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.

Late John Garfield Blues
John Prine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Black faces pressed against the glass
Where rain has pressed it's weight
Wind blown scarves in top down cars
All share one western trait

Sadness leaks through tear-stained cheeks
From winos to dime-store Jews
Probably don't know they give me

These late John Garfield blues

Midnight fell on Franklin Street
And the lamppost bulbs were broke
For the life of me, I could not see
But I heard a brand new joke

Two men were standing upon a bridge
One jumped and screamed you lose
And just left the odd man holding
Those late John Garfield blues

An old man sleeps with his conscience at night
Young kids sleep with their dreams
While the mentally ill sit perfectly still
And live through life's in-betweens

I'm going away to the last resort
In a week or two, real soon
Where the fish don't bite but once a night
By the cold light of the moon

The horses scream the nightmares dream
And the dead men all wear shoes

'Cause everybody's dancin'
Those late John Garfield blues

Overall Meaning

John Prine's song The Late John Garfield Blues is a hauntingly poignant reflection on life’s struggles and disappointments. The lyrics paint a melancholic portrait of people’s lives on the fringes of society, observing them from a distance through a window or a windshield, where the rain has “pressed its weight.” The dreary scenes include black faces, wind-blown scarves in top-down cars, winos, and dime-store Jews who share a common trait of sadness that leaks through their tear-stained cheeks. Prine’s admiration for the legendary actor John Garfield is evident, and he uses his name to symbolize the angst and despair that pervade people's lives, which apparently goes unnoticed by those who suffer from it.

The second verse of “The Late John Garfield Blues” takes us to a mildly comedic scene that changes the mood slightly, but not enough to distract us from the song's overall melancholic tone. The singer encounters a broken lamp on Franklin Street and overhears a new joke, of men standing on a bridge, one of whom jumps and screams, “you lose,” leaving the third man “holding those late John Garfield Blues.” The scene shifts back to mournfulness, with the last verse detailing a range of people and their paths to coping with life's difficulties. The old man sleeping with his conscience reflects on a full life, while young kids sleep with their dreams, and the mentally ill sit still and suffer. The singer, who doesn't seem to have much left for him, is "going away to the last resort,” looking for solitude and a place “where the fish don't bite but once a night.”

Line by Line Meaning

Black faces pressed against the glass
People of color peering through windows due to inclement weather.

Where rain has pressed it's weight
The rain is falling so hard that it is literally weighing down upon the glass.

Wind blown scarves in top down cars
People in convertibles wearing scarves to keep the wind from their faces.

All share one western trait
A common trait in the western United States.

Sadness leaks through tear-stained cheeks
Crying individuals show signs of deep sadness.

From winos to dime-store Jews
From drunken people to those of Jewish descent who are in poverty.

Probably don't know they give me
The other characters in the story are unaware that their actions affect the singer.

These late John Garfield blues
The artist is down and out (perhaps as was the late John Garfield).

Midnight fell on Franklin Street
It's midnight and the artist is on Franklin Street.

And the lamppost bulbs were broke
The bulbs on the streetlights were broken.

For the life of me, I could not see
It was too dark to see anything properly.

But I heard a brand new joke
Despite being unable to see, the artist heard a new joke.

Two men were standing upon a bridge
Two men are on a bridge.

One jumped and screamed you lose
One of the men jumped off the bridge, figuratively losing a game or bet.

And just left the odd man holding
The other man is the odd one out, left standing on the bridge.

Those late John Garfield blues
The artist's blues continue, being likened to those that the late John Garfield may have had in his life.

An old man sleeps with his conscience at night
An elderly man is able to sleep well at night, likely due to being at peace with himself and his actions.

Young kids sleep with their dreams
Children are free to dream and experience a sense of hope.

While the mentally ill sit perfectly still
Those with mental health issues sit still and experience a sense of despair.

And live through life's in-betweens
People simply exist in between the ups and downs of life.

I'm going away to the last resort
The artist is planning to go somewhere as a final chance to turn things around.

In a week or two, real soon
The artist is leaving very soon.

Where the fish don't bite but once a night
The place the singer is going doesn't seem to have many fish, so they will only bite once per night.

By the cold light of the moon
The moon appears to be the only light source available in this location.

The horses scream the nightmares dream
Horses and dreams mix together in the singer's mind to create a sense of unease.

And the dead men all wear shoes
Even the dead wear shoes, which represents a sense of finality and respect.

'Cause everybody's dancin'
Despite everything else, everyone is still dancing and living life as best they can.

Those late John Garfield blues
The blues that the artist is experiencing continue to plague them, much like the late actor John Garfield may have felt in his lifetime.

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