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.
If You Don
John Prine Lyrics
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Would I send you yellow roses
Would I dare to kiss your hand?
In the morning would I caress you
As the wind caresses the sand
If you were the woman and I was the man?
If I was the heart and you were the head
If one day I decided to shed
These walls that surround me
Just to see where these feelings led
If I was the heart and you were the head?
If I was the woman and you were the man
Would I laugh if you came to me
With your heart in your hand
And said, 'I offer you this freely
And will give you all that I can
Because you are the woman
And I am the man?'
The song "If You Don't Want My Love" by John Prine is a heartfelt exploration of love and gender role expectations. The lyrics present different scenarios where traditional gender roles are flipped in order to question what would happen if the roles were reversed.
The first verse is about a man and a woman in a romantic relationship, and the man questions how he would treat the woman if their roles were reversed. He asks if he would be romantic and affectionate towards her, sending her yellow roses and kissing her hand. He compares his actions to the gentle caress of the wind on sand, suggesting the intimacy of the relationship. This verse highlights the expectation that the man should be the pursuer and the romantic one in a heterosexual relationship.
The second verse switches to metaphorical roles of the heart and head, exploring the idea that emotions and rationality are often perceived as gendered traits, with women typically viewed as more emotional and men as more rational. The singer questions if his actions in pursuing his emotions would be considered foolish by the more rational party, suggesting the tension between the two opposing expectations.
In the final verse, the roles are again reversed, with the woman offering her love to a man who appears vulnerable and more emotional. The suggestion is that she would accept him with open arms, in the same way that she is seen as more emotional and accepting in their gender roles.
The song is a poignant reminder of the gendered expectations surrounding love and relationships, and the pressure to conform to traditional roles.
Line by Line Meaning
If you were the woman and I was the man
If our genders were reversed, would I treat you with the same care and respect?
Would I send you yellow roses
Would I go out of my way to make you feel loved and appreciated?
Would I dare to kiss your hand?
Would I be brave enough to show you physical affection and tenderness?
In the morning would I caress you
Would I wake up early just to be with you and show you affection?
As the wind caresses the sand
Would I be gentle and nurturing with you, like how the wind treats the sand?
If I was the heart and you were the head
If I were more emotional and you were more logical, would you accept me for who I am?
Would you think me very foolish
Would you judge or belittle me for showing my emotions?
If one day I decided to shed
If I opened up to you and showed you my vulnerable side, would you accept me?
These walls that surround me
The emotional barriers that I've put up to protect myself
Just to see where these feelings led
Would you be willing to explore a deeper, emotional connection with me?
If I was the woman and you were the man
If our genders were reversed, would you treat me with respect and show me emotional support?
Would I laugh if you came to me
Would I make fun of you if you showed me emotional vulnerability?
With your heart in your hand
Willing to show me your love and emotional vulnerability
'And I offer you this freely
Willing to give me your heart openly and honestly
And will give you all that I can
Willing to provide me with love and emotional support
Because you are the woman
Acknowledging my feminine qualities and showing me respect
And I am the man?'
Acknowledging your masculine qualities and showing you emotional support
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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