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.
Chinatown
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They roll eggs on a bar-be-que
I was feeling kinda cocky with a head full of sake
Down in chinatown
There was dragons flyin' kites high above the stores
Dead fish heads laying on the floor
I got a sideways hickey from a slant-eyed chickie
And it was suddenly, was suddenly, whoa whoa
Yeah, suddenly yeah, suddenly whoa whoa
They smelled fish
We smelled like a meat
Sucking on a soda pop oh so sweet
Got a sugar rush that'd would make 'em blush
Down in chinatown
Won ton two ton three ton four
Smoke a cigarette throw it on the floor
I killed the pie-faced mothey with a shoeshine clothy
Down in chinatown
It was suddenly, was suddenly, whoa whoa
Yeah, suddenly, yeah, suddenly whoa whoa
The moonie is yellowie and the people are too
They roll eggs on a bar-be-que
I was feeling kinda cocky with head full of saki
Down in chinatown
I got a sideways hickey from a slant-eyed chickie
Down in chinatown
Hey, down in chinatown
Hey, down in chinatown
John Prine's song "Chinatown" is a whimsical and vivid description of the singer's night in a Chinese neighborhood in a big city. The song is characterized by its lively and upbeat tempo, as well as the humorous and satirical lyrics.
The first stanza begins by describing the moon and people as yellow, symbolizing the exotic and foreign nature of the setting. The mention of rolling eggs on a bar-be-que captures the playful and unconventional spirit of the people in the area. The singer admits to feeling confident and perhaps a bit reckless after having too much sake.
The second stanza describes the surreal atmosphere of the neighborhood, with dragons flying kites high above stores and dead fish heads laying on the floor. The mention of a "sideways hickey" from a "slant-eyed chickie" is both funny and provocative. The chorus emphasizes the suddenness and unpredictability of the experience.
The third stanza emphasizes the contrasts between Chinese and American cultures, with the locals smelling like fish and the singer preferring sweets. The description of killing a pie-faced mother with a shoeshine cloth is likely a metaphorical exaggeration. The final chorus restates the opening lines, as if to emphasize the lasting impression made by the singer's adventure in Chinatown.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, the moon is yellow and the people are too
The singer notices the yellow moon shining above the yellow people who are celebrating with egg rolling at the Chinatown.
They roll eggs on a bar-be-que
The people at the Chinatown are barbequeing and rolling eggs to celebrate.
I was feeling kinda cocky with a head full of sake
The singer was feeling overconfident with a drunken head full of sake.
Down in chinatown
The location of the artist's experience and observations is in Chinatown.
There was dragons flyin' kites high above the stores
The artist sees kites resembling flying dragons high above the stores.
Dead fish heads laying on the floor
The singer notices dead fish heads left on the floor, indicating signs of celebration and dining activities in Chinatown.
I got a sideways hickey from a slant-eyed chickie
The singer received a hickey from an Asian woman with slanted eyes.
And it was suddenly, was suddenly, whoa whoa
The artist expresses the sense of suddenness or surprise of his experiences in Chinatown.
Yeah, suddenly yeah, suddenly whoa whoa
The suddenness or surprise of experiences in Chinatown continues to be emphasized.
They smelled fish
The artist notices the odor of fish in Chinatown.
We smelled like a meat
The singer and his companions smell like meat in contrast to the fish odor in Chinatown.
Sucking on a soda pop oh so sweet
The artist and his companions enjoy drinking sweet soda pops.
Got a sugar rush that'd would make 'em blush
The singer and his companions experience a sugar rush that would make the people at Chinatown blush with surprise or embarrassment.
Won ton two ton three ton four
The singer counts the number of won tons being eaten in Chinatown.
Smoke a cigarette throw it on the floor
The singer witnesses someone smoking a cigarette and then throwing it on the floor in Chinatown.
I killed the pie-faced mothey with a shoeshine clothy
The artist jokingly says that he killed a person with a shoeshine cloth and pie on their face in Chinatown.
Hey, down in chinatown
The artist reemphasizes the location of Chinatown as the context of his experiences and observations.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOHN E. PRINE, JOHN E PRINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind