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.
Clocks And Spoons
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's raining out tonight
What a way to end a day
By turnin' out the light
Shoot the moon right between the eyes
I'm sending most of me to sunny country side
Runnin' through sky of blue rollin in the sun
Shoot the moon right between the eyes
I'm keeping most of me in sunny country side
Don't know how I did that now wonder where it's gone
Must have spent the way I went waitin' for the dawn
Shoot the moon right between the eyes
I'm screaming
Take me back to sunny country side
In John Prine's song "Clocks and Spoons" the lyrics are open to interpretation. Prine describes a feeling of emptiness and loneliness through the mention of "empty rooms" and the rain outside. The clocks and spoons refer to the passing of time and the mundane aspects of life. The line "What a way to end a day by turning out the light" evokes a sense of resignation to the struggles of life.
The chorus of the song changes the tone with the imagery of running through the sky and overflowing wine. This can be seen as a metaphor for finding joy and freedom in life by taking risks and enjoying the simple things. However, the mention of shooting the moon between the eyes can also be seen as a violent ending to life. The line "I'm keeping most of me in sunny country side" can be interpreted as a desire to escape the struggles of life and find peace in nature.
The final verse of the song seems to reflect on the passing of time and missed opportunities. Prine wonders how he got to where he is and longs to go back to a simpler time. The phrase "Shoot the moon right between the eyes, I'm screaming, Take me back to sunny country side" can be interpreted as a desperate cry for help or a plea for peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Clocks and spoons and empty rooms
Surrounded by lifeless objects and devoid of company
It's raining out tonight
The weather reflects the mood of the singer
What a way to end a day
A feeling of disappointment with the way things have panned out
By turnin' out the light
Symbolizing the end of a day and lack of hope
Shoot the moon right between the eyes
Expressing a sense of rebellion and taking control of one's destiny
I'm sending most of me to sunny countryside
Creating a mental escape to a more pleasant place
Runnin' through sky of blue rollin in the sun
Moving freely and happily through an idyllic environment
Every day has a way of overflowing wine
Each day has the potential to bring joy and abundance
I'm keeping most of me in sunny countryside
Retaining a positive mindset and outlook
Don't know how I did that now wonder where it's gone
Reflecting on past decisions and the consequences of those choices
Must have spent the way I went waitin' for the dawn
Realizing that time has been wasted waiting for something that may never come
I'm screaming
Expressing frustration or desperation
Take me back to sunny countryside
Longing for a return to a more positive, peaceful setting
Contributed by Kennedy B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.