Many of the Lost Dogs albums include at least one or two cover songs. Songs covered by the Lost Dogs include Bob Dylan's "Lord, Protect My Child," Leonard Cohen's "If It Be Your Will," The Beatles' "I'm A Loser," and Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More." They have also recorded a number of Traditional or Gospel standards such as "Dust On The Bible," and "Farther Along."
In March, 2000, shortly after the release of their Gift Horse album, Gene Eugene died in his sleep at The Green Room, his recording studio in Huntington Beach, California.
2003 saw the release of the band's first DVD, Via Chicago, a black and white concert film released by Lo-Fidelity Records. A follow-up DVD, Via Chicago (All We Left Unsaid), containing additional songs from the concert, was released in 2006.
Although the loss of Eugene is noticeable, the remaining three Lost Dogs members continue to tour and record new albums. In 2004, the band got together with longtime friend Steve Hindalong to produce a special album for their summer tour. The result was entitled Mutt, and included new acoustic versions of nine songs originally written and recorded for each band member's regular rock bands, with one new song. The following year, the band would release one of their most unusual recordings to date, the almost entirely instrumental Island Dreams.
The band's most recent project, Old Angel, was released May 2010. The band — including the newest official "dog," drummer Steve Hindalong — once again hit the road for a national tour in support of their new album.
If You Loved Here You'd Be Home By Now
Lost Dogs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's the home where you left me to live alone
And I admit I feel good knowin' you feel hurt
Every time you pass by on your way to work
(CHORUS)
Got a sign on my roof it's twenty feet high
Read it and weep when you drive by
Reads: If You Loved Here, You'd Be Home By Now
The fact that you're angry 'cause you're stuck in a jam
Brings a little bit of comfort to this lonely man
But what's better than this is the pain you must feel
Every time you gotta drive your automobile
(REPEAT CHORUS)
It's standin' tall to remind you of all you're missin'...
If you'd be home right now
We'd be lovin' and huggin' and kissin'
If you loved here...
You thought you found a new love but it didn't come through
Yeah, he's long gone now
He's a cheater too
And that long long drive it's two hours plus
You've got a lot of time to think and it's gotta be rough
When you see that sign that's twenty feet high
You must read it and weep as you drive by
This daily reminder that you broke our vow
Reads: If You Loved Here, You'd Be Home By Now
The lyrics to Lost Dogs' song "If You Loved Here You'd be Home By Now" tell the story of a man who was left alone after his partner left him to live alone. The man lives next to a freeway, and every time his former partner passes by, he feels a sense of satisfaction knowing that she is hurting as she sees the state of their relationship. The man puts up a large sign on his roof that reads "If You Loved Here, You'd Be Home By Now" as a daily reminder of the love that was lost and the impact it had on their relationship.
The lyrics are particularly interesting in their use of imagery to convey the man's sadness and loneliness as he watches his former partner drive by. The use of the freeway as a symbol of separation and the sign as a symbol of loss and longing are particularly effective in creating an emotional connection with the listener. The lyrics also touch upon the theme of regret – the regret of the partner who left and the regret of the man who was left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
A freeway runs right past my home
There's a busy highway that runs right in front of my house
It's the home where you left me to live alone
This is the house where you left me to be on my own
And I admit I feel good knowin' you feel hurt
I must confess that it brings me some satisfaction to know that you feel pain
Every time you pass by on your way to work
Because every time you drive by on the way to work, you're reminded of me and what you left behind
Got a sign on my roof it's twenty feet high
I have a massive sign on my roof that's twenty feet tall
Read it and weep when you drive by
You'll read it and cry when you drive past it
A daily reminder that you broke our vow
It serves as a daily reminder that you broke our promise
Reads: If You Loved Here, You'd Be Home By Now
It says: If you really loved me, you would be at home with me right now
The fact that you're angry 'cause you're stuck in a jam
The fact that you're frustrated because you're stuck in traffic
Brings a little bit of comfort to this lonely man
Brings me a small amount of comfort because it means you're thinking about me
But what's better than this is the pain you must feel
But what's even better than that is knowing how much pain you must feel
Every time you gotta drive your automobile
Every time you have to get in your car
It's standing tall to remind you of all you're missin'...
The sign is towering up there to remind you of everything you're missing out on
If you'd be home right now
If you were here with me right now
We'd be lovin' and huggin' and kissin'
We'd be showing each other affection and love
If you loved here...
If you truly loved me...
You thought you found a new love but it didn't come through
You thought you found someone else to love, but it fell through
Yeah, he's long gone now
Yeah, he's gone now
He's a cheater too
And he was a cheater, just like you
And that long, long drive, it's two hours plus
And that long, long drive to get to him is over two hours
You've got a lot of time to think and it's gotta be rough
You've got a lot of time to think during that drive, and it must be hard
When you see that sign that's twenty feet high
When you see that massive sign that's twenty feet tall
You must read it and weep as you drive by
You must read it and cry as you drive past it
This daily reminder that you broke our vow
This daily reminder that you broke your promise to me
Reads: If You Loved Here, You'd Be Home By Now
It says: If you really loved me, you'd be home with me right now
Contributed by Violet S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.