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I'm gonna do a quick thread and tell you about a few of my favorite John Prine songs.
This song has one of my favorite lyrics ever written:
"And the water taste funny When you're far from your home, But it's only the thirsty That hunger to roam." That ONE little line encapsulates the restless, uncomfortable human condition.
"And the water taste funny When you're far from your home, But it's only the thirsty That hunger to roam." That ONE little line encapsulates the restless, uncomfortable human condition.
In the live version of this song, he jokes that it's a "hate song about a woman I love." But the "woman" is actually the United States of America. An incredible mix of funny satire and true sadness about the bittersweet and severely damaged relationship.
I have a thing for sad songs, and this is one of the saddest ever written. Prine said that his goal with this song was just to write the saddest thing he could think of, and holy shit.
And like always, he paints a vivid & familiar picture with just a few words:
God bless this kitchen said the knick-knack shelf
The dinner's almost ready, Go and wash yourself
Jimmy's growing up now and Wanda's growing old
The time is growing shorter, the nights are long and cold
God bless this kitchen said the knick-knack shelf
The dinner's almost ready, Go and wash yourself
Jimmy's growing up now and Wanda's growing old
The time is growing shorter, the nights are long and cold
This one's a bit more lighthearted, but I love the undercurrent of anger. "Pretty good, not bad, can't complain. But actually everything's just about the same." (And there's even an incredible swipe at religion – a risky move for a new Americana artist.)
Another one from the debut album (he came out swinging)! It's a funny and sharp criticism of patriotism. It tells the story of a guy who crashes his car (and dies) because he covered his windshield in American flag decals and couldn't see.
Here's a sweet love song. My two favorite lines:
She reminds me of a chess game
With someone I admire
Or a picnic in the rain
After a prairie fire
---
It's Christmas in prison
There'll be music tonight
I'll probably get homesick
I love you. Goodnight.
She reminds me of a chess game
With someone I admire
Or a picnic in the rain
After a prairie fire
---
It's Christmas in prison
There'll be music tonight
I'll probably get homesick
I love you. Goodnight.
And here he is tackling some sexism. Highlighting how men get away with so much shit.
From a teenage lover, to an unwed mother
Kept undercover, like some bad dream
While unwed fathers, they can't be bothered
They run like water, through a mountain stream
From a teenage lover, to an unwed mother
Kept undercover, like some bad dream
While unwed fathers, they can't be bothered
They run like water, through a mountain stream
This one feels a little silly, but it has some really sad little vignettes that I've spent a lot of time thinking about.
Sally used to play with her hula hoops
Now she tells her problems to therapy groups
Grampa's on the front lawn staring at a rake
Wondering if his marriage was a terrible mistake
I'm sitting on the front steps drinking orange crush
Wondering if it's possible if I could still blush
Now she tells her problems to therapy groups
Grampa's on the front lawn staring at a rake
Wondering if his marriage was a terrible mistake
I'm sitting on the front steps drinking orange crush
Wondering if it's possible if I could still blush
Here's another one from my favorite album. He really puts you in the setting of the song, makes you feel like you're right there. Feels like early Tom Waits, with loads more twang. And the way his voice cracks, it's so goddamn good.
I picked through the ashes
Of the torch singer's song
And I ordered my money a round
For whiskey and pain
Both taste the same
During the time they go down
Of the torch singer's song
And I ordered my money a round
For whiskey and pain
Both taste the same
During the time they go down
This is kind of a comedy song. But, as always, it's packed with empathy and sentimentality. It has kind of always boggled my mind, but I think it's beautiful and probably one of the best things ever written about Jesus.
