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.
I Love You So Much It Hurts
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darling that's why I'm so blue
I'm so afraid to go to bed at night
Afraid of losing you
I love you so much it hurts me
And there's nothing I can do
I want to hold you my dear
Forever and ever
I love you so much it hurts me so
I love you so much it hurts me
And there's nothing I can do
I want to hold you my dear
Forever and ever
I want to hold you my dear
Forever and ever
I love you so much it hurts me so
The lyrics of John Prine's song "I Love You So Much It Hurts" reflect the feelings of a man who deeply loves his partner. His love is so intense that it causes him pain, and he is afraid of losing her. The phrase "I love you so much it hurts me" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the depth of his emotions. The lyricist is aware that there is nothing he can do about the intensity of his love, and expresses his desire to hold her forever. His fear of losing her manifests as the songs refrain, "I'm so afraid to go to bed at night."
The song's lyrics capture the essence of what it feels like to be caught in the throes of an intensely loving relationship. Despite the fear and pain, the love he has for his partner is all-consuming and all-encompassing, and he cannot help but express it. John Prine's delivery of the song is slow and deliberate, allowing listeners to fully absorb the weight of the lyrics' meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you so much it hurts me
My love for you is so strong that it causes me emotional pain
Darling that's why I'm so blue
My sadness is caused by the intensity of my love for you
I'm so afraid to go to bed at night
I fear that if I am separated from you even for a moment, I will lose you forever
Afraid of losing you
I am terrified of the possibility that we may be separated
And there's nothing I can do
There is nothing I can do to reduce the intensity of my love and the associated pain
I want to hold you my dear
I want to be physically close to you always
Forever and ever
I want this physical closeness to last for eternity
I love you so much it hurts me so
My love for you is so intense that it causes me unbearable pain
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: FLOYD TILLMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind