The Avett Brothers
Lyric guide

Long Story Short

Read Long Story Short lyrics by The Avett Brothers on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

The Avett Brothers visibility1 visits
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: The Avett Brothers Canonical path: /the-avett-brothers/long-story-short Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Long Story Short

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

Here I am standing, ten feet between us

Beside me the door that I just came through

Where I walk past an overweight cop in an alley

With a beer gut bursting from a bullet-proof jacket

Who thinks to himself I've got to get back to the man

That I was when I was a dreamer

With a partner in crime named Brandi McGill

A girl with a love of life bigger than normal

Who still wonders when her life will begin

Her best friend Maria who seems to have everything

Tells her she probably just needs a vacation

Away from the stress of her husbands vocation

While Maria is talking Brandi is drifting

Staring at John who just got the job busing tables

To pay for community college

An associates degree in x-ray technology

John is too old to still be in college

He doesn't like class and sometimes doesn't go

Long story short his family was broken

He was freed from a past life as a kid on skid Row

He notices Brandi but stares at Maria

Her beauty well practiced and casting a spell

Imagining her naked he spills dirty dishes

On the lap of an elderly woman named Belle

A lady who won't live to see her next birthday

But shares a warm smile regardless of that

The mess that unfolds completely surrounds her

Not one bit of urgency enters her soul

She reaches for Roy, her husband forever

In love and connection her small hand he holds

And nothing comes of it but a manager's anger

Not for the mess but her father's remark

About a bad grade that she had as a child

So she takes her revenge out by firing John

Who now wonders when his life will begin

Ain't it confusing to search for the will and learn

When you find it that you've lost your way

Long story short he saw commercial

That said that the 20's are the prime of your life

But that doesn't seem to be true at this moment

As he cleans out his locker and calls best friend

Who's too busy to talk cause he's prepping with lawyers

To keep money from his ex-wife the mother of their only son

Who's naturally drawn to guns and sharp objects

Who now has now father

Except for on weekends two times a month

No need to worry I'm told were protected

By the men passing laws in the house and the senate

From people to mix up the truth and reality with movies

And games and ridiculous scenarios

Long story short, best I can tell

Children can't be left to raise themselves

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Long Story Short"?

The Avett Brothers performs "Long Story Short", and this lyric page sits inside the The Avett Brothers catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Long Story Short"?

Yes. The related section below points to Find My Love and C Sections And Railway Trestles with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by The Avett Brothers?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through The Avett Brothers's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Long Story Short yet.