John Edward Prine (October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer… Read Full Bio ↴John Edward Prine (October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He was known for an often humorous style of original music that has elements of protest and social commentary.

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.

Crooked Piece of Time
John Prine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Things got rough
Things got tough
Things got harder than hard
We were just trying to make a livin'
In our back yard

We were born too late died to soon
Anxiety's a terrible crime

If you don't come now don't come at all
'cause it's a crooked piece of time.

It's a crooked piece of time that we live in
A crooked piece of time
All in all and all in all
It's a crooked piece of time.

Yesterday morning an ill wind came
Blew your picture
Right out of the picture frame
Even blew the candle out

From underneath the flame
Yesterday morning an ill wind came.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to John Prine's song "Crooked Piece of Time" describe the struggles of everyday people just trying to make a living in difficult and trying times. The opening lines, "Things got rough, things got tough, things got harder than hard, we were just trying to make a livin' in our back yard" set the tone for the rest of the song. These lines signify that life isn't always easy and that people have to work hard just to get by.

The next lines, "We were born too late died too soon, anxiety's a terrible crime, if you don't come now don't come at all 'cause it's a crooked piece of time" speak to the idea that life isn't always fair. The line "anxiety's a terrible crime" is particularly poignant in our current times, as anxiety is something that many people struggle with on a daily basis. The idea that time is crooked further illustrates the trials and tribulations of life and the fact that nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it seems.

The final verse, "Yesterday morning an ill wind came, blew your picture right out of the picture frame, even blew the candle out from underneath the flame, yesterday morning an ill wind came" further reinforces the idea that life is unpredictable and often throws us curveballs that we aren't prepared for. The image of the ill wind coming and blowing everything out of place is a powerful metaphor for the chaos that can sometimes seem to consume our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Things got rough
Life got challenging

Things got tough
Life got even more challenging

Things got harder than hard
Life got exceedingly difficult

We were just trying to make a livin'
We were just trying to survive

In our back yard
In our own small world

We were born too late died too soon
We didn't get enough time to enjoy life

Anxiety's a terrible crime
Feeling anxious is a terrible thing

If you don't come now don't come at all
If you can't make it now, don't bother

'cause it's a crooked piece of time.
Because life is unpredictable

It's a crooked piece of time that we live in
Life is unpredictable

A crooked piece of time
An uncertain time period