LONG GONE
       Words by Chris Smith Music by W.C. Handy
       Copyright 1920 by pace & Handy Music Co., Inc., copyright renewed by W.C. Handy

1. Did you ever hear the story of long John Dean?
    A bold bank robber from Bowling Green,
    Was sent to the jailhouse yesterday,
    Late last night he made his getaway.

2. Long John stood on the railroad tie,
    Waiting for a freight train to come by;
    Freight train came just puffin' and flyin',
    Ought-a seen Long John grabbin' that blind.

       CHORUS:
      He's Long Gone from Kentucky,
      Long Gone ain't he lucky,
      Long Gone, and what I mean,
      He's Long Gone from Bowling Green.

      He's Long Gone from Kentucky,
      Long Gone ain't he lucky,
      Long Gone, and what I mean,
      He's Long Gone from Bowling Green.

3. They offered a reward to bring him back
    Even put bloodhounds on his track,
    Doggone bloodhounds lost his scent
    Now nobody knows where Long John went.

4. They caught him in Frisco, and to seal his fate,
    San Quentin jailed one evening late,
    But out on the ocean John escaped
    The guard forgot to close the Golden gate

5. A gang of men tried to capture Dean,
    So they chased him with a submarine
    Dean jumped overboard, grabbed the submarine,
    And made that gang catch a flying machine.

       CHORUS:
      He's Long Gone from Kentucky,
      Long Gone, ain't he lucky,
      Long Gone, and what I mean,
      He's Long Gone from Bowling Green.

      John's Long Gone from San Quentin,
      Long Gone and still a sprintin',
      Long Gone, I'm telling you,
      Shut your mouth and shut mine too.

      Now he's Long Gone and still a swimming,
      Lone Gone with them mermaid women,
      Long Gone, just like a fish,
      My that boys got some ambish.

6. A vamp thought she had Long John's goat,
    She took his watch and money from his coat,
    John stole all she had, now she thinks he's a riddle,
    He didn't leave enough cloth to dust a fiddle.

         CHORUS:
      He's Long Gone from Kentucky,
      Long Gone that guy is some lucky,
      Long Gone from this queen,
      Long Gone from Bowling Green.

7. When prohibition said I'll lick John Barleycorn,
    I never thought she'd do any harm,
    But she's chased him strong, didn't stop to wait,
    And blacked his eye in every state.

       CHORUS:
      Now John's Gone and he left me weeping,
      Long Gone but only sleeping,
      But from the drug we catch his breath,
      Long Gone and scared to death.

From: Blues: An Anthology, edited by W.C. Handy (1926; 1949; Macmillan, 1972, pp. 200-202; with music)

~Masato