"Too Long" by Gilbert O'Sullivan is a song about a past relationship that has come to an end. The narrator reflects on the time they spent apart and how their former partner suddenly returns, proclaiming their love and innocence. However, the narrator's feelings have changed during the separation, and they believe it has been too long for their former partner to expect reconciliation. The narrator expresses their frustration with their landlady, describing how she intrudes into their personal space. This imagery may represent the unwanted intrusion and complications that arose from their past relationship. Despite their former partner's attempts to win them back, the narrator believes it is too late. They advise their former partner to move on, emphasizing that they can walk out on the narrator once, but not twice. The narrator has endured enough pain and misery in the relationship and has no desire to revisit it. As the song progresses, the narrator continues to assert their independence and no longer wishes to be bothered by their former partner's emotional ups and downs. They don't understand how their former partner can suddenly reappear in their life out of the blue after so much time has passed. Overall, "Too Long" portrays a sense of closure and a refusal to be drawn back into a past relationship. The narrator has moved on and wants their former partner to do the same.
