There are times when life is young,
And all our deeds are yet undone.
I heard them say
You’ll leave today,
So if I may… so long, John.
There are times when life is sweet,
And all the world’s lain at our feet.
I heard them say,
You’ll leave today,
So if I may… so long, John.
Now’s the time when all
The diamonds cease to glitter,
And life is measured
In shallow breath.
If you leave today,
I hope you’ll find your way,
Just let me say…
If I miss you and I weep,
Does it mean that I am weak?
I heard them say,
You left today,
So if I may… so long, John.
(2005, 2008, 2009, 2011)
Lyrics: Wicasta Lovelace
Music: Wicasta Lovelace
Recording Notes
The lyrics and main guitar parts to So Long, John were written in 2005. It was recorded during two main sessions. The music was recorded August 13-20, 2008, while the vocals were recorded on August 15, 2009. Final mixing was completed on August 17, 2009.
Trivia
TITLE: This song was written in honor of my uncle, Loyd Short, while he was laying on his death bed. It’s called So Long, John because of an affectionate silliness that often occurred between myself, Loyd and my cousin Mark. We all would greet the other “John”. So a greeting would often be, “Hey, John. How ya?” and would be answered with “I’m fine. How’re you, John?” When Loyd was dying, I thought to myself “So long, John,” and it went from there.
RAIN: I hadn’t intended to include the sound of rain in the song. On the day that I was recording the vocals in Saint Petersburg, Florida, it started raining cats and dogs. The rain was so loud that it kept me from recording the vocals, so I opened a window, moved a microphone nearby, and recorded the rain instead. It turned out so good that I decided to use the tracks.
