Fine Young Cannibals were a trio formed in Birmingham, England in 1984 by b… Read Full Bio ↴Fine Young Cannibals were a trio formed in Birmingham, England in 1984 by bassist David Steele, off UK band The Beat, guitarist Andy Cox and vocalist, actor/model Roland Gift. Their name came from the 1960 film All The Fine Young Cannibals starring Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood. The band's eponymous debut album was released in 1985, spawning two hit singles, "Johnny Come Home" and a cover of Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds" featuring additional vocals by Jimmy Somerville.

In 1990 the band won two Brit Awards: Best British Group, and Best British Album for "The Raw and the Cooked" which also reached number one in the US album charts. It was re-packed as a remix album ("The Raw & the Remix" and spawned six singles over three years; "She Drives Me Crazy","Good Thing", "Don't Look Back", "I'm Not the Man I Used to Be", "I'm Not Satisfied" and "It's O.K. (It's Alright)".

The trio split in 1992, though they recorded a new track in 1996 to promote their The Finest compilation. Gift soon reactivated the brand and toured in the 2000s as Roland Gift and the Fine Young Cannibals.

Fine Young Cannibals appeared as the house band in the 1987 film comedy Tin Men, peforming some of the songs that ended up on The Raw and the Cooked. Steele and Cox had previously recorded under the moniker Two Men A Drum Machine and a Trumpet.

Since You've Been Gone
Fine Young Cannibals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You left...our home
Didn't see eye to eye
No matter how hard I try
I live...on my own
Still I don't seem to find
Any kind of peace of mind

Chorus

And I'm still looking for you...
Have you seen my baby?
That's all I want to do...
Have you seen her lately?
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone now
Since you've been gone
Gone so long now
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone now
Since you've been gone
Gone so long now

My friends...at work
They tell me I should get away
Maybe take a holiday
They know...I hurt
Everyday, I get in late
Find it hard to concentrate

Chorus
And I'm still looking for you...
Have you seen my baby?
That's all I want to do...
Have you seen her lately?
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone now
Since you've been gone
Gone so long now
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone now
Since you've been gone
Gone so long now

Can't sleep...don't eat
Sitting in a Smokey bar
Wondering where the hell you are
I watch...TV
Thrown away another day
Sitting in the Café all day

Chorus
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone now
Since you've been gone
Gone so long now
Since you've been gone
Since you've been gone now

Since you've been gone
Gone so long now...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Since You've Been Gone" by Fine Young Cannibals suggest that the singer is struggling with the aftermath of a difficult breakup. The first verse indicates that there was conflict in the relationship, but now that the other person is gone, the singer is struggling to find peace and live independently. The chorus suggests that the singer is still searching for their ex-partner and wondering if they have seen them lately. The second verse reinforces the singer's loneliness and heartbreak, depicted by the advice of the singer's friends to take a holiday, the difficulty in concentrating at work, and the inability to sleep or eat.

Line by Line Meaning

You left...our home
You left our shared home and we parted ways.

didn't see eye to eye
We had disagreements and couldn't come to an agreement.

No matter how hard I try
Despite my efforts, things didn't work out between us.

I live...on my own
I now live alone since the end of our relationship.

Still I don't seem to find
Despite my current situation, I'm still searching for something.

Any kind of peace of mind
I'm struggling to find a sense of calm and acceptance after our breakup.

[Chorus:]
The following lines make up the chorus of the song.

And I'm still looking for you...
I'm still searching for you and hoping to reconnect.

Have you seen my baby?
I'm asking if anyone has seen my significant other.

That's all I want to do...
All I want is to see and be reunited with my loved one.

Have you seen her lately?
I'm asking if anyone has recently seen my significant other.

Since you've been gone
Since the end of our relationship.

Gone so long now
It's been a significant amount of time since we last saw each other.

My friends...at work
The people I interact with while working.

They tell me I should get away
My friends suggest that I take a break from my current situation and find some peace elsewhere.

Maybe take a holiday
They suggest that I take a vacation to clear my head.

They know...I hurt
My friends are aware that I'm in emotional pain.

Everyday, I get in late
I arrive home late every day.

Find it hard to concentrate
I'm having difficulty focusing and staying motivated.

[Chorus]
The following lines make up the chorus of the song.

Can't sleep...don't eat
I'm having trouble sleeping and have also lost my appetite.

Sitting in a Smokey bar
I'm spending time in a dimly-lit, smoky bar.

Wondering where the hell you are
I'm thinking about and wondering where you might be.

I watch...TV
I spend time watching television.

Thrown away another day
I feel like I've wasted another day in this emotional state.

Sitting in the Café all day
I've spent the entire day sitting in a café.

[Chorus]
The following lines make up the chorus of the song.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID STEELE, ROLAND GIFT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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