Born and raised in Maywood, Illinois, Prine learned to play the guitar at age 14. He attended classes at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. After serving in West Germany with the U.S. Army, he returned to Chicago in the late 1960s, where he worked as a mailman, writing and singing songs first as a hobby and then as a club performer.
A member of Chicago's folk revival, a laudatory review by critic Roger Ebert built Prine's popularity. Singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson heard Prine at Steve Goodman's insistence, and Kristofferson invited Prine to be his opening act, leading to Prine's eponymous debut album with Atlantic Records in 1971. The acclaim Prine earned from his first LP led to three more albums for Atlantic. He then recorded three albums with Asylum Records. In 1981, he co-founded Oh Boy Records, an independent label where he released most of his subsequent albums.
Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as serious songs with social commentary and songs that recollect sometimes melancholy tales from his life.
Prine was the son of William Mason Prine, a tool-and-die maker, and Verna Valentine (Hamm), a homemaker, both originally from Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. He was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Maywood. In summers, they would go back to visit family near Paradise, Kentucky. Prine started playing guitar at age 14, taught by his brother, David. He attended classes at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, and graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. He was a U.S. Postal Service mailman for five years and was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War era, serving as a vehicle mechanic in West Germany before beginning his musical career in Chicago.
Prine is widely regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation. He has been referred to as "the Mark Twain of songwriting".
Johnny Cash, in his autobiography Cash, wrote, "I don't listen to music much at the farm, unless I'm going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I'll put on something by the writers I've admired and used for years—Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four ..."
Roger Waters, when asked by Word Magazine in 2008 if he heard Pink Floyd's influence in newer British bands such as Radiohead, replied, "I don't really listen to Radiohead. I listened to the albums and they just didn't move me in the way, say, John Prine does. His is just extraordinarily eloquent music—and he lives on that plane with Neil [Young] and [John] Lennon." He later named Prine as among the five most important songwriters.
Prine's influence is seen in the work of younger artists, whom he often mentored, including Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves, Margo Price, Tyler Childers, and Robin Pecknold.
The last song Prine recorded before he died was "I Remember Everything", released on June 12, 2020, alongside a music video. It was released following the two-hour special tribute show, A Tribute Celebrating John Prine aired on June 11, 2020, which featured Sturgill Simpson, Vince Gill, Jason Isbell, Kacey Musgraves, Bonnie Raitt, Rita Wilson, Eric Church, Brandi Carlile and many other country artists and friends.[45] On the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Prine singing "I Remember Everything" was the soundtrack to the COVID-19 memorial video.
Automobile
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I turned the key at 8:03 and the battery passed away
Inside a' my automobile
I want my automobile
I want my automobile
I want to drive it all around this world
Bride's gettin' married in the Springtime
I got married in high school
Or I wouldn't of got married at all
I'd be drivin' my automobile
Be drivin' my automobile
Be drivin' my automobile
I wanna drive it all around this world
Everybody said to the new groom
Groom, what ya gonna be
I said I'm gonna be a symphony
Just as soon as I find a key
To my automobile
I want my automobile
I want my automobile
All around this world
Spoken:
Let's take a ride
Columbus sailed the ocean
Moses parted the sea
Dolores left me yesterday
Well, I think she took the key
To my automobile
I want my automobile
I want my automobile
Wanna drive it all around this world
Now I held a little bitty baby
I held a woman all night
Whenever I get the hiccups
I hold my breath 'til my head gets light
Then I drive my automobile
Yeah I drive my automobile
I drive my automobile
I'm want to drive it all around this world
February morning, my car won't start today
Yeah, I turned the key at 8:03
And the battery passed away
Inside a' my automobile
I'm drivin' my automobile
Wanna my automobile
Wanna drive it all around this world
Go on.
Spoken:
It is a beautiful day for a ride
Hey, get your head down I can't see anything
Someone give me a cigarette
I don't want to take my hands off the wheel
We ought to take the air filter off this sucker.
So we can see what it will really do.
Uh oh, it looks to me like a HOS-PITAL Zone
Everybody get quiet. Shhhhhhhh.
Don't wake the dead up.
We're almost out. Hang on. Uh Oh here we go.
Well, you can just hold it until we get to the next town.
John Prine's song, "Automobile," is a tribute to the romanticized idea of the automobile and the power it possesses to grant its driver freedom and agency in their life. The song starts off describing a frustrating morning where the singer's car fails to start, a relatable experience for many people. He then reflects on how getting married in high school was perhaps not the best decision, and how he wishes he could be driving his car around the world instead. The lyrics carry an underlying tone of escapism and the car symbolizes the singer's desire to break free from the responsibilities and limitations that come with adulthood.
The song's bridge provides a humorous take on people's expectations for the future and how they might be unattainable. The singer jokes about wanting to be a "symphony," but only if he can find the key to his car. He then goes on to reference various historical figures who accomplished remarkable tasks, but ultimately reveals his own ambitions: "I'm want to drive it all around this world."
Line by Line Meaning
February morning, my car won't start today
Starting my day on a chilly morning with my automobile failing me, as I turned the key at 8:03 and the battery no longer working.
I turned the key at 8:03 and the battery passed away
My automobile's battery was drained when I attempted to start my day at 8:03 AM, making it immobile.
Inside a' my automobile
Stuck inside my disabled automobile as I yearn to get it running again.
I want my automobile
My automobile is crucial to me, and I desire it to function properly so that I can continue going places.
I want to drive it all around this world
I want to have the ability to explore the entire planet with my automobile; a mode of transportation that gives me a sense of freedom and independence.
Bride's gettin' married in the Springtime
People tend to get married in the spring season, hoping it signifies new beginnings and a fresh start together.
Widow's gettin married in the Fall
Even though the fall season is a time of endings, people who have lost their spouse recently may choose to remarry in that phase mainly to regain a sense of companionship and stability.
I got married in high school
Getting married back in high school was the best choice for me because it wouldn't have happened if I had waited, even though it was an untested decision.
Or I wouldn't of got married at all
Marriage was not in the cards for me, and I would have ended up never getting married if I hadn't taken that chance back in high school.
Be drivin' my automobile
Driving my automobile is one of my favorite things to do; the adrenaline rush from traveling through the open road is addictive and exhilarating.
I wanna drive it all around this world
I have a profound desire to explore as much of the world as possible with my automobile, and the thrill of the journey excites me beyond compare.
Everybody said to the new groom
Various people posed the question to the newly married groom, asking him what he planned to do with his life henceforth.
Groom, what ya gonna be
Asking the groom about his future plans as a married man, wondering what he intends to do with his newfound marital status.
I said I'm gonna be a symphony
In response to the question asked, the groom answered that he intends to dedicate himself to his passion and create beautiful music that would inspire millions.
Just as soon as I find a key
However, the musician requires a mode of transportation that is reliable enough to take him wherever his music calls him, so he seeks to find the automobile key that he has misplaced.
Columbus sailed the ocean
Christopher Columbus was determined to find a faster route to reach India while sailing through the Atlantic ocean.
Moses parted the sea
Moses separated the Red Sea into two halves, making it possible for the Israelites to cross to safety while being chased by the Egyptian army.
Dolores left me yesterday
My girlfriend Dolores broke up with me quite recently, and it has left me heartbroken and sad.
Well, I think she took the key to my automobile
I suspect Dolores took the key to my automobile along with her, and I can't seem to find it anywhere. It has got me stranded and immobilized.
Now I held a little bitty baby
I have experienced holding a tiny baby in my arms, which is entirely different yet just as joyful and satisfying as driving my automobile.
I held a woman all night
Cuddling and holding a woman dearly through the night can be a heartwarming and intimate experience that remains dear to my heart.
Whenever I get the hiccups
As an involuntary reflex, I sometimes develop hiccups that get annoying after a period, but I discovered holding my breath to the point of dizziness can stop it altogether.
Yeah, I drive my automobile
My love for driving my automobile is only exceeded by my love for my partner, and I enjoy both equally and profoundly.
Go on.
Encouraging someone to proceed with their desired action or notion.
Contributed by Jacob T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.