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.
He Was in Heaven Before He Died
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Draped over the graveyard
Where all the dead sailors
Wait for their brides
And the cold bitter snow
Has strangled each grass blade
Where the salt from their tears
And I smiled on the Wabash
The last time I passed it
Yes, I gave her a wink
From the passenger side
And my foot fell asleep
As I swallowed my candy
Knowing he was in Heaven
Before he died
Now a harbor's on fire
With the dreams and desires
Of a thousand young poets
Who failed 'cause they tried
For a rhyme without reason
Floats down to the bottom
Where the scavengers eat 'em
And wash in with the tide
And I smiled on the Wabash
The last time I passed it
Yes, I gave her a wink
From the passenger side
And my foot fell asleep
As I swallowed my candy
Knowing he was in Heaven
Before he died
The sun can play tricks
With your eyes on the highway
The moon can lay sideways
Till the ocean stands still
But a person can't tell
His best friend he loves him
Till time has stopped breathing
You're alone on the hill
And I smiled on the Wabash
The last time I passed it
Yes, I gave her a wink
From the passenger side
And my foot fell asleep
As I swallowed my candy
Knowing he was in Heaven
Before he died
In "He Was in Heaven Before He Died," John Prine sings about the passing of time and the inevitability of death. The opening lines introduce a graveyard where the remains of sailors have been laid to rest, waiting for their brides. The imagery of babies draped over the graveyard in a rainbow suggests that death is a part of life's cycle. The next lines describe how the snow has strangled the grass, and the sailors' tears have washed away with the tide, signifying the impermanence of life.
As the song continues, it's apparent that the singer is reflecting on his own mortality. He reminisces about a trip on the Wabash and remembers giving a wink to someone in the passenger seat. His foot falls asleep as he swallows candy, a sensory detail that grounds the song in reality. The lines "knowing he was in Heaven before he died" suggest a sense of acceptance that life and death are out of our control.
Later, Prine summarizes how people's dreams and desires can sometimes meet a cruel fate, even after giving their best try. As a result, even the words of young poets are eaten up by scavengers and washed in with the tide. The frustration of lost dreams is a common theme in many of Prine's songs. In the final stanza, the singer comes to terms with the finality of death and the importance of expressing love to those close to you while you can. The lines "till time has stopped breathing you're alone on the hill" suggest that time doesn't wait for anyone, and it's essential to cherish your loved ones while they're still present.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a rainbow of babies
There are many young children who represent hope and joy for the future
Draped over the graveyard
Surrounding the place of death and mourning
Where all the dead sailors
Referencing the military and those who have died at sea
Wait for their brides
Ready to be reunited with their loved ones in the afterlife
And the cold bitter snow
Representing the harsh reality and struggles of life
Has strangled each grass blade
Suggesting that nature has equally suffered in the face of death and loss
Where the salt from their tears
Symbolizing the emotional anguish and pain of those who mourn
Washed out with the tide
Being lost and forgotten over time
And I smiled on the Wabash
Looking back on a fond memory with nostalgia
The last time I passed it
The moment when this particular memory was formed
Yes, I gave her a wink
A playful gesture to the person in his memory
From the passenger side
A detail that adds to the visual and emotional impact of the memory
And my foot fell asleep
An insignificant detail that adds to the authenticity of the memory
As I swallowed my candy
A minor action with no significant meaning
Knowing he was in Heaven
Feeling confident that the person from his memory found peace and happiness
Before he died
Implying that the person passed away before their time, but still managed to find peace
Now a harbor's on fire
A chaotic and destructive scene
With the dreams and desires
The ambitions and hopes of many young people
Of a thousand young poets
Representing the creative and passionate souls of the world
Who failed 'cause they tried
Implying that their dreams and passions were not realistically achievable
For a rhyme without reason
A metaphor for life's randomness and lack of logic
Floats down to the bottom
Sinking to the lowest point of existence
Where the scavengers eat 'em
Being taken advantage of by those who seek to benefit from others' failures
And wash in with the tide
Eventually being forgotten and lost over time
The sun can play tricks
Highlighting the fleeting and subjective nature of reality
With your eyes on the highway
A common and relatable experience when travelling
The moon can lay sideways
A surreal and unexpected moment
Till the ocean stands still
A poetic and exaggerated image
But a person can't tell
A regretful realization
His best friend he loves him
A declaration of affection
Till time has stopped breathing
Waiting until it is too late to express those feelings
You're alone on the hill
Left with a sense of isolation and unease
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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