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358 Million Streams: The Shocking Lore Behind The Living Tombstone's "It's Been So Long" Lyrics (FNAF 2 Song)

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As of late 2025, The Living Tombstone's iconic track "It's Been So Long," known universally as the *Five Nights at Freddy's 2* fan song, continues its reign as a monumental piece of internet culture and video game music, boasting over 358 million streams on Spotify alone. This staggering number proves the song's enduring power, not just as a catchy electronic rock anthem, but as a crucial, albeit complicated, piece of the expansive *FNAF* universe.

Released in 2014, the song quickly became the definitive musical accompaniment to the dark, guilt-ridden narrative of *Five Nights at Freddy's 2*. While the track's driving beat and powerful vocals by Aviya Dor-Kolan are instantly recognizable, the true depth of its legacy lies in its lyrics, which paint a tragic picture of parental guilt, a supernatural curse, and a quest for revenge that both defined and, later, contradicted the official *FNAF* lore established by creator Scott Cawthon.

The Living Tombstone: "It's Been So Long" Song Profile & Core Entities

To fully appreciate the lyrical masterpiece that is "It's Been So Long," it is essential to understand its creators and the context of its release. This song is more than just a soundtrack; it is a foundational text of the *FNAF* fandom.

  • Song Title: It's Been So Long (often referred to as the FNAF 2 Song)
  • Artist: The Living Tombstone (TLT)
  • Original Release Date: December 2014 (Fan song for *Five Nights at Freddy's 2*)
  • Producer/Composer: Yoav Landau (The Living Tombstone founder)
  • Vocalist: Aviya Dor-Kolan
  • Genre: Electronic Rock, Dubstep
  • Key Themes: Guilt, Abandonment, Revenge, Possession, The Puppet (Animatronic)
  • Current Milestone: Over 358 million Spotify streams and 380 million YouTube views for the original track (FNAF2 Song).
  • Related TLT Songs: "Five Nights at Freddy's Song" (FNAF 1), "Die in a Fire" (FNAF 3), "I Got No Time" (FNAF 4).

The Full "It's Been So Long" Lyrics: A Narrative of Guilt and The Puppet

The lyrics of "It's Been So Long" are structured as a monologue, delivered from the perspective of an adult character—widely interpreted to be the mother of the child possessing The Puppet animatronic. The narrative is one of profound regret and a desire for retribution against the killer, William Afton (often referenced by the fandom as "The Man Behind The Slaughter").

Verse 1: The Curse of Abandonment

The song immediately establishes a theme of guilt and suffering, setting the stage for a dark, supernatural journey.

I don't know what I was thinking,
Leaving my child behind,
Now I suffer the curse and now I am blind
With all this anger, guilt and sadness,
Coming to haunt me forever,
I can't wait for the cliff at the end of the river

The "curse" here is the protagonist's inability to move on, haunted by the memory and the consequences of their action. The "cliff at the end of the river" suggests a suicidal or desperate desire for an end to the pain.

Chorus: The Haunting Melody of Regret

The chorus is the emotional core of the song, articulating the passage of time and the protagonist's descent into madness while seeking their lost child.

Is this the way I let you go?
It's been so long
Since I last saw my son
Lost to this monster
To the man behind the slaughter
Since you've been gone
I've been singing this stupid song
So I could ponder
The sanity of your mother

The phrase "the man behind the slaughter" became one of the most famous lines in the *FNAF* fandom, directly referencing William Afton, the serial killer who murdered the children that possess the animatronics. The mother's sanity is questioned as her grief manifests in this "stupid song."

Verse 2 & Bridge: The Quest for Revenge

The second verse shifts from internal suffering to a more aggressive, external focus. The protagonist expresses a desire to "live in the present" but is consumed by the past, ultimately suggesting they will join the ranks of the vengeful.

I wish I lived in the present
With the gift of my past mistakes
But the future keeps calling me forward, into a new day
...
I'm not like them, but I can pretend
The Puppet Master, of my puppet strings
If I stop, then I'll be blind
It's been so long, since I last saw my son

The line "I'm not like them, but I can pretend" is often interpreted as the mother's decision to become an aggressor or a vigilante, perhaps even possessing an animatronic herself to seek justice. She takes control, becoming the "Puppet Master," a chilling reference to the very animatronic her child inhabits.

The Modern Lore Conflict: Why The Lyrics Are Still Debated in 2025

The enduring popularity and cultural significance of "It's Been So Long" lie in its powerful, yet increasingly complex, relationship with the official *Five Nights at Freddy's* lore. While the song perfectly captured the fandom's initial understanding of the *FNAF 2* story, later games and media, including the 2023 *FNAF* film, solidified a different narrative, creating a fascinating conflict.

The Mother vs. Henry Emily Contradiction

When the song was released, the identity of the child in The Puppet (Marionette) was a mystery, and the "mother" narrative was a compelling fan theory. However, the official game canon, particularly with the introduction of *Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator* and the character Henry Emily, confirmed a different story.

  • Song Lore: The Puppet is possessed by the protagonist's son, and the protagonist is a mother driven by guilt and revenge.
  • Official Lore (Scott Cawthon's Canon): The Puppet is possessed by Charlotte "Charlie" Emily, the daughter of Fazbear Entertainment co-founder Henry Emily. Henry's grief is the driving force, not a mother's.

This gender and role swap is the central contradiction. Despite this, the song's emotional weight—the themes of a parent's lost child, immense guilt, and the desire for justice—aligns perfectly with Henry Emily's ultimate sacrifice in the later games. Fans often reconcile the two by viewing the song as an emotional allegory of Henry's story, simply told through a different character's voice.

Relevance in the FNAF Movie Universe

The enduring legacy of The Living Tombstone's music was cemented when their first *FNAF* song was featured in the 2023 *Five Nights at Freddy's* film. This inclusion has sparked intense speculation about the role of "It's Been So Long" in the inevitable *FNAF 2* movie sequel.

The challenge for the film's writers, including director Emma Tammi, is whether to honor the fan-favorite song's narrative or stick strictly to the established film lore. If the movie follows the official Henry/Charlie story, including the lyrics might be contradictory, as some fans have pointed out. However, leaving out the song entirely would be a huge disappointment for the millions of fans who consider it an essential part of the *FNAF 2* experience. It's a testament to the song's power that its non-canonical lyrics still hold such authority over the fandom's expectations.

The Living Tombstone's Legacy: Beyond the Lyrics

The success of "It's Been So Long" is part of a larger phenomenon created by The Living Tombstone, the electronic rock project spearheaded by Yoav Landau. The track, along with "Five Nights at Freddy's Song," established the blueprint for fan-made video game music, combining high-quality production with deep dives into game lore.

The song's enduring popularity, as evidenced by its massive streaming numbers in 2025, is a clear indicator that fan-created content can sometimes become just as, if not more, iconic than the source material itself. It cemented TLT's role as the unofficial musical voice of the *Five Nights at Freddy's* franchise, a legacy that continues to inspire new artists and fuel discussions about the ever-evolving, complex lore of Scott Cawthon's horror masterpiece.

358 Million Streams: The Shocking Lore Behind The Living Tombstone's
its been so long lyrics
its been so long lyrics

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