You've Been Gone Too Long

The speaker is addressing a partner who has been away for a long time. At first, the repeated complaint sounds like hurt or frustration, but the speaker soon reveals that someone new is treating her well. The mood shifts from reproach to confident rejection: she is no longer waiting and tells the former partner to leave.

“Gone too long” means more than being physically absent; it suggests neglect and a relationship stretched past the point of repair. The new man “loves to stay home at night” and “knows how to treat me right,” contrasting reliability and care with the old partner’s behavior. Naming Ruth and Flo makes the complaint pointed: the speaker says the partner went out with other women, and presents those outings as evidence of unfaithfulness.

The lyrics sound playful and assertive, especially in their repeated refrain, but the underlying feelings could include genuine anger and disappointment. The speaker’s confidence may be a firm decision to move on, or a way of making the former partner feel what they have lost. The song does not explain exactly how long the partner was away or what happened between them, so the listener is left to infer the relationship’s history.