Pops, did you hear the story of Long John Dean?
Not yet drummer
A bold bank robber from Bowlin' Green
Was sent to the jail house yesterday
But late last night he made his getaway

[Chorus]
He was long gone from Kentucky
Long gone, ain't he lucky?
Long gone, what I mean
A long gone John from Bowlin' Green

Long John stood on the railroad tie
Waitin' for freight train to come by
Freight train came by puffin' and flyin'
Oughta seen long John grabbin' that blind

[Chorus]

They caught him in 'Frisco to seal his fate
At San Quentin they jailed him one evening late
But out on the ocean John did escape
'Cause the guards forgot to close the Golden Gate

[Chorus]

Well, they offered a reward to bring him back
Even put bloodhounds on his track
Those doggone bloodhounds lost his scent
Now nobody knows where John went

[Chorus]

A gang of men tried to capture Dean
So they chased him with a submarine
Dean jumped overboard and grabbed the submarine
And made that gang catch a flyin' machine

He's long gone from Kentucky
A long gone, that boy's lucky
A long gone, what I mean
A long gone John from Bowlin' Green

He's long gone, I said, from Kentucky
Long gone, hmm, that boy's lucky
Long gone; yeah, he's got nothing in the head
Long gone, long gone

Writer : CHRIS SMITH, W.C. HANDY
Copyright : Lyrics © HANDY BROTHERS MUSIC CO.,INC. , THE SONGWRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA