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.

Dear John
John Prine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I woke up this morning
There was a note upon my door
Saying " Don't make me no coffee, Babe
Cause I won't be back no more"

And that's all she wrote
"Dear John", I sent your saddle home"

Now Jonah got along in the belly of a whale
Daniel in the lion's den
I know a guy that didn't try to get along
And he won't get a chance again

That's all she wrote
"Dear John", I sent your saddle home"

She didn't forward no address
No she never said goodbye
All she said was "If you get blue
Just hang your little head and cry"

That's all she wrote
"Dear John", I sent your saddle home"

Now my gal's short and stubby
She's mean as she can be
If that little old gal of mine
Ever gets a hold of me

That's all she wrote
"Dear John", I fetched your saddle home"

Went down to the bank this morning
The cashier said with a grin
I'm sorry for you Little John
But your wife has done been in

That's all she wrote
"Dear John", I sent your saddle home"

That's all she wrote
"Dear John", I sent your saddle home"

Overall Meaning

The song "Dear John" by John Prine is a poignant tale of heartbreak and abandonment. The lyrics describe the singer waking up to find a note on his door from his lover, explaining that she will not be returning and not to make her coffee. The chorus repeats the line "That's all she wrote, 'Dear John', I sent your saddle home," further emphasizing the finality of the situation.

Prine masterfully weaves in references to biblical tales of survival, first with Jonah in the belly of the whale and then with Daniel in the lion's den. He contrasts these with a man who did not try to get along and, as a result, will not get another chance. This could be interpreted as a warning that the singer should have tried harder to keep his relationship together, or perhaps as a reminder that sometimes things simply do not work out.

The final verses reveal that the lover has not only left, but has not provided any contact information or a goodbye. Instead, she tells the singer to "just hang your little head and cry." The last verse brings in a humorous twist, with the singer describing his "mean" and "short and stubby" wife who "ever gets a hold of me." The song ends with the singer receiving news at the bank that his wife has already been in, confirming that she has indeed left him.

Overall, "Dear John" is a wonderfully written and performed song that captures the painful experience of heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

When I woke up this morning
When I woke up today

There was a note upon my door
There was a letter on my door

Saying " Don't make me no coffee, Babe Cause I won't be back no more"
It said, "Don't make me coffee, Babe; I won't be back anymore"

And that's all she wrote "Dear John", I sent your saddle home"
That's the end of the letter. It said, "Dear John," and I returned your saddle

Now Jonah got along in the belly of a whale Daniel in the lion's den I know a guy that didn't try to get along And he won't get a chance again
Jonah survived inside a whale, Daniel in the midst of lions. But some people don't try to get along and never get another opportunity

She didn't forward no address No she never said goodbye All she said was "If you get blue Just hang your little head and cry"
She didn't give me a forwarding address or say goodbye. She just told me to cry if I feel sad

That's all she wrote "Dear John", I sent your saddle home"
That's the end of her letter. It said, "Dear John," and I returned your saddle

Now my gal's short and stubby She's mean as she can be If that little old gal of mine Ever gets a hold of me
My girl is short, chubby, and mean. If she catches me, I'm in trouble

That's all she wrote "Dear John", I fetched your saddle home"
That's the end of the letter. It said, "Dear John," and I brought your saddle home

Went down to the bank this morning The cashier said with a grin I'm sorry for you Little John But your wife has done been in
I went to the bank today, and the cashier told me with a smile that my wife was there

That's all she wrote "Dear John", I sent your saddle home"
That's the end of the letter. It said, "Dear John," and I returned your saddle

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AUBREY A. GASS, TEX RITTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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