# In Praise of John Prine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 2, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263 "2010-07-02T02:47:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/1 "2010-07-02T02:47:36Z")
I gotsta believe there are some Prine fans on board. The man hasn’t produced much in the past decade or so, but in his prime there were few who could equal his songwriting ability. A few years back I got his Great Days Anthology CD and listened to it endlessly for quite some time. I popped it in today and was (once again) blown away by his genius. And this depressing question occurred to me: Why is Lady Gaga wicked famous and JP is not? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/2 "2010-07-02T02:59:44Z")
Marketing? And daddy won’t you take me back to Muhlenberg County Down by the Green River where Paradise lay Well, I’m sorry my son, but you’re too late in asking Mister Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/3 "2010-07-02T03:06:30Z")
You might guess that I’m a fan of Prine’s. He and Warren Zevon are my two favorite musical artists. I don’t think there’s been a better folk songwriter than Prine. Not in the last 40 years, anyway. I think he’s a better songwriter than Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![buckyogi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f17d59/32.png) [@buckyogi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckyogi)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/4 "2010-07-02T03:10:07Z")
I was into John Prine back in the late seventies. I saw him in concert in Park City, Utah in '79 or '80. “Illegal Smile” was my favorite song. If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that he works hard to avoid the limelight. Lady Gaga will never be accused of that. I had kind of forgotten about Mr. Prine. Thanks, Mr. Mustard, for the remind. I will seek out the CD you mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/5 "2010-07-02T03:10:08Z")
Definitely. His songs hit a spot deep in my heart. Now you have me searching youtube for [his videos](http://www.topcountrymusicvideos.com/john-prine-youtube-videos/)! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/6 "2010-07-02T03:17:26Z")
He ain’t got laid in a month of Sundays I caught him once and he was sniffin’ my undies He ain’t too sharp but he gets things done Drinks his beer like it’s oxygen He’s my baby And I’m his honey Never gonna let him go ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/7 "2010-07-02T03:22:53Z")
I love John Prine. He still tours and I intend to see him some day. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/8 "2010-07-02T03:24:09Z")
Damnit! I limit myself to two MP3 albums from Amazon each month, and next month’s were supposed to be Sting’s first two solo albums. Sorry, Sting, you’re just going to have to wait. There’s a hole in Daddy’s ear, where all the money goes. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/9 "2010-07-02T04:21:02Z")
I had the privilege of seeing John Prine play a few weeks back at his Alma Mater, Proviso East High School. It was a benefit for the Maywood Fine Arts folks and they were filming it for a documentary. 4 Hours. Four Hours! Every single song started with a backstory, where he was and what he was thinking when he wrote it. We were spellbound. The kicker? All of his brothers came on stage for the encore and did Paradise together- his older brother on fiddle, younger on guitar. Steve Goodman’s mom was in the audience along with tons of other Chicago folk celebs. It might just have been the greatest concert of my entire life. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/10 "2010-07-02T06:40:52Z")
Sam Stone - I smiled when I saw your name. Not to derail my own thread, but I love Zevon as well. Oddly enough, I was listening to _his_ Anthology CD before I got myself reacquainted with Prine’s. Weird that you mention WZ. buckyogi - My pleasure. Deloris Reborn - Thanks for the lyrics - and the videos. hajario - Prine was on Elvis Costello’s ‘Spectacle’ show last year, along with Lyle Lovett and Ray Lamontagne. Frank - Sting vs. Prine: Prine will win every time 'round these parts. Good choice. The [Great Days](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0nfqxqugldhe) CD covers his career from '71 through '91. MikeG - What a night! Just hearing the music is awesome, but the backstories must have made it so much more special. From my favorite Prine song: > [@](#): > > I been brought down to zero, pulled out and put back there. > I sat on a park bench, kissed the girl with the black hair > and my head shouted down to my heart > “You better look out below!” > Hey, it ain’t such a long drop don’t stammer don’t stutter > from the diamonds in the sidewalk to the dirt in the gutter > and you carry those bruises to remind you wherever you go. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/11 "2010-07-02T12:18:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > And this depressing question occurred to me: Why is Lady Gaga wicked famous and JP is not? Clearly marketing, of course. But Prine would be hard to market. He first got noticed a member of the “Next Bob Dylan Club\*,” but he was too country for the rock audience and too antiestablishment for the country audience. [Roger Ebert](http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/pages-for-twitter/john-prine-an-american-legend.html) is a big fan. \*Originally, Bruce Springsteen, Loudon Wainwright III, Prine, and Eliot Murphy. If you think Prine’s overlooked, he’s a superstar compared to Murphy (who deserved better). Note that the four don’t have a lot in common musically other than being great songwriters. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/12 "2010-07-02T12:29:07Z")
