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About the song
In the golden tapestry of classic country music, few voices resonate with the warmth, sincerity, and trailblazing legacy of Charley Pride. Among his rich catalog of heartfelt ballads and chart-topping hits, “It’s Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer” stands out as a tender anthem of heartbreak, resilience, and the slow process of healing.
Released in 1972 as part of the album A Sunshiny Day with Charley Pride, this song marked yet another No. 1 hit for Pride on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. But beyond its commercial success, “It’s Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer” captures a deeply human truth—the realization that moving on from love isn’t always quick or easy. With his signature velvety baritone, Charley Pride delivers the lyrics not with bitterness, but with a gentle honesty that feels both personal and universal.
Musically, the song embraces a mid-tempo rhythm wrapped in the unmistakable sound of early ’70s Nashville: pedal steel guitar, steady acoustic strumming, and understated harmonies that let Pride’s voice take center stage. The production doesn’t distract—it supports. And that’s part of the song’s charm. It doesn’t cry out for attention; it simply speaks, quietly and powerfully, to anyone who’s ever tried to smile through pain.
What sets this track apart is how it tempers sadness with strength. The narrator isn’t broken, just honest about the fact that wounds take time. That message, especially coming from Pride, the first Black superstar in country music, carried weight not just musically, but culturally. His ability to connect across boundaries—of genre, race, and emotion—made his storytelling uniquely poignant.
“It’s Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer” isn’t just a breakup song. It’s a lesson in patience, a soft-spoken hymn for anyone navigating the slow return to wholeness. And in true Charley Pride fashion, it turns personal sorrow into a shared understanding—something timeless country music has always done best.
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Lyrics
Baby it’s gonna take a little bit longer for me to ever get you off of my mindBaby it’s gonna take a little bit longer cause I’ve been lovin’ you a long long timePeople try to tell me that it won’t be long till I won’t even miss you anymoreBut I can tell them it must be something mighty wrong every day I want you even moreAnd baby it’s gonna takeThey say this lonely feeling it’ll go away but after all this time now it ain’t goneEvery weaken moment and every night and day just seems to keep on keeping onAnd baby it’s gonna takeYes I’ve been lovin’ you a long long time