Paradise
John Prine Lyrics
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Down to Western Kentucky where my parents were born
And there's a backwards old town that's often remembered
So many times that my memories are worn
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Well, sometimes we'd travel right down the Green River
To the abandoned old prison down by Airdrie Hill
Where the air smelled like snakes and we'd shoot with our pistols
But empty pop bottles was all we would kill
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away
Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel
And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
Well, they dug for their coal 'til the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away
When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester Dam
I'll be halfway to Heaven with Paradise waitin'
Just five miles away from wherever I am
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away
The song "Paradise" by John Prine is a nostalgic reflection on the destruction of the natural beauty and way of life in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky due to the coal industry. In the first verse, Prine remembers his childhood trips to the town where his parents were born, but laments the town's disappearance due to the coal train hauling away the land. In the second verse, he reminisces about playing by an abandoned prison that now smells like snakes, and again wishes to return to the green river and the "paradise" that once was.
The third verse takes a more political tone, as Prine describes the coal company's destruction of the land and the resulting devastation. The final verse speaks to the desire to return to paradise even in death, but again the father denies the request, highlighting the permanent loss caused by the coal industry.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a child my family would travel
As a child, my parents would travel with me to Western Kentucky.
Down to Western Kentucky where my parents were born
We would travel to the birthplace of my parents in Western Kentucky.
And there's a backwards old town that's often remembered
In that area, there is a town known for its rural and outdated ways.
So many times that my memories are worn
I remember the town so vividly that my memories have become faded over time.
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
I wish my dad would take me back to Muhlenberg County.
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Where everything was once pristine, pure, and untouched.
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Unfortunately, we cannot go back to that time and place anymore.
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away
The coal company has ravaged the land, leaving nothing of its former beauty.
Well, sometimes we'd travel right down the Green River
Sometimes we'd take a trip down the Green River.
To the abandoned old prison down by Airdrie Hill
To an abandoned prison located near Airdrie Hill.
Where the air smelled like snakes and we'd shoot with our pistols
The air smelled of reptiles, and we'd engage in target practice with our pistols.
But empty pop bottles was all we would kill
Fortunately, the only things we managed to hit were empty bottles of soda.
Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel
The arrival of the coal company meant that they brought in some of the largest machinery possible.
And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
They ravaged the land by cutting down trees and stripping it of its natural resources.
Well, they dug for their coal 'til the land was forsaken
They mined for all the coal available, leaving behind a ruined and abandoned land.
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man
The destruction they caused was seen as progress, a benefit to mankind.
When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
When I pass away, I want my ashes to be scattered down the Green River.
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester Dam
I want my soul to journey up the river to the Rochester Dam.
I'll be halfway to Heaven with Paradise waitin'
In this way, I'll be halfway towards heaven, with Paradise being my final destination.
Just five miles away from wherever I am
From wherever I may be, Paradise will only be five miles away.
And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
One more time, I'm asking my dad to take me back to Muhlenberg County.
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
I still desire to visit the once beautiful, unspoiled land of Muhlenberg County by the Green River.
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
I'm sorry but that is just not possible anymore.
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away
The coal company destroyed everything, and paradise is now long gone.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@schmoyoho
RIP to a legend, the music lives on ❤️
@neil676
It's nice to see the respect, Schmoyoho. RIP John Prine.
@pavelow235
AutoTune the News, likes John Prine, thanks for listening, been a fan for 10 years or so of both John Prine and Schmoyoho.
@shawns.2054
Neil Young plays a martin guitar like that..........
@peterbetts858
i know a guy , hes got plenty to lose , hes got muscles in his head hes Never even used ,Thinks he Owns 1/2 of this town , Starts drinkin Heavy gets a big red nose ,slaps his ole lady with a rubber hose ,then he takes her out to dinner bys her new clothes , thats the way some peoples world goes round . i aint got a therapist , that works for me n i get by just fine , just watch and see . if i get down n blue ,i just sing Johnny , Thats the way that my world goes Round . Thank You J. P .
@mcopado
My dad was a coal miner in west Virginia in the 40's... he took over his dad's spot at 16 when he was injured.. I grew up hearing his stories of life in the company town... when I first heard this song, it was like my dad was telling me that his town was gone... My heart is breaking tonight to hear that you're gone... thank you for all the years of music... sleep well, sir.
@joecrunkleton596
Well said. My friend.
@poppyneese1811
West Virginian here, I’ll never forget the morning we had a neighbor come to our house to tell us uncle John had been killed that morning going in the mine checking the roof, using a slate bar he tried to pull down a little lose piece of slate, what came down on him was a 19 ton rock, 3 more years and he’d been able to retire, his breathing was already gone, his sight wasn’t good anymore and Consolidated Coal sent a nice flower arrangement to the funeral home, closed casket he was crushed real bad the miners that pulled his body out of the Bishop mine. said. A couple years later the Coal ran out, Consolidated Coal left so did all the young folks and the retired miners slowly died tied to oxygen bottles sitting on their front porches. Something about this song makes me think about how in just one beautiful fall morning with MOMA’s white sheets hanging on the clothesline out back she told me just a 7 year old boy to take down the sheets and me and her walked to the head of the hollar where most of the camp waited with us and his wife Margie all that day for them to bring out uncle Johns body bag on the little flat bed car pulled by the same little motor car that took him in early that morning. I felt like when I heard Mr. John had passed our Country lost the working man’s Shakespeare, there were no billowing sheets to take off the line, just sit on the porch and pull up Mr. Johns videos on the internets and say goodbye to an old friend I never met.🙏
@joecrunkleton596
@Poppy Neese God bless.
@aljcamp
John will never be gone to me.