Looking on the internet deeply has found these results:

they were long gone is the most popular phrase on the web.

they where long gone 11,810 results on the web	they were long gone 1282,000 results on the web More popular!
Some examples and use cases from the internet:	Some examples and use cases from the internet:
It doesn't look like this phrase is very popular! The search could not find any examples on the internet.	the leaves were long gone but why were you still not back? I thought these days were long gone. The familiar sounds, visual cues, even olfactory inputs, can trigger memories and emotions we thought were long gone. By the time I had the guts to open my eyes, you were long gone. My days of folding are long gone. You were long gone by the time I was Jack's age. By the time I queued a redirect, Bierko and his men were long gone. They were long gone when the letter got to Manzanar.

they where long gone

11,810 results on the web

they were long gone

1282,000 results on the web

More popular!

It doesn't look like this phrase is very popular! The search could not find any examples on the internet.

the leaves were long gone but why were you still not back?
I thought these days were long gone.
The familiar sounds, visual cues, even olfactory inputs, can trigger memories and emotions we thought were long gone.
By the time I had the guts to open my eyes, you were long gone.
My days of folding are long gone.
You were long gone by the time I was Jack's age.
By the time I queued a redirect, Bierko and his men were long gone.
They were long gone when the letter got to Manzanar.