Longtime LRB band member, multi-award winning banjo picker and Virginia Country Music Hall of Famer, Sammy Shelor has put together a wealth of talent that includes: Brandon Rickman (lead vocals and rhythm guitar); Mike Hartgrove (fiddle); Barry Reed (bass and harmony vocals); and Randy Jones (mandolin and lead & harmony vocals) all performing the distinctive LRB sound fans love.
Lonesome River Band has four albums on the Rural Rhythm Records label including: STILL LEARNING (June 2011) that included two chart singles, “Record Time Machine” and “Jack Up the Jail”; NO TURNING BACK (the first CD on the Rural Rhythm label and their 12th career album) that included the hit single, “Them Blues”; and two live albums, THE ALL-STAR JAM LIVE AT GRAVES MOUNTAIN and the 2011 album, LIVE AT BEAN BLOSSOM, A BILL MONROE CELEBRATION that was produced by Sammy Shelor.
Lonesome River Band’s long career is obviously filled with a multitude of Awards and Recognitions including the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) honoring the group with numerous awards for Album of the Year and topping it off with an amazing four-time award wins for Shelor as IBMA Banjo Performer of the Year. The group has also received recognition by SPBGMA for numerous Bluegrass Band of Year wins, Vocal Group of the Year, Song of the Year and Shelor as Banjo Player of the Year.
2011 was a tremendous year for the band, with Sammy Shelor receiving the 2nd Annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Lonesome River Band receiving five 2011 IBMA nominations including Album of the Year for their participation on The All-Star Jam: Live At Graves Mountain on the Rural Rhythm label (released in 2010). They received two nods for Instrumental Recorded performance of the Year for “Pretty Little Girl,” on the album, Still Learning (Rural Rhythm), and also for band members Sammy Shelor, Brandon Rickman and Mike Hartgrove’s work on “Ground Speed,” by The Rural Rhythm All-Stars (Rural Rhythm). The band also received a Recorded Event of the Year nomination for the song, “Graves Mountain Memories,” recorded by the Rural Rhythm All-Stars (including Sammy Shelor and Mike Hartgrove) on The All-Star Jam: Live at Graves Mountain album; and band leader Sammy Shelor was nominated for Banjo Player of the Year, an award he received four consecutive years from 1995-1998,” International Bluegrass Association.
In 2010, Shelor was again nominated the IBMA Banjo Performer of the Year award. In 2009, LRB received nominations for the 2009 Instrumental Performance of the Year (Struttin to Ferrum); nomination for Gospel Performance of the Year (Darkness Wept); and Sammy Shelor’s nomination for Banjo Performer of the Year. LRB opened the 2009 IBMA Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium with a tremendous and extremely well received performance. In 2008, they were chosen as an IBMA Showcase Artist and the band regularly performs at the popular IBMA Fan Fest at the yearly convention.
Long Gone
Lonesome River Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Long gone, why do you cry
This is what you wanted baby
So I'm gone, long gone
I have tried to make you happy
Still you say I've done you wrong
Oh I'm giving up my darling
Please don't try to overtake me
What I ride will be too fast
This is it, we're through forever
I'm gone, I'm free at last
Please don't shed no tears at parting
For your tears will not atone
After all the pain you cause me
I'm gone, long gone
The lyrics to Lonesome River Band's song Long Gone depict a painful breakup between two people. The singer, who is leaving, is making it clear that this is what the other person wanted. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been trying to make the other person happy, but they have still not been satisfied. Despite the singer's efforts, the other person has accused them of doing wrong. The singer is tired of the pain and decides to give up on the relationship, announcing that they are leaving.
The last verse of the song is particularly powerful. The singer advises the other person not to try to stop them, warning that what they are riding will be too fast. This can be interpreted to mean that the singer is determined to move on from the relationship and will do so quickly. The final line, "I'm gone, I'm free at last," emphasizes the sense of relief that comes when a person finally leaves a toxic relationship.
Overall, Long Gone is a song that will resonate with anyone who has ever had to leave a relationship that wasn't working. The lyrics are straightforward and honest, and the music is both melancholic and uplifting.
Line by Line Meaning
Long gone is how I'm leaving
I'm leaving for good and never coming back, so consider me long gone.
Long gone, why do you cry
I can see you crying, but this is what you wanted, so there's no reason to be upset now that I'm leaving.
This is what you wanted baby
You asked for me to leave, and now that I am, there's no need for you to be unhappy about it.
So I'm gone, long gone
I'm leaving for good and not looking back. It's over between us.
I have tried to make you happy
I've done my best to keep you content, but it seems as though I'm not making you happy.
Still you say I've done you wrong
Even though I've tried to please you, you continue to insist that I've caused you harm.
Oh I'm giving up my darling
I've had enough and am letting you go, even though I used to care for you.
Please don't try to overtake me
Don't try to change my mind or convince me to stay. It's already too late.
What I ride will be too fast
I'm leaving in a hurry, and you won't be able to catch up with me.
This is it, we're through forever
This is the end of our relationship, and we're splitting up for good.
I'm gone, I'm free at last
I'm finally free from this relationship and can move on with my life.
Please don't shed no tears at parting
Don't cry when I leave because it won't make up for the hurt and pain you caused me.
For your tears will not atone
Crying won't make up for what you did or change my mind about leaving.
After all the pain you caused me
You hurt me deeply throughout our relationship, and I'm not willing to stick around any longer and endure more pain.
I'm gone, long gone
I'm gone, and this time it's for good. We're finally over.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: WILLIAM P. TERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@thefreese1
This is when the Lonesome River Band was at its finest ... Dan and Ronnie's harmony was chilling...
@tresnugent672
Man best stuff ever. Dynamics are insane. Tim Austin’s rhythm is incredible. People can’t do this stuff anymore.
@whitetrashwilly
If uou haven’t yet, get sucked into the billy strings rabbit hole
@jrdixon51
ronnie and dan have the very best blend of bluegrass vocals love it!!!!!!!!!
@wandaespinoza6480
I stumbled across this song...now I can't stop playing it!!!!!
@TheTalemaster
We used to play like this in North Texas until a disagreement between band mates broke us apart.
@fredwood420
No question the best version of this band.
@dlagrua
I agree. wWth Sammy Shelor on Banjo adding a smoothness and flow like no other.
@DerekOldfield
These guys would rock today! They need a reunion tour haha.
@guitarman3200
Man ! Such good stuff