Nathan Wiley is a musician and singer from Summerside, Prince Edward Island… Read Full Bio ↴Nathan Wiley is a musician and singer from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada. His music is generally a blend of modern rock and blues.

Wiley started out as a guitarist in a handful of local independent projects, including The Plan, Space Opera and Evil Agents. He was also a member of The Tubetracks during a brief period when he lived in British Columbia. His unique guitar style always contributed to the sound of the groups he worked with, most notably his adept skill at surf music, being heavily influenced by Dick Dale, among others. During his involvement in these groups, he didn't do any vocal work, with the exception of a few songs from Space Opera, which mostly consisted of talking or yelling, but no actual singing.

In 2002, he released his first solo project, Bottom Dollar. Not only was it his first solo effort, but it was a fully professionally produced CD, as opposed to the low-tech cassettes produced by all of his previous projects. While the surf influence wasn't evident, his talents as a singer and songwriter were startling, after so many years of being known as primarily a lead guitarist rather than a frontman. Some media reviews drew a comparison to Tom Waits, but most fans seem to agree that, while some of the lyrics are similar to Waits' style, a closer comparison in lyric style would be Bob Dylan.

Bottom Dollar gained much critical acclaim, winning awards from the East Coast Music Association and SOCAN, and getting repeated airplay on CBC Radio. The video for the lead single "Bottom Dollar Baby" was played in rotation on the Canadian muic station MuchMoreMusic, and remained in their Top 40 for several weeks, even gaining spots higher than such hitmakers as Celine Dion and Cher. The album was released through the indie-friendly group Sonic, and was eventually picked up for distribution by Warner Bros. Records.

The follow-up High Low was released in 2004, also gaining similar awards and acclaim.

Long Gone
Nathan Wiley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take me to the place I used to know
For too long I've been waiting on this road
I need you here beside me
I need you in my home
I feel it through inside me
Straight down through the bone

[Chorus]

Baby it's gone
Baby it's long, long gone

Lightning through the railroad
Cows are lying down
Waiting for the rain to break
I want to come and see you
Want to see your face
Can't do it any other way

[Chorus]

You are insatiable
All my dreams are wicked
You are insatiable
All my dreams are wicked

Take me to the place I used to know
For too long I've been walking on this road
I need you here beside me
I need you in my home
I feel it through inside me
Straight down through the bone

[Chorus:Repeat x2]

Overall Meaning

The song Long Gone by Nathan Wiley has a powerful emotional message of longing and the desire to return to a place one used to call home. The opening lines "Take me to the place I used to know, For too long I've been waiting on this road" shows the singer's eagerness to find solace, comfort and familiar surroundings. The artist is desperately seeking a familiar space that he can connect with, as he's been on the road for too long, and feels disoriented and disconnected. The artist longs for companionship and support from a significant other, which is clear in the lines, "I need you here beside me, I need you in my home, I feel it through inside me, Straight down through the bone." The significance of the song is the powerful emotion it conveys, which is universal and relatable.

The chorus of the song, "Baby it's gone, Baby it's long, long gone," is a metaphorical reference to the passing of time and the fact that one can never regain the experiences, places or feelings of the past that were once cherished. The lines "Lightning through the railroad, Cows are lying down, Waiting for the rain to break, I want to come and see you, Want to see your face, Can't do it any other way" create a vivid scene about the longing to see someone, amidst the harsh elements of nature, so much so that he can't possibly wait any longer.

Line by Line Meaning

Take me to the place I used to know
I long to revisit the place I once knew so well

For too long I've been waiting on this road
I've been on this journey for far too long, waiting for something to happen

I need you here beside me
I crave your presence next to me

I need you in my home
I desperately want you in my life and in my home

I feel it through inside me
I can feel it deep within my being

Straight down through the bone
A feeling that penetrates to the very core of my being

Baby it's gone
Whatever it is that I had, it's vanished

Baby it's long, long gone
It's been missing for an awfully long time

Lightning through the railroad
The bright light illuminating the tracks

Cows are lying down
The cows are resting

Waiting for the rain to break
Waiting for the rain to stop