I’m going to have to find the time to research this a little more closely, but I have a strong impression of John Prine from a roommate who used to play his records all the time. I greatly admired the way he wrote his songs–I recall that he got his rhythms just right, and didn’t depend on a lot of lazy near-rhymes. The problem I had was the persistent motif of helplessness: Sam Stone couldn’t deal with his memories and died with a needle in his arm; “Old people just grow lonesome waiting for someone to say, ‘Hello in there’”; even "please tell the Man I didn’t kill anyone carries a trace of it. He appears to think individuals are incapable of acting to change their own circumstances, and I find that a _really_ lousy message to send. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/13 "2010-07-02T12:39:44Z")
So this means I had to fire up “Dear Abby”. Dear Abby, Dear Abby you won’t believe this, but my stomach makes noises whenever I kiss. Just sharing the earworm. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/14 "2010-07-02T12:49:47Z")
Grandpa was a carpenter He built houses stores and banks Chain smoked Camel cigarettes And hammered nails in planks He was level on the level And shaved even every door And voted for Eisenhower 'Cause Lincoln won the war. I love Prine. I try to see him perform every time he is anywhere close. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/15 "2010-07-02T13:12:26Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > I had the privilege of seeing John Prine play a few weeks back at his Alma Mater, Proviso East High School. It was a benefit for the Maywood Fine Arts folks and they were filming it for a documentary. > > 4 Hours. Four Hours! Every single song started with a backstory, where he was and what he was thinking when he wrote it. > > We were spellbound. The kicker? All of his brothers came on stage for the encore and did Paradise together- his older brother on fiddle, younger on guitar. Steve Goodman’s mom was in the audience along with tons of other Chicago folk celebs. > > It might just have been the greatest concert of my entire life. Sounds like we were both there the same night. I’ve seen JP probably 5 times, and that was likely the most fun. Drove by his house afterwards. My fave story was about: _Thinking about the car wash and the hole in my street … made me scub the parking lot down on my knees then I got fired for being scared of bees._ And I guess I never realized quite how tight he, Steve Goodman, and KK were. What a riot. _Got my hand in my pocket - thinking of you…_ ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/16 "2010-07-02T13:25:44Z")
Big John Prine fan, here. I was in high school when his first album came out, and he was supposed to be the next Bob Dylan. Kinda went downhill after that, but that was one hell of an album. I’ve seen him play a few times, and he really is one of those guys who puts on a good show. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/17 "2010-07-02T13:33:26Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > And daddy won’t you take me back to Muhlenberg County > Down by the Green River where Paradise lay > Well, I’m sorry my son, but you’re too late in asking > Mister Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away I grew up singing this with my kin, but never knew who originally sang it. We all knew it because we drove by Peabody coal mines every day. Off to iTunes!! ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/18 "2010-07-02T13:35:51Z")
Oh yeah, I love me some Prine. Now I’m gonna spend the rest of the day talking dirty in hawaiian. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/19 "2010-07-02T15:03:12Z")
I had a chance to see him last month, but had to pass to see Kris Kristofferson instead. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263/20 "2010-07-02T16:07:58Z")
Who else but John Prine could have written: > [@](#): > > Adam and Eve and Lucy and Ricky > Bit the big apple and got a little sticky > Esmeralda and the hunchback of Notre Dame > They humped each other like they had no shame > They paused as they posed for a Polaroid photo > She whispered in his ear, “exactly odo, quasimodo” :D:D:D:D:D [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-john-prine/545263.md?page=2)