I May Be Gone for a Long, Long Time

"I May Be Gone for a Long, Long Time"
Found at Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Song
Released	1917
Label	Broadway Music Corp.
Songwriter(s)	Composer: Albert Von Tilzer Lyricist: Lew Brown

"I May Be Gone for a Long, Long Time" is a World War I era song released in 1917. It was featured in the 1917 stage production of Raymond Hitchcock and E. Ray Goetz's Hitchy-Koo. Lew Brown wrote the lyrics. Albert Von Tilzer composed the music.^[1] The song was published by Broadway Music Corp. of New York, New York. André De Takacs designed the sheet music cover. It features Grace La Rue's image blended into the clouds of an ocean scene.^[2] The song was written for both voice and piano.^[3][4][5][6]

The song was quite popular during World War I with well-liked recordings by the Peerless Quartet and by the Shannon Four.^[7] This could be attributed to many things. Hitchy-Koo, in which the song was introduced, ran for over 220 performances in 1917. It was also performed by Grace La Rue, who was one of Broadway's most successful and popular performers of the time. The song itself had an upbeat tone that filled listeners with hope.^[8]

The lyrics are told from the point of view of a soldier who is leaving for war. He is saying goodbye to his heartbroken girlfriend, but promises that when he returns they will "build a little home for two," and begin life away from strife. His overall message to her is to keep him in her thoughts and he will do the same. The chorus is as follows:^[9]

I may be gone for a long, long time

long, long time

long, long time

But when I go, you will know that

I'll always pine for the day when you'll be mine.

Be true to me for a long, long time

rain or shine, sweetheart mine

And I'll be just as true to you

As to the Red, White, and Blue

Though I'm gone for a long, long time

The sheet music can be found at Pritzker Military Museum & Library.^[10]

References

1. Vogel, Frederick G. (1995). World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 190. ISBN 0-89950-952-5.
2. Parker, Bernard S. (2007). World War I Sheet Music. Vol. 1. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7.
3. "I may be gone for a long long time". Gonzaga University Digital Collections. Gonzaga University. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
4. "I may be gone for a long, long time; Hitchy-koo". Duke University Libraries: Digital Collections. Duke University. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
5. "I may be gone for a long, long time". Indiana Historical Society. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
6. "I May Be Gone For A Long Long Time". Mississippi State University: University Libraries Digital Collections. Mississippi State University. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
7. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 517. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
8. "Albert Von Tilzer, Tin Pan Alley Pioneer". The Parlor Songs Academy. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
9. "I May Be Gone For A Long, Long Time". University Library: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
10. I may be gone for a long, long time. OCLC WorldCat. OCLC 20119729. Retrieved 26 February 2016.

External links

• View the song MP3 and sheet music here.