Long Lost

***Long Lost*** is Lord Huron's fourth album. Its story centers around musical acts associated with Tubbs Tarbell's *Alive From Whispering Pines* and Whispering Pines Studios. It was conceived as “a long-lost classic from another dimension.”

“It’s like a record you somehow missed: it sounds familiar, but you can’t quite figure out why. It’s nostalgic in a way that you can’t quite put your finger on. It’s almost like you missed it, or it dropped from outer space from some other dimension.
The inspiration for the album derived from the mysterious past of Lord Huron's Whispering Pines Studios. The studio was built in the 70's and abandoned for about twenty years before the band found it on Craigslist and revitalized it, replacing the recording equipment but keeping the original decor intact. Because they could not learn much about the real history of the studio, they imagined a history instead, with "sorta hard luck show biz people" who they channeled for song ideas.

Tarbell recounts that he found the album covered in a layer of dust on the floor of the studio with a note: “Time washes aways what man creates, but ‘Long Lost’ might convince you that a note can live on. Be good now. The Boys.”

## Artwork

The cover artwork for *Long Lost* bears a strong resemblance to Handsome Scott and is very similar to the art on the Pine Record presented to him by Tubbs Tarbell.

## "The Moon Doesn't Mind"

*Further information: "The Moon Doesn't Mind"*

Roy Casey's "The Moon Doesn't Mind" is a song from the soundtrack of *Gun Thunder*. It reminds Tarbell of "one of those cowboy pictures where the lone horseman is singin’ his heart out to the audience from atop his brave steed." Casey sings that "the sky doesn't care what [his] poor heart wants," that "the desert can't hear [his] cries," and that the moon doesn't mind that he's left all alone.

Ben Schneider envisioned this song as a "mournful cowboy tune" that runs during *Gun Thunder's* closing credits.

## "Mine Forever"

    *Further information: "Mine Forever"*

"Mine Forever" is a song by an as-of-yet-unidentified artist or group with Whispering Pines Studios, possibly Clean Grooves based on the similarity to their album cover to the single art. Tarbell describes it as "a swinging, full-on heart-render with a bubbly sound." In it, the singer tells the listener that if they never want to see them again, they understand, but if they get lonely, the singer will be there for them. The singer gives the farewell "So long, good luck, good bye" but remains confident they will be together as they say "in my mind you're mine forever."

The "Mine Forever" music video shows various old film clips Tubbs Tarbell unearthed from the Whispering Pines vaults, including *Gun Thunder* and other WBUB Midnight Movies.

## "(One Hellava Performer)"

"(One Hellava Performer)" is a spoken-word excerpt by Tubbs Tarbell:

"Welcome back! Yep, alright. How 'bout that? What was that, French or something? Dang. Now folks, from what I hear, this young fella comin' up next is one helluva performer. So without any further delay, let's see what he can do."
## "Love Me Like You Used To"

   *Further information: "Love Me Like You Used To"*

"Love Me Like You Used To" is described by Tarbell as "one of those classic lovelorn country ballads, like one sung by Handsome Scott or even ol’ Roy Casey himself." Since Tarbell is quite familiar with their work, it is likely a different performer, though it remains possible that Tarbell's memory is not fully reliable and it is one of their songs. The music video features a performance of this song by Quentin King, confirming he is likely the writer.

The song tells the tale of a person who has wandered far and wide, away from their lover, but finds they regret leaving. They plead "love me like you used to and I'll praise you like I should" and promise that they have changed and will stay this time. They also wonder if their former lover even still remembers them, while claiming they only dream of that lover.

## "Meet Me in the City"

   *Further information: "Meet Me in the City"*

"Meet Me in the City" is a dark, seductive song on *Long Lost*. It was teased on the Lord Huron Seance.

The narrator asks someone to join them in the city for a wild night. They encourage them to "put on the dress you wore the night we met" which is a likely lyrical reference to "The Night We Met" and to "Secret of Life" ("Put on your new dress tonight"). The narrator also tells this individual to leave their "ball and chain" so presumably the subject of their song is in another committed relationship.

Given this last detail, it seems possible it is a song addressing Lee Green, fiancée of Buck Vernon in Vide Noir, and from some other male character's perspective, possibly asking her to come to Los Angeles, though it is not yet known. It could also be a song between Clyde Fox and Frankie Lou, given the lyrical similarity to their song "Meet Me in the Woods."

## "(Sing for Us Tonight)"

"(Sing for Us Tonight)" is a spoken line by Tubbs Tarbell:

"Alright, and what would you like to sing for us tonight?"
## "Long Lost"

*Further information: "Long Lost*
"

The eponymous track of the album, "Long Lost" is performed by Leigh Green and Hauser Godwin in the music video. Green is also pictured on the single cover art. In the song, the vocalist explains that they are not lonely, but long lost. It uses exquisite nature imagery in the lyrics "leave me where the light pours down through the trees like rain" and "leave me where the moonbeams carve through the leaves like blades" to describe the singer's connection with the natural world and how they feel in it. They explain that "for a while I was held by the myth of the lost highway, in the spell of the night and the lights of the great white way" as though cities and human made structures called to them, but now they wish to be sent to the mountains, to run through the forest, and dance in the fields, because that is where they belong in the world.

## "Twenty Long Years"

   *Further information: "Twenty Long Years"*

"Twenty Long Years" is a song about someone reflecting on how they "made a life out of chasing a ghost" and "it took everything [they] had." The singer struggles with addiction and gambling debts, finding twenty years of hard living have taken a toll, destroying their health and finances. They also struggle with their memory or mental acuity, expressing that they would explain their story, but "the booze just makes [them] slow" and "the dope tends to cloud [their] mind." The singer ends the song with a lament "I got to find a way out of this mess, I'm in trouble and it sure looks bad," that they "went lookin' and it drove [them] mad," and noting "I ain't never seen you look so sad." It's unclear if this last lyric is addressed to themselves or someone else.

The end of the track includes sounds of people singing along in a bar setting. In the video, this scene takes place in the Broken Bottle, with a member of the Phantom Riders slumped on a stool next to the Cosmic Selector jukebox. Frankie Lou passes by, then possibly Remy Fusil and Leigh Green in conversation together, before someone throws a bottle which smashes on the Cosmic Selector. The music stops and the people in the bar exclaim in protest.

In the Spotify storyline for this song, Ben Schneider explains that it is a fictional future version of himself that he hopes not to meet.

## "Drops in the Lake"

   *Further information: "Drops in the Lake"*

"Drops in the Lake" is a lament from the singer longing to return to a happier past. The Whispering Pines records and tapes advertisement indicates that Elsa Schöffer is the performer, at least in part. A teaser gives some lyrics over an image from the WBUB Midnight Movie, *Drops in the Lake*:

"I go down to the edge of the lake,
Where I wait through the night,
For the dawn light to break.
Memories of old crash like waves on the shore of my mind.
And I pray that the stars will align.
I just want us to be who we were long ago..."
## "Where Did the Time Go"

   *Further information: "Where Did the Time Go"*

"Where Did the Time Go" is a short and wistful track that asks "oh, where did the time go?" It encourages the listener to “laugh and sing your life full” and “find the reason why,” ending with the entreaty that is Tarbell’s catchphrase: “may you live until you die.”

The song seems to appeal to the listener to appreciate the time they have, and to find their own meaning in life. Since the song references Tarbell's catchphrase and other things he has said ("it's been delightful") or themes he ponders (the passage of time), it seems likely that the song is either about him, or directly from his perspective.

The lyric video features blurry, nostalgic vintage footage of driving in the wilderness and in a city street adorned with neon signs, other nature scenes of lakes, mountains, and snow, as well as a baby, a laughing woman, and a silver Christmas tree, like hazy memories of a happy and full life.

## "Not Dead Yet"

    *Further information: "Not Dead Yet"*

"Not Dead Yet" by the Phantom Riders describes being on the road, looking and feeling like hell. The singer assesses their run down reflection in the mirror "You got holes in your clothes, booze on your breath. You look like hell and you smell like death.” but still "has something to say." He also mentions to the person he's addressing, "If she asks about me, tell her I'm not dead yet." It's unclear who this would be referring to.

The music video has a reference to "I Lied." A painting of Donny and Midge with their faces' blurred, the cover art of "I Lied," is hung behind Ben Schneider.

## "(Deep Down Inside Ya)"

"(Deep Down Inside Ya)" is a spoken track with a clip from *Drops in the Lake*.

Woman's voice:

"I don't want to lose you, you know I don't. But I can't stay here. I just can't."
Tubbs Tarbell (distorted):

"If you've never heard a word of that tragic tale, when you hear these two sing together, you just feel something deep down inside ya."
The audio clip from the film seems to mirror some of Leigh Green's story from *Vide Noir* and her *Wildflower* album. This could simply be a teaser or reference, or perhaps an excerpt from a film she stars in during her time in Los Angeles.

## "I Lied (feat. Allison Ponthier)"

    *Further information: "I Lied"*

"I Lied" is credited to Donny and Midge and is a song about a long relationship mutually ending as the subjects become aware the promises they made are not ones they can keep. Donny sings about trying to be a better man for his lover, that he swore he would change his ways, but in reality he lied and could not. He sings "I told you I'd be coming back for you but I'm not, going way out where the world will never find me." Midge sings about how she read his letter by the lake, and cried tears of joy because she was finally free of the relationship. She had vowed to stand beside him forever, but she found that it was a lie when she told him she could never live without his love.

This song is the first track cut at Tubbs Tarbell's Whispering Pines Studios. He first heard Donny and Midge perform at The Broken Bottle and was so inspired by their music that he founded the studio.

In the Spotify storyline for "I Lied," Ben Schneider explains some of the background:

"This song chronicles the end of a long relationship, but this time I wanted to hear from both parties. To try to get some of the nuance involved in such a thing. At first the story seems pretty one-sided , but after the bridge the other voice enters. Who twists the tale around from the other perspective. She isn't so sad to see him go after all. I knew we needed the right type of voice to tell this story. I was thinking of some of my favorite country duets from the 60's and 70's. Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, Tammy White and George Jones. At first we were thinking of asking some more established singers, but then a friend introduced me to Allison Ponthier. She hadn't released any music at the time, but I heard some demos and loved her voice. We met up and were fast friends. She's a helluva person and that voice of hers really adds a lot to the song."
## "At Sea"

   *Further information: "At Sea"*

"At Sea" was teased in the Lord Huron Seance. It is featured on the soundtrack of L’Île Cosmique, as confirmed by the Whispering Pines records and tapes advertisement. The narrator describes being lost out at sea. They are lonely but claim this is what they wanted, expressing the desire to remain on an island, isolated, for a couple years to see how they feel.

"Lonely, all on my own just like I wanted to be, lost out at sea
I might stay on my island for a couple of years, see how it feels
Floating, tired and lonesome like I wanted to be, lost out at sea
I might stay in my mind just for a couple of years, face all my fears"
There is a visual reference to “At Sea” in the music video for “I Lied.” A WBUB newscaster on one of the televisions reports on a headline “Lost Out At Sea.” It remains unknown if this song is associated with a particular performer or character in universe.

## "What Do It Mean"

   *Further information: "What Do It Mean"*

"What Do It Mean" was introduced in the seance with a spoken segment by Tubbs Tarbell:

"I know plenty of you out there are like me; you sit around a lot just wondering why. Why we're here. Why we feel the things we feel. Why things are the way they are. Hm. Yep, you can spend your whole life and probably your whole afterlife asking the same dang question: what do it mean?"
The song deals with the existential question: "What does it mean if it all means nothing?" It is indicated to be a Quentin King track from *My Smash Hits* in the advertisement for Whispering Pines records and tapes. A segment is played while his album is highlighted. In the song, he sings about "life spent talking when my epitaph would do," expressing regret for spending too much time fixating on the future and past.

The lyrics "I’m gonna get it together and live forever" and "I’ll make a deal with the devil and live forever" juxtaposed with "gonna fly through my life 'til I crash into the ending" seem to indicate while King knows he isn't immortal, but perhaps he hopes his fame or notoriety will give him something similar.

The song addresses the lack of intrinsic meaning in life and how quickly it is over. Like in "Where Did the Time Go," it suggests you have to create your own meaning, and seems to do so triumphantly. King sings of the ways he has grown, and the joys and loves he has known, which may be the meaning he has found in his life.

The song ends with a spoken outro by Tarbell:

"Thank you thank you thank you folks. It's been delightful. So long, good luck, goodbye. Until next time, may you live until you die!"
## "Time's Blur"

   *Further information: "Time's Blur"*

"Time's Blur" is the 14-minute ambient closing track of *Long Lost*, which is "all either strings, voices or string instruments." It refers to the instability of memory over time. Ben Schneider explained how the song came about in an interview:

"So that was the one result of the pandemic, I guess. When I was stuck at home, I started working on that. The way I made that was, it’s the string parts we’d recorded, I’m just manipulating them with tape machines and with digital timing: stretching them out, reversing them, so it’s all stuff from earlier in the record. The idea of that song is that you’ve heard this in this Long Lost record and now here’s the sort of effect time has on our memories, so it’s almost like it’s a blurring memory of the record as this long ambient track at the end. So, it’s actually all bits you’ve just heard, stretched out, chopped up and re-arranged into this sort of more abstract piece."

## "Your Other Life"

       *Further information: "Your Other Life"*

"Your Other Life" is a bonus track with an accompanying interactive music video. It is likely a song originally written and performed by Donny and Midge as they are featured on the single artwork and in a painting in the video, although this has not been fully confirmed.

The singer addresses someone they are no longer in a relationship with, claiming that person has wronged them, lied, and led a double life. The singer does not believe their lover will return to them, and seems resentful, that they are "young and wild and in love." At the end of the song, it is implied that the singer has come to take the life of their ex-lover because they cannot forgive their perceived infidelity, with the words "what I say today will be the very last words you hear, you don’t get to live your other life."

## "Ton Autre Vie"

   *Further information: "Ton Autre Vie"*

"Ton Autre Vie" is a French bonus track sung by Sarah Dugas that parallels the song "Your Other Life" and shares its interactive video. It is likely a song originally written and performed by Donny and Midge as they are featured on the single artwork and in a painting in the video, although this has not been fully confirmed.

The singer addresses someone they are no longer in a relationship with, claiming that person has wronged them, lied, and led a double life. The singer does not believe their lover will return to them, and seems resentful, yet sad that they are "in love, young and free." At the end of the song, it is implied that the singer's former lover has come to take their life because they cannot forgive their perceived infidelity, with their final words being something the former lover will reread, suggesting that they will see each other in another life.

## Sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Guitar Guitar interview
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2  Atwoood Magazine interview
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 An Open Letter From Tubbs Tarbell
4. ↑ Discogs
5. ↑ Interview with Flood Magazine
6. ↑ WNYC podcast
7. ↑ Gigwise interview, Ben Schneider: "So with ‘Not Dead Yet’, we’re with a band called The Phantom Riders who have appeared in our previous narrative stuff. This is just from the perspective of one of the members that’s so worn down he looks himself in the mirror and he’s tired of being with himself. And I’ve had that on the road, being worn down physically, drinking too much, not sleeping enough and wanting to get away from myself but there’s nowhere to go. You’re stuck with you and you’ve got to learn to love yourself!"

"The Moon Doesn't Mind" (Roy Casey)
"**Mine Forever**"
"(One Hellava Performer)" (Tubbs Tarbell)
"Love Me Like You Used To"
"Meet Me in the City"
"(Sing for Us Tonight)"(Tubbs Tarbell)

"**Long Lost**" (Leigh Green and Hauser Godwin)
"Twenty Long Years"
"Drops in the Lake" (*Drops in the Lake (film)*)
"Where Did the Time Go"
"**Not Dead Yet**" (The Phantom Riders)
"(Deep Down Inside Ya)"(Tubbs Tarbell)

"I Lied"(with Allison Ponthier) (Donnie and Midge)
"At Sea"(*L’Île Cosmique*)
"What Do It Mean"(Quentin King)
"Time's Blur"
**Bonus tracks:**
"Your Other Life" and "Ton Autre Vie"