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.
Iron Ore Betty
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she's goin' steady with me
We receive our mail in the same mailbox
And we watch the same tv
I got rug burns on my elbows
She's got 'em on her knees
Yeah, I'm goin' steady with iron ore betty
And she's going steady with me.
Hey, I been pickin' my brains out
I been workin' at the hardware store
I been trying to put a chicken in the window
Chase away the wolf from the door
Betty's been down in the iron ore mine
Bringing home energy
Yeah, I'm goin' steady with iron ore betty
And she's goin' steady with me.
I been speaking to her in english
She's been speakin' in the english too
We always speak the same language
'cause we're always gettin' through
I met her at a dance at the union hall
It was a night with daddy g.
Yeah, I'm goin' steady with iron ore betty
And she's goin' steady with me.
The lyrics to John Prine's song "Iron Ore Betty" are a testament to the strength of a working-class relationship. The singer, presumably a blue-collar worker as is "Iron Ore Betty," is in a steady relationship with her. They share a mailbox and a TV, suggesting a cohabitation, and have scars from their respective jobs - rug burns on his elbows and on her knees from mining.
The second verse shows the realities of their lives. The singer works at a hardware store while Betty works in an iron ore mine, a physically demanding job. Both are working hard to make ends meet, with the singer trying to sell a chicken to make money and Betty bringing home energy from the mine. Yet, they remain committed to each other.
The final verse highlights their mutual understanding and ability to connect with one another. They both speak English, the language of the country they live in, but with their own unique accents and dialects. They met at a dance at the union hall, a place where workers bond and struggle for fair wages and benefits. Despite the hardships they face, the singer and Betty are devoted to each other.
Overall, "Iron Ore Betty" is a love song of a different stripe. Rather than relying on romantic cliches, the song celebrates the gritty, everyday love of two working-class Americans.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going steady with iron ore Betty
I am in a committed romantic relationship with a woman named Betty who works in the iron ore industry.
And she's going steady with me
Betty is also in a committed romantic relationship with me.
We receive our mail in the same mailbox
Betty and I live together and share a mailbox.
And we watch the same TV
Betty and I enjoy watching television together.
I got rug burns on my elbows
I have a physical mark on my elbows from spending time on the carpet, likely due to intimacy with Betty.
She's got 'em on her knees
Betty also has physical marks on her knees from spending time on the floor, likely due to intimacy with me.
Hey, I been pickin' my brains out
I have been working very hard, possibly at a mentally demanding job.
I been workin' at the hardware store
I am employed at a store that sells hardware and home improvement items.
I been tryin' to put a chicken in the window
I am attempting to attract customers to the store by advertising a sale on chicken supplies.
Chase away the wolf from the door
I am working hard to avoid financial instability and hardship.
Betty's been down in the iron ore mine
Betty works in a physically demanding job in the mining industry at an iron ore mine.
Bringing home energy
Betty's hard work at the mine provides her with the energy needed to sustain her life and relationships.
I been speaking to her in English
Betty and I both communicate with each other in the English language.
She's been speakin' in the English too
Betty and I are able to easily communicate with each other because we both speak the same language.
We always speak the same language
Betty and I are able to easily understand and communicate with each other because we both speak English fluently.
'Cause we're always gettin' through
Our relationship is strong because we are able to communicate effectively.
I met her at a dance at the union hall
I first encountered and became interested in Betty when we were both attending a dance held at the union hall.
It was a night with Daddy G
The dance that Betty and I met at was hosted by a musician (or group) named Daddy G, who was playing music that night.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: John E Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind