Long Gone
Louis Armstrong His All Stars Lyrics

Pops, did you hear the story of Long John Dean?
Louis Armstrong asks Velma Middleton if she's aware of the story of Long John Dean.

Not yet drummer
Louis Armstrong replies to Velma Middleton, calling her 'drummer', indicating that she plays percussion.

A bold bank robber from Bowlin' Green
Long John Dean is described as a daring thief who robs banks in Bowlin' Green, Kentucky.

Was sent to the jail house yesterday
Long John Dean was arrested and sent to jail just a day ago.

But late last night he made his getaway
Despite being in jail, Long John Dean managed to escape the previous night.

[Chorus]
The repeated chorus signifies the main theme of the song - Long John Dean has escaped and is 'long gone'.

Long John stood on the railroad tie
Long John Dean stood on a railroad track waiting for a freight train to pass by.

Waitin' for freight train to come by
Long John Dean was waiting for a passing freight train because he intended to board it.

Freight train came by puffin' and flyin'
The train that Long John Dean was waiting for came by moving quickly.

Oughta seen long John grabbin' that blind
Long John Dean quickly jumped onboard the train and held onto something so as not to fall off. 'Grabbin' that blind' refers to holding onto a part of the train.

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats to emphasize Long John Dean's successful escape.

They caught him in 'Frisco to seal his fate
Long John Dean was apprehended in San Francisco, which meant that he was back in custody.

At San Quentin they jailed him one evening late
Long John Dean was imprisoned at San Quentin, a notorious California prison that is known for a high level of security.

But out on the ocean John did escape
Long John Dean managed to escape while being transported on a ship.

'Cause the guards forgot to close the Golden Gate
The Golden Gate Bridge, which is a gateway to the San Francisco Bay, was left open and unguarded. This allowed Long John Dean to escape.

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats again to emphasize Long John Dean's luck in evading the authorities.

Well, they offered a reward to bring him back
A bounty was placed on Long John Dean's head for his capture and return.

Even put bloodhounds on his track
Trained dogs were used to follow Long John Dean's scent in order to locate him.

Those doggone bloodhounds lost his scent
The trained dogs lost Long John Dean's scent while trying to track him down.

Now nobody knows where John went
Long John Dean's whereabouts remain unknown, and his successful evasion of the authorities has made him a legend.

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats for the final time, signifying the end of the song and the legend of Long John Dean.

A gang of men tried to capture Dean
A group of men attempted to capture Long John Dean in order to claim the reward on his head.

So they chased him with a submarine
The men pursued Long John Dean using a submarine, which is an unusual choice of vehicle for pursuit.

Dean jumped overboard and grabbed the submarine
Long John Dean threw himself off a boat and managed to grab onto the pursuing submarine to climb aboard.

And made that gang catch a flyin' machine
Long John Dean managed to outsmart the men who were pursuing him by boarding a flying machine and escaping once again.

He's long gone from Kentucky
The title character, Long John Dean, has been out of Kentucky since his escape, as he's made his way across the country while evading authorities.

A long gone, that boy's lucky
The continued emphasis on Long John Dean's luck and his success at evading authorities is reiterated in this line.

A long gone, what I mean
This line refers back to the chorus and the legend of Long John Dean being 'long gone'.

A long gone John from Bowlin' Green
The song ends with a final reminder of Long John Dean's origins in Bowlin' Green, Kentucky.

He's long gone, I said, from Kentucky
The last verse repeats the idea that Long John Dean has been 'long gone' from Kentucky.

Long gone, hmm, that boy's lucky
This final repetition of Long John Dean being 'lucky' emphasizes his talent for evading capture and escape from custody.

Long gone; yeah, he's got nothing in the head
The song ends with a final repetition of Long John Dean being 'long gone' and emphasizes that he has no plans and nowhere to go anymore.

Long gone, long gone
The repetition of the phrase 'long gone' signifies the conclusion of the song and Long John Dean's legend as a daring and lucky bank robber.