Born on the 2nd February 1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Gardot took up piano and played as a youngster on the nightclub scene of Philadelphia, influenced by jazz, folk, rock, and pop musics. At the age of nineteen she was a fashion student at the Community College of Philadelphia. While cycling in Philadelphia in November 2003 she was hit by a car whose driver had ignored a red traffic light. In the accident she suffered serious head and spinal injuries, and her pelvis was broken in two places. Because of these severe injuries she was confined to her hospital bed for a year. Her musical beginning was prompted by a tending physician who was concerned with her cognitive impairment as a result of head injury sustained in the accident. He believed that music would help her brain injury improve, as it has been known to show remarkable results in improving people's cognitive ability after such trauma.
Following her doctor's suggestion, Gardot made recordings bedside, while still unable to walk, and eventually released the works as an EP: Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions (2005). Gardot's desire to be well, combined with a bit of luck, brought her to the attention of a local radio DJ at the AAA station WXPN (known for launching the careers of artists such as Amos Lee and Norah Jones). Her cognitive powers slowly but surely became pronounced, leading to the independent recording and release of her debut CD, Worrisome Heart, which was reissued in 2007 by Verve records.
Gardot is hypersensitive to light and noise, so wears dark glasses; she also uses a cane to walk. Onstage she requires a special seating unit, and wears a Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator, a TENS device, to assist in alleviating her neuralgic muscle pain. Though touring is difficult, she has been performing in major cities on the East Coast of the U.S. to support her recordings. In 2009, working with producer Larry Klein and arranger Vince Mendoza - both known for their work with Joni Mitchell - Gardot followed up her Verve debut with My One and Only Thrill.
In 2012, she released the album The Absence.
So Long
Melody Gardot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I’m not coming home!
Draw the blinds and set the alarm,
'Cause I’m not coming home
In the morning you will rise
With in your eyes
'Cause I’ll be gone,
I’m moving on
Every flower has faded to dust
I am not, I’m in home.
Tears may fall your lashes my rise
But I’m not coming home
Forever is on my mind
And I have just got to find
A place I belong, one I have known
Goodbye, so long!
So long!
So long!
Every pawn is drown to closing
I am not coming home
Wave goodbye so everyone knows
I’m not coming home
Goodbye, so long!
The lyrics to Melody Gardot's song "So Long" seem to suggest a sense of independence and a desire for change. The repeated phrase "I'm not coming home" is a declaration of this desire to move on and not be tethered to a particular place or person. The imagery of drawing the blinds and setting the alarm conveys a finality of leaving behind a previous life and starting anew.
The references to flowers fading to dust and pawns being drawn to closing emphasize the theme of transience and the passage of time. The singer seems to have a sense of urgency in finding a place where they belong, a place that they know, suggesting that this search for belonging is not a new one. The use of figurative language, such as the contrast between tears falling and eyelashes rising, adds to the overall emotional impact of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Don’t wait home for me darling,
Please don't wait for me to come back home.
I’m not coming home!
I won't be returning home anymore.
Draw the blinds and set the alarm,
Please close the blinds and set the alarm.
'Cause I’m not coming home
Because I'm not going to be coming home.
In the morning you will rise
The morning will come.
With in your eyes
Your eyes will be filled with emotions.
'Cause I’ll be gone,
Because I'll be gone.
I’m moving on
I'm leaving the past behind and moving on.
Goodbye, so long!
Farewell, goodbye for a long time.
Every flower has faded to dust
Everything good has come to an end; nothing lasts forever.
I am not, I’m in home.
I'm not anywhere, I'm lost and unsure.
Tears may fall your lashes my rise
You might cry, while my spirit rises above everything.
But I’m not coming home
I won't be returning home.
Forever is on my mind
I'm thinking about my future.
And I have just got to find
I need to find a new place.
A place I belong, one I have known
I need to find the place where I can belong, where I can feel at home.
Goodbye, so long!
Farewell, goodbye for a long time.
So long!
Goodbye, for a long time.
Every pawn is drown to closing
Every little thing comes to an end.
I am not coming home
I won't be returning home.
Wave goodbye so everyone knows
Say goodbye to everyone, so they know that I'm leaving.
Goodbye, so long!
Farewell, goodbye for a long time.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELODY GARDOT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sucell Barrientos
This songs represents when you are leaving a place to find who you are. Self love first! This is amazing!
anavi 228
A little melancholic but a beautiful song😍!
Don't wait home for me darling
I'm not coming home!
Draw the blinds and set the alarm
Cause I'm not coming home
In the morning you will rise
With sadness in your eyes
Cause I'll be gone
I'm moving on
Goodbye, so long!
Every flower has faded to dust
I am not, coming home
Tears may fall your lashes may rust
But I'm not coming home
Forever is on my mind
And I have just got to find
A place I belong
One I belong
Goodbye, so long
So long!
So long!
So long!
So long!
Every power is drawn to the close of another
I'm not coming home
Wave goodbye so everyone knows
I'm not coming home
Goodbye, so long!
So long
MORTIS
There's an odd ticking sound throughout this track which sounds like a flaw on the disc. I thought it was just my disc but have since heard it on all samples of this track, so perhaps it was intended; a mistake in my opinion.
Otherwise a beautiful album, my favourite among her albums.
rawenbert
Sadly it seems like this ticking sound is intended.... it is too regular and the panning (left right position of the sound) is regular as well.... for me it ruins the entire song since you cannot ignore it. the noise known from analogue records is pretty "random" and irregular, such that you can easily ignore it and listen to the music
Michael Alderete
tears...