Hollies -- "Long Dark Road" (1972)

It's over, well over

In my mind and in my heart

It's over, well over

But then again, it didn't have a good start

Oscar Wilde once wrote that "Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life."  

He was probably right.  But in the case of the first verse of the Hollies' 1972 hit single, "Long Dark Road," which was the last track on their Distant Light album, life didn't imitate art.  Because it did have a good start -- a very good start.

Here's the second verse of "Long Dark Road":

You'd tell me, try to sell me

It could have been all I asked

It's over, well over

Yes, there it flows away -- a distant past

Once again, there seems to be a disconnect between life and art.  For one thing, the past is never truly "distant."  Something that happened years ago often feels much closer than something that happened only a few days ago.

Moving on to the third verse:

It's over, well over

And we can't revive what's passed

It's gone now, moved on now,

But then again, it didn't have a chance to last

I can't argue with the third verse.  We've definitely got a sighting of life imitating art in the third verse.

Oscar Wilde

How about the chorus? 

Now it's a long, dark road

Yes, it's a long, dark road

And you know I loved you

Yes, you know I loved you

Chalk another one up for Wilde.

Here's "Long Dark Road" by the Hollies (sans Graham Nash, who had left the group some time before):

Click here to buy the song from Amazon.  Or you're welcome to look for a song that your life more closely imitates.