Long Goodbye Analysis

Long Goodbye Analysis

Brooks & Dunn, have been on the country music scene for almost twenty years. Kick Brooks and Ronnie Dunn are a dynamic duo, with Brooks being the voice behind the lyrics, as Dunn backs him up with his guitar, only singing once in a while. An older song of theirs, “Long Goodbye” is a saddening song about learning how to let someone go. Their cheerless lyrics, in this song, open up their listeners to feel what their lyrics are trying to convey.


Their song opens with, a well placed idiom, we’ve all heard it before but it can sometimes be true, “I know they say if you love somebody/ you should set them free,” but sometimes that is also easier said than done. Their idiom continues when they sing, “I know they say if it dont come back again/ then its meant to be.” However, he goes on to say, that that gives him little comfort, he still wants his love back. “I spend each day here waiting for a miracle,” here Brooks uses a hyperbole, for his reader to understand his pain. “This is the long goodbye,” is a metaphor, they aren’t really saying goodbye this whole time, but he is still letting go. He then goes on to sing, “Somebody tell me why/ two lovers in love cant make it/ just what kind of love keeps breaking a heart?/ no matter how hard I try/ I always make you cry,” two lovers in love is a sort of paradox, also love breaking a heart is personification. Their poetic devices, though few, still important, “Sometimes I ask my heartDid we really give our love a chance?/but I know without a doubt/we turned it inside out.” Here he uses a hyperbole and imagery. “But it tears me up inside,” could be considered a paradox with tears, being related to crying. They close out with a repetition of their chorus, to enforce the message of their song.


Brooks & Dunn are a great example of the talent that country music contains. The "Long Goodbye" is a melancholy song about losing love. Their guitar rifts and mellow vocals, which enhances their song. Overall, the "Long Goodbye" is a great song that is about learning to move on.