A thread of my favorite John Prine songs :

So many greats it hard to rank them, but since I woke up singing this upbeat tragicomic ditty, it’s a good place to start:

https://twitter.com/CCMFeltHats/status/1244461728563376134

“Yes I Guess They Oughta Name A Drink After You” is another upbeat John Prine tune with sad & funny lyrics:

There’s a recording somewhere of John Prine telling how a fan thought part of this chorus included the phrase “it’s a half an enchilada.”

Though the real words are “it’s a half an inch of water,” I still think of this as the Half an Enchilada Song:

“Father forgive us for what we must do. You forgive us, we’ll forgive you. We’ll forgive each other ‘til we both turn blue, then we’ll whistle & go fishing in heaven...”:

You GUYS! It’s working! Keep singing his songs... @JohnPrineMusic needs you!

https://twitter.com/fionaprine/status/1244655527554138115?s=21 https://twitter.com/FionaPrine/status/1244655527554138115

“Just give me one thing I can hold on to. To believe in this living is such a hard way to go...”

“When I die let my ashes float down the Green River. Let my soul run on out to the Rochester Dam. I'll be halfway to heaven with Paradise waiting, just 5 miles away from wherever I am.”

This John Prine song struck 23-year-old me with the full force of a commandment:



#BlowUpYourTV

(Living in New England, I can’t help but sing this one every autumn! )

“Leaves were falling, just like embers, in colors red & gold. They set us on fire, burning just like a moonbeam in our eyes...”



#GetWellSoonJohnPrine

This John Prine song is upbeat & silly, yet still somehow captures some keen observations about humanity:



#DearAbby
#GetWellSoonJohnPrine

John Prine has the knack of highlighting social issues, not by lecturing or theorizing, but by focusing on the personal details, like in this song :



#ChristmasInPrison

Was there ever a more poignantly powerful song about the Vietnam War than @JohnPrineMusic's #SamStone?

"There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes..."

Looks like John Prine is finally getting to enjoy that 9-mile-long cigarette he’d been craving... Rest In Peace, @JohnPrineMusic https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/john-prine-obit-253684/

“I’m gonna kiss that pretty girl, on the Tilt-a-Whirl...”



#WhenIGetToHeaven
#RIPJohnPrine

He’s probably already getting his next band together... #RIPJohn

https://twitter.com/bananalise/status/1247714254892994561?s=21 https://twitter.com/bananalise/status/1247714254892994561

Of all the amazing @JohnPrineMusic though, this is my very best favorite:

“I hate graveyards & old pawn shops, for they always bring me tears. I can’t forgive the way the way they rob me of my childhood #souvenirs...”



Sending to @FionaPrine

As the child of an unwed mother, this John Prine song has always hit me extra hard... No judgement, just keen observations from an empathetic soul:



#UnwedFathers cc: @adopteeson #adoptee