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.
Only Love
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some folks do
You may dream a dream that's twice your size
All night through
When the morning comes who's to tell your dreams to
Only you
[Chorus]
Will do
Only love, love only, only love
Comes true
Nothing else, you see, there nothing else
Only love, only love
I have known a love within my heart
One or two
Where one love would end and one would start
I never knew
If love should come your way you'll learn to say
I love you I love you
[Chorus x 2]
In "Only Love", John Prine captures the essence of the power of love. The song is a call to value and appreciate the power of love in our lives. In the opening verses, Prine uses metaphors to show how love is often an individual journey. Everyone has their unique path towards finding love, and no one can understand it fully except for the person going through it. You can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely, but love is the only thing that can fill that void in your heart.
The chorus of the song emphasizes how love is the only thing that really matters. Love is the one thing that can make all your dreams come true. The phrase "only love" is repeated over and over again to drive the point home. The second verse further highlights the transformative power of love. It talks about how when you find love, you no longer feel alone. Even though relationships can start and end, the love within your heart never ends. The chorus is repeated again, this time with a stronger emphasis on how nothing else but love matters.
"Only Love" is a timeless song that speaks to people of all ages and backgrounds. It reminds us that in a world full of chaos, love is the one thing that can bring us together.
Line by Line Meaning
You may live alone and close your eyes
You might choose to live on your own while disregarding others to spend time with yourself.
Some folks do
This is common, and you're not alone in this choice of lifestyle.
You may dream a dream that's twice your size
You could have aspirations that seem impossible to achieve but still continue to dream them.
All night through
Throughout the night, you are engrossed in this dream, and it consumes your being.
When the morning comes who's to tell your dreams to
You wake up from the dream in the morning, and there isn't anyone to share it with or inform about it.
Only you
The dream was only for you to experience, and no one else can ever understand or experience it.
[Chorus]
Love is the only thing that matters in life.
Only love, love only, only love
Only love can fulfill the needs of your heart.
Will do
Nothing else in this world can make you feel complete other than love.
Comes true
Love is the one thing in life that provides meaning, and it has the power to transform our lives.
Nothing else, you see, there's nothing else
There is no other feeling that comes close to the warmth and joy that love brings.
Only love, only love
Love is the essence of life.
I have known a love within my heart
The singer has experienced the feeling of love and understands its significance.
One or two
The singer has been in love with one or two people in their life.
Where one love would end and one would start
When one relationship would end, the singer would immediately start another.
I never knew
The artist admits to not understanding the complexities of love.
If love should come your way you'll learn to say
When love finds you, you'll finally understand its true value.
I love you, I love you
The three most powerful words in the world - love, when expressed through these words, can change lives and impact the world in countless ways.
[Chorus x 2]
Reiteration of the fact that only love matters in life and nothing else can bring true happiness.
Lyrics © GOOD MUSIC PUBLISHING, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: ROGER F. COOK, SANDY MASON, JOHN PRINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Gravitt
My beautiful bride walked down the aisle to this song. I cried at each step she took, each word John sang. And I still cry with joy each time we listen to it.
Joe Emery
This might be John's purest vocal performance. Gorgeous.
Kristi Jones
Beautiful love song, never cease to amaze me with such great talent and songs.
Stephen Ballantyne
One of JPs beautiful songs.❣️🕉️
Deborah Thompson
A beautiful treasure ❤️
Joe Priestle
So simple yet so beautiful.
Spotted Lizard
Just another great relative song written by a great lyricist!
Sandra Hewlett
Only love comes true~💕
Sold to be Diers
''It is in love that we are made, in love we disappear.'' -Leonard Cohen 32219
Gregor Miller
Suzanne :)