The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Out where the creek turns shallow and sandy
And the moon comes skimming away the stars
The wind in the mesquite comes rushing over the hilltops
Straight into my arms, straight into my arms
I'm riding hard carrying a catch of roses
A fresh map that I made
Tonight I'm going to get birth naked and bury my old soul
And dance on its grave, and dance on its grave
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
Yeah, now it's here
Well, my daddy he was just a stranger
Lived in a hotel downtown
And when I was a kid, he was just somebody
Somebody I'd see around, somebody I'd see around
Well, now down below and pulling on my shirt
Yeah, I got some kids of my own
If I had one wish in this god forsaken world, kids
Let your mistakes would be your own
Yeah, your sins would be your own
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
And now it's here
Out 'neath the arms of Cassiopeia
Where the sword of Orion sweeps
It's me and you, Rosie, crackling like crossed wires
And you breathing in your sleep
Hear you breathing in your sleep
Well, there's just a spark of a campfire left burning
Two kids in a sleeping bag beside
Reach 'neath your shirt, lay my hands across your belly
Feel another one kicking inside
I ain't gonna fuck it up this time
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
And the moon comes skimming away the stars
The wind in the mesquite comes rushing over the hilltops
Straight into my arms, straight into my arms
I'm riding hard carrying a catch of roses
A fresh map that I made
Tonight I'm going to get birth naked and bury my old soul
And dance on its grave, and dance on its grave
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
Yeah, now it's here
Well, my daddy he was just a stranger
Lived in a hotel downtown
And when I was a kid, he was just somebody
Somebody I'd see around, somebody I'd see around
Well, now down below and pulling on my shirt
Yeah, I got some kids of my own
If I had one wish in this god forsaken world, kids
Let your mistakes would be your own
Yeah, your sins would be your own
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
And now it's here
Out 'neath the arms of Cassiopeia
Where the sword of Orion sweeps
It's me and you, Rosie, crackling like crossed wires
And you breathing in your sleep
Hear you breathing in your sleep
Well, there's just a spark of a campfire left burning
Two kids in a sleeping bag beside
Reach 'neath your shirt, lay my hands across your belly
Feel another one kicking inside
I ain't gonna fuck it up this time
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin' but now it's here
Lyrics submitted by Comrade_Liar
Long Time Comin' Lyrics as written by Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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It's pretty clearly a man looking back at his life and his wife and kids, and having an epiphany.
I heard a bootleg of this from '96, just Bruce solo on guitar, and I gotta say having a small band behind him helps him on songs like this.
The last verse never really got to me until I actually read it, as opposed to just listening to it. I have goosebumps all over now. Wow. Springsteen is simply the greatest songwriter of his generation.
i saw bruce preform this on the Devils and Dust tour. he played it on the piano. it was beautiful. i do believe that this is also the first time bruce said "fuck" in one of his songs.
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It's pretty crystal clear. It's about a man, who has been a terrible father, like his father before him, and he sees his unborn child as a sign of redemption, and a way to stop the cycle.
A fairly typical, but excellent rendition of the "sins of the father" theme and possibly a companion piece to "Straight Time".
what a fucking song. I seriously got som small tears in my eyes when i read the lyrics, and I swear I'm not even that kind of guy. great both musically and lyrically, and also good matching between the both ingredients which I find to be one of his greatest strengths. sorry about the spelling here.
I don't see the protagonist as having been a bad father. I simply see a man who's finally happy. He understands that his dad was a bad one, and hopes he doesn't have the same negative impact on his kids. "If I had one wish in this God-forsaken world kids, it's that your mistakes will be your own", an obvious reference to the idea presented in "Adam Raised a Cain" 30 years earlier, which itself was an excellent representation of the Biblical story of "the Fall", and what came with it for mankind.
And instead of being a sequel to "Straight Time", I see this as a sequel to "Beautiful Reward". It's been a long time coming, but he's found his reward.
In that song he says he didn't find his reward in romantic love, but in this song it seems he has. However he's obviously made a big change, and that's presented in the first verse. He's buried his old soul, his self-centered soul that was looking at love selfishly, as something that would make himself fulfilled., and he finally found his reward in "Long Time Coming" when he realized it's found in sacrifice, devotion to others (wife and family) ahead of devotion to his own wants and needs.
Between 1990 (when He was 41) and 1994 Bruce and Patty had 3 kids. This song was first performed live during the solo acoustic Tom Joad tour in 1996. It wasn't released till 2005 on the "Devils and Dust" album. Bruce regularly performed it on that years tour, which was also Him solo, but often playing the piano. A nice song about the hope that the sins of the father aren't repeated by His children. A wish that most young rock stars, with no kids, probably wouldn't think about. A song by a more mature artist. We can all hope that our kids learn from our mistakes.
Let your mistakes would be your own Yeah, your sins would be your own
one of the many times the Boss brings the tear to my eyes