“It was Christmas in prison
and the food was real good
we had turkey and pistols
carved out of wood”
- John Prine
John Prine was one of those singers, like the early Jimmy Buffet, that I would have listened to just because of the sound of his voice. The inflections surrounding his lyrics personalized them like he was speaking directly to me.
Prine was 25 when Kris Kristofferson discovered both he and Steve Goodman in a folk club in Chicago. The song that did the trick was Paradise and John Denver added it to his album, Farewell Andromeda. And although he never became a commercial success until 1975 when Come Back to Us Barbara Lewis charted he had legions off followers who never listened to AM. Steve Goodman remained his friend until Goodman died in 1984, producing Prine’s album Bruised Orange.
What I remember most about John Prine is traveling thousands of miles listening to his cassettes. I guess I could say my favorite song was Hello in There, which becomes more poignant as I get older. It is about an old man and woman who have nothing in common anymore except the loneliness of growing old.
Prine Mixed Funny With Sad
When I used to listen to Donald and Lydia there were so many comical aspects about the song that the sad parts would get buried. That is, until I thought about it after the song was over. And I love how this song begins
“Maureen, Maureen,
I shot a doctor last night on the airplane
Well, they said he wouldn’t hurt us
But he got me real nervous and mean
He was fat and he stank
And God knows that he drank more than we do
So I shot him in the first class
Then I bailed out and ran home to you.”
What a great way to write songs!