How Long Has This Been Goin’ On?

Song Meaning

The lyrics introduce two characters, Peter and Frankie, each grappling with a past marked by unsatisfying encounters. They find themselves in a moment of profound, unexpected connection. Both express a sudden, almost disbelieving joy, wondering aloud about the duration of this newfound bliss. It's a story of awakening to genuine affection after years of emotional detachment or aversion. Peter's narrative opens with a childhood aversion to kisses, describing them as "an inferno worse than Dante's," leading him to swear "Never, nevermore." This deep-seated trauma contrasts sharply with his current "chills up my spine" and "thrills I can't define." Similarly, Frankie recounts a past of transactional "caress men" who "meant no more than chessmen," highlighting a history of emotional distance. The central tension for both is the dramatic shift from these jaded or traumatized pasts to an overwhelming, authentic present. The lyrics masterfully employ parallel narratives and contrasting imagery to amplify this transformation. Peter's grand metaphor of "I know how Columbus felt" speaks to a monumental personal discovery, a new world of feeling. Frankie, on the other hand, expresses her bliss with a more dreamlike quality, pleading, "Let me dream that it's true." These distinct yet equally intense expressions of wonder underscore the profound individual impact of their shared experience, even as they converge on the same question. What makes these lyrics so effective is how they ground universal feelings of regret and discovery in specific, even quirky, personal histories. Peter's "little velvet panties" and Frankie's "Five or ten Dollars" create vivid, slightly uncomfortable backstories that make their current "delirious" state feel incredibly earned. The repeated, almost breathless question, "How long has this been going on?", isn't just about time; it's a shared exclamation of disbelief and gratitude for a connection that has finally broken through years of emotional walls.