean who repeatedly manages to escape the police and evade his captors. The song starts with the singer asking his father if he has heard the story of Long John Dean, to which his father replies no. The singer proceeds to tell the story of Long John Dean, who was a bank robber from Bowlin' Green, Kentucky. Long John was sent to jail, but he made a daring escape late at night. The chorus talks about how lucky Long John is to be long gone from his captors and Kentucky.


The second verse talks about how Long John waited for a train to escape, and when a freight train finally came by, he seized the opportunity to jump on it. The third verse talks about how Long John was caught again, this time in San Francisco and jailed at San Quentin. But, he escaped yet again because the guards forgot to close the Golden Gate, and Long John just sailed away. The fourth verse talks about the massive reward offered to catch Long John and how bloodhounds were put on his track. However, the dogs lost his scent, and nobody knew where he went. The final verse talks about how a group of men tried to capture Long John with a submarine, but Long John jumped overboard and used his quick wits to make the gang catch a flying machine.


Line by Line Meaning

Pops, did you hear the story of Long John Dean?
Cornmeal's lead singer asks his father if he knew about the notorious bank robber Long John Dean


A bold bank robber from Bowlin' Green
A description of Long John Dean, a daring thief from Bowlin' Green


Was sent to the jail house yesterday
Long John Dean was captured and put in jail


But late last night he made his getaway
Dean escaped from prison the night before


He was long gone from Kentucky
Long John Dean was far away from his home state of Kentucky


Long gone, ain't he lucky?
A rhetorical question reflecting on Long John Dean's good fortune in being able to evade the law and escape from jail


Long gone, what I mean
Emphasizes the fact that Long John Dean is no longer present in Kentucky


A long gone John from Bowlin' Green
Repeats the fact that Long John Dean is from Bowlin' Green


Long John stood on the railroad tie
Describes where Long John Dean waited for a passing train


Waitin' for freight train to come by
Long John Dean was waiting for a freight train to come along so he could escape


Freight train came by puffin' and flyin'
A description of the train that Long John Dean was waiting for


Oughta seen long John grabbin' that blind
Long John Dean swiftly jumped onto the moving train


They caught him in 'Frisco to seal his fate
Long John Dean was caught in San Francisco, sealing his fate to go to prison


At San Quentin they jailed him one evening late
Long John Dean was sent to the infamous San Quentin prison for his crimes


But out on the ocean John did escape
Despite being at a maximum security prison, Long John Dean escaped while out on the ocean


Cause the guards forgot to close the Golden Gate
The guards who were supposed to prevent Long John's escape failed to close the Golden Gate Bridge


Well, they offered a reward to bring him back
Authorities offered a reward to anyone who could bring Long John Dean back into custody


Even put bloodhounds on his track
They enlisted the help of bloodhounds to track down Long John Dean


Those doggone bloodhounds lost his scent
The bloodhounds were unable to track Long John Dean down, as they lost his scent


Now nobody knows where John went
Long John Dean's whereabouts are unknown


A gang of men tried to capture Dean
A group of men attempted to capture Long John Dean


So they chased him with a submarine
The men chased Long John Dean using a submarine


Dean jumped overboard and grabbed the submarine
Long John Dean was able to board the submarine and take control of it


And made that gang catch a flyin' machine
With Long John Dean at the helm, the gang of men pursuing him were forced to catch a flying machine


He's long gone from Kentucky
Again, emphasizing that Long John Dean is no longer in Kentucky


A long gone, that boy's lucky
Reiterating Long John Dean's good fortune in being able to evade the law and escape from prison multiple times


A long gone, what I mean
Another reminder that Long John Dean is nowhere near Kentucky


A long gone John from Bowlin' Green
Final reiteration that Long John Dean originates from Bowlin' Green


He's long gone, I said, from Kentucky
Yet again, emphasizing that Long John Dean is far from his home state


Long gone, hmm, that boy's lucky
Reflecting on Long John Dean's fortune and ability to elude the authorities


Long gone; yeah, he's got nothing in the head
A reference to Long John Dean's intelligence and cunning in evading the law


Long gone, long gone
Final repetition of Long John Dean's absence and elusiveness




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, OLE MM, HANDY BROTHERS MUSIC CO.,INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: EZEKIEL L. LEWIS, BALEWA M. MUHAMMAD, LESLIE JEROME HARMON, TIMOTHY Z. MOSLEY, CHRISTOPHER J. CORNELL, PATRICK MICHAEL SMITH

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