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.
Crazy as a Loon
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Straight off of the farm
I had a picture of another man's wife
Tattooed on my arm
With a pack of Camel cigarettes
In the sleeve of my Tee shirt
I'm headin' out to Hollywood
That town will make you crazy
Just give it a little time
You'll be walking 'round in circles
Down at Hollywood and Vine
You'll be waitin' on a phone call
At the wrong end of a broom
Yes, that town'll make you crazy
Crazy as a loon
So, I headed down to Nashville
To become a country star
Every night you'd find me hangin'
At every honky-tonk and bar
Pretty soon I met a woman
Pretty soon she done me wrong
Pretty soon my life got sadder
Than any country song
That town will make you crazy
Just give it a little time
You'll be walking 'round in circles
Lookin' for that country rhyme
You'll be waitin' on a phone call
At the wrong end of a broom
Yea, that town'll make you crazy
Crazy as a loon
So, I gathered up my savvy
Bought myself a business suit
I headed up to New York City
Where a man can make some loot
I got hired Monday morning
Downsized that afternoon
Overcome with grief that evening
Now I'm crazy as a loon
So I'm up here in the North Woods
Just staring at a lake
Wondering just exactly how much
They think a man can take
I eat fish to pass the time away
'Neath this blue Canadian moon
This old world has made me crazy
Crazy as a loon
Lord, this world will make you crazy
Crazy as a loon
The lyrics to John Prine's song "Crazy as a Loon" are a reflection of the harsh realities of life in the entertainment industry. The opening lines of the song describe the singer's humble beginnings as a farm boy who sets out for Hollywood with a tattoo of another man's wife on his arm. He is wearing a pack of Camel cigarettes in the sleeve of his tee-shirt and is eager to make it as a movie star.
However, the singer soon discovers that the glitz and glamour of Hollywood are nothing but an illusion. The town is ruthless, and it can drive anyone crazy if they give it enough time. Walking around in circles at Hollywood and Vine, waiting for a phone call that never comes, the singer finds himself at the wrong end of a broom. The same fate befalls him in Nashville when he tries to make it as a country star. He meets a woman who breaks his heart, and soon he finds himself wandering the streets looking for that elusive country rhyme.
In a desperate attempt to make something of himself, the singer heads to New York City, where he dons a business suit and tries to make some loot. But even there, he finds himself overcome with grief after being downsized from his job. The only refuge he finds is in the North Woods, where he spends his days staring at a lake and eating fish. In the end, he comes to the realization that the world has made him crazy, just like a loon.
Overall, the lyrics to "Crazy as a Loon" are a commentary on the harsh realities of life in the entertainment industry, as well as the world at large. The song portrays the singer's journey from hope to despair, as he tries to make something of himself but is constantly met with disappointment and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Back before I was a movie star
In the past, long before I became a famous actor
Straight off of the farm
Coming directly from a rural, agricultural background
I had a picture of another man's wife
I possessed an image of someone else's spouse
Tattooed on my arm
Permanently marked or etched on my skin
With a pack of Camel cigarettes
Accompanied by a group of Camel brand tobacco sticks
In the sleeve of my Tee shirt
Contained within the arm covering of my Tee shirt
I'm headin' out to Hollywood
I am traveling to the city of Hollywood
Just to have my feelings hurt
Merely for the purpose of experiencing emotional pain
That town will make you crazy
That city has the capability to induce insanity
Just give it a little time
Simply wait for a short duration
You'll be walking 'round in circles
You'll find yourself aimlessly wandering
Down at Hollywood and Vine
In the area surrounding Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street
You'll be waitin' on a phone call
You'll be anticipating a telephone conversation
At the wrong end of a broom
At an inappropriate or disadvantageous situation
Yes, that town'll make you crazy
Indeed, that urban area can drive one to madness
Crazy as a loon
As insane as a loon (a type of bird)
