Long Gone
Syd Barrett [The Madcap Laughs] Lyrics
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She was gone, gone, the bigger they come
The larger her hand 'til no one understands
Why for so long she'd been gone.
And I stood very still by the window sill
And I wondered for those I love still
I cried in my mind where I stand behind
She was long gone, long, long gone
She was gone, gone, the bigger they come
The larger her hand 'til no one understands
Why for so long she'd been gone.
And I borrowed the page
From a leopard's cage
And I prowled in the evening sun's glaze
Her head lifted high to the light in the sky
The opening dawn on her face
She was long gone long, long gone
She was gone, gone, the bigger they come
The larger her hand 'till no one understands
Why for so long she'd been gone.
And I stood very still by the window sill
And I wondered for those I love still
I cried in my mind where I stand behind
The beauty of love's in her eyes
She was long gone long, long gone
She was gone, gone, the bigger they come
The larger her hand 'till no one understands
Why for so long she'd been gone.
She was long gone long, long gone.
In "Long Gone," Syd Barrett sings about a woman who has been gone for a long time. The first verse describes how the woman got bigger and bigger until nobody could understand why she was gone for so long. The second verse has a contemplative tone as Syd thinks about those he loves who are still with him while wondering where the woman went. He cries internally while admiring the beauty of love in her eyes.
The final verse is a reflection on Syd's own behaviour. He mentions borrowing a page from a leopard's cage and prowling in the evening sun's glaze. The woman's head is lifted high to the light in the sky, but Syd is still standing by the window sill, wondering why she's gone for so long.
Line by Line Meaning
She was long gone, long, long gone
The person he loves had left him long ago and has not returned.
She was gone, gone, the bigger they come
The longer he is without her, the more impossible it seems that she will ever return.
The larger her hand 'til no one understands
As time goes by, her absence becomes more and more difficult to comprehend.
Why for so long she'd been gone.
He is tormented by the fact that he doesn't know why she left and never came back.
And I stood very still by the window sill
He remains in the same place, unable to move on or forget about her.
And I wondered for those I love still
Even though he is hurting, he still thinks about and cares for the people in his life who are still present.
I cried in my mind where I stand behind
He is suffering inwardly, unable to express his emotions openly.
The beauty of love's in her eyes
Despite her absence, he still sees the beauty of love in her eyes and is haunted by the memory of her.
And I borrowed the page
He found inspiration for his thoughts and feelings from an unlikely source.
From a leopard's cage
A place of confinement and danger that suggests his own entrapment and vulnerability.
And I prowled in the evening sun's glaze
He is restless and wandering, searching for something that he cannot find.
Her head lifted high to the light in the sky
He sees her as someone who is reaching for something beyond his grasp.
The opening dawn on her face
He sees her as someone who represents new beginnings and hope, even though she is gone.
She was long gone long, long gone.
The repetition emphasizes the extent of her absence and the depth of his despair.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, OLE MM, HANDY BROTHERS MUSIC CO.,INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: EZEKIEL L. LEWIS, BALEWA M. MUHAMMAD, LESLIE JEROME HARMON, TIMOTHY Z. MOSLEY, CHRISTOPHER J. CORNELL, PATRICK MICHAEL SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chris D'uval
She was long gone, long, long gone
She was gone, gone, the bigger they come
The larger her hand 'till no one understands
Why for so long she'd been gone
And I stood very still by the window sill
And I wondered for those I love still
I cried in my mind where I stand behind
The beauty of love's in her eyes
She was long gone, long, long gone
She was gone, gone, the bigger they come
The larger her hand 'till no one understands
Why for so long she'd been gone
And I borrowed the page from a leopard's cage
And I prowled in the evening sun's glaze
Her head lifted high to the light in the sky
The opening dawn on her face
She was long gone, long, long gone
She was gone, gone, the bigger they come
The larger her hand 'till no one understands
Why for so long she'd been gone
And I stood very still by the window sill
And I wondered for those I love still
I cried in my mind where I stand behind
The beauty of love's in her eyes
She was long gone, long, long gone
Grace Antonio
Syd Barret's music is pure, mysterious, to the core. I'm glad his uncommon value & creative talent is being appreciated more & more.
GunproofGrandad
Surely one of Syd's best (and darkest) works. It amazes me sometimes, how Syd's songs can be sort of naive but complex at the same time (I'm just talking about his guitar playing here, not his lyrics). If you figure out how to play his songs, he isn't really a guitar virtuoso - he uses fairly standard chords and song structures - but he had a unique approach that was innately artistic and innovative. His work on the early Pink Floyd albums pioneered a completely different way to play electric guitar; he literally revolutionised the instrument... But in his solo works, we see a different side to his musicianship that doesn't rely on the ethereal tones and soundscapes he used with Pink Floyd. I'm so glad that we have this stuff to look at technically, but much more than that - these songs are a part of our lives and mean so much to us. What a legacy he left.
paul A
+GunproofGrandad He has an incredible sense of timing and its strange too because at times he is sloppy and constantly changes the timing and intensity.., but if you listen and love his music enough you start to realize its almost entirely intentional. I am convinced at times he goes out of his way to give some songs an awkward and free spirit. Yet somehow it all manages to compliment the bigger picture of what he is singing/writing about. If you want to hear an example of Syds incredible timing look up baby lemonade peel sessions. He plays a guitar solo in the middle and then another at the end. Funny, it was David Gilmore that plays the solo on the commercial Baby Lemonade and yet the Peel Sessions with Syd playing the solos completely blows its away. Its not incredibly difficult guitar work mind you but the timing is perfect and the feeling he puts out is intense. When I put Baby Lemonade on youtube and I hear that beginning Gilmore intro I abort and immediately look for the Peel session. Night and day.., I find it hard to believe they published the version they did.. only an idiot would have choosen that over the Peel session version but thats what David choose.. Go figure
Esu21 Productions
+paul A The opening solo on the studio version was actually played by Syd himself.
paul A
+a mb Thanks for correcting me on that- you are right.. its funny I was reading something just the other night, I think it was something by Gilmore and he mentioned Syd was tuning his guitar and they liked it so much they put it as the intro. I get my facts twisted sometimes : ( )
I love the peel session version though.. that guitar work is hauntingly beautiful
GunproofGrandad
I haven't listened to the Peel Sessions for years; I'll have to dig it out and have a listen. In fact the last time I heard it was before it had been commercially released. It's cool to hear Syd on the 12 string. I love 'Two of a Kind' and the enduring mystery of whether Syd or Rick Wright wrote it. :-)
Noodles37UK
I think he'd this thing about him, he was 10 or 15 years ahead of his time. I think he inspired the Goths early/ mid 80s.
John Smith
I was born in distant mountain village of Uzbekistan, far from civilization and quite far from Syd, in 1965. And i know him and i love him. That's how powerful he is, that's how his soul is beautiful. RIP.
Sabi
You are so right!!! I feel the same...
Eyal Tsyrlin
How was it growing up in there?