So, I headed down to Nashville
Thus, I migrated to the city of Nashville
To become a country star
To achieve fame as a musician in the country music genre
Every night you'd find me hangin'
Each evening I would frequently be at
At every honky-tonk and bar
In every honky-tonk and bar (a type of country-themed nightclub)
Pretty soon I met a woman
Soon after, I encountered a female
Pretty soon she done me wrong
Not long after, she betrayed me
Pretty soon my life got sadder
Within a brief period, my existence became more despairing
Than any country song
More melancholic than the most sorrowful country music composition
Lookin' for that country rhyme
Searching for an appropriate verse consistent with the country music style
So, I gathered up my savvy
I assembled my business skill and knowledge
Bought myself a business suit
Purchased a formal outfit suitable for the corporate world
I headed up to New York City
I traveled towards the metropolis of New York
Where a man can make some loot
Where a person can earn a considerable amount of money
I got hired Monday morning
I acquired a job on Monday morning
Downsized that afternoon
But was terminated from the role only that afternoon
Overcome with grief that evening
Emotionally overwhelmed and saddened that same night
Now I'm crazy as a loon
Presently, I am as mad as a loon
So I'm up here in the North Woods
Thus, now I am located in the northern forests
Just staring at a lake
Just gazing at a large body of water
Wondering just exactly how much
Contemplating to what extent
They think a man can take
The extent to which people perceive a person can endure
I eat fish to pass the time away
I consume fish as an activity to occupy my time
'Neath this blue Canadian moon
Under this blue moon located in Canada
This old world has made me crazy
This world in which we live in has made me insane
Lord, this world will make you crazy
My god, this world will make you lose your mind
Crazy as a loon
As mad as a loon
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOHN PRINE, PAT MCLAUGHLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
craig coffey
Back before I was a movie star
Straight off of the farm
I had a picture of another man's wife
Tattooed on my arm
With a pack of Camel cigarettes
In the sleeve of my tee shirt
I'm headin' out to Hollywood
Just to have my feelings hurt
That town will make you crazy
Just give it a little time
You'll be walking 'round in circles
Down at Hollywood and Vine
You'll be waitin' on a phone call
At the wrong end of a broom
Yes, that town'll make you crazy
Crazy as a loon
So, I headed down to Nashville
To become a country star
Every night you'd find me hangin'
At every honky-tonk and bar
Pretty soon I met a woman
Pretty soon she done me wrong
Pretty soon my life got sadder
Than any country song
That town will make you crazy
Just give it a little time
You'll be walking 'round in circles
Lookin' for that country rhyme
You'll be waitin' on a phone call
At the wrong end of a broom
Yea, that town'll make you crazy
Crazy as a loon
So, I gathered up my savvy
Bought myself a business suit
I headed up to New York City
Where a man can make some loot
I got hired Monday morning
Downsized that afternoon
Overcome with grief that evening
Now I'm crazy as a loon
So I'm up here in the north woods
Just staring at a lake
Wondering just exactly how much
They think a man can take
I eat fish to pass the time away
'Neath this blue Canadian moon
This old world has made me crazy
Crazy as a loon
Lord, this world will make you crazy
Crazy as a loon
Ruth Boykin
Love every song he ever sang! He had his own great style and unique voice!
Zachary Bunting
I broke the Satanic number.
John Prine is severly (and unfortunately likely) eternally underrated and unknown.
An impeccably honest man and a true artist, without the usual ego.
Robert Lopez
Yes indeed. 😉
john appleseed
He does a Christmas show in a small pub evry year
Watch this and Chill
One of all time great songwriters
Bryan Owens
The natural sadness in this guys voice gets me every time. Priceless.
brian lockwood
Us Libras....or not...
Sticks-of-TNT
@0:40 — “I had a picture of another man’s wife, tattooed on my arm.”🎵🎶
That line ALWAYS makes me laugh. 🧨
1952FMS
Yes sir life has made me crazy as a loon. Thanks, John for putting words to my life.
Zack
RIP John! You will be missed! Saw you and Leon Redbone in Nashville some years back. One of the best concerts i ever attended. My thoughts are with your family.