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.
Picture Show
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a very large imagination
Lay alone in his room with his radio on
Looking for another station
When the static from the mouthpiece
Gave way to the sound below
James Dean went out to Hollywood
And put his picture in a Picture Show.
And put his picture in a Picture Show.
[Chorus]
And it's oh Daddy get off of your knees
Mamma why'd you have to go
Your darling Jim is out a limb
I put my picture in a Picture Show
Whoa ho! Put my picture in a Picture Show
Hamburgers cheeseburgers
Wilbur and Orville Wright
John Garfield in the afternoon
Montgomery Clift at night
When the static hit the mouthpiece
Gave way to the sound below
James Dean went out to Hollywood
And put his picture in a picture show.
[Chorus]
A Mocca man in a wigwam sitting on a Reservation.
With a big black hole in the belly of his soul
Waiting on an explanation
While the white man sits on his fat can
And takes pictures of the Navajo
Every time he clicks his Kodak pics
He steals a little bit of soul.
Every time he clicks his Kodak pics
He steals a little bit of soul.
[Chorus]
Yie Hi! Put my picture in a picture show
Here we go!
A young man from a small town
With a very large imagination
In John Prine's song "Picture Show," Prine paints a picture of a young man from a small town with a vivid imagination. The young man lays in his room with the radio on, looking for another station when he hears static from the mouthpiece. That static gives way to a program that resonates with him – James Dean went to Hollywood and put his picture in a picture show. The young man, who has big aspirations just like James Dean, puts his picture in a picture show too. The chorus asks his parents, "why'd you have to go" and tells his dad to get off of his knees, indicating that he is not looking for their approval or blessing for his dreams.
The second verse switches gears and references other cultural touchpoints, such as hamburgers, the Wright brothers, John Garfield, and Montgomery Clift. These references broaden the song's scope of the obsession with celebrity and fame, which was rampant in the time period at which this song was written. The last verse touches on Native American exploitation by the white man through photography, which mystified and romanticized the Native American population. The last chorus repeats the desire to put a picture in a picture show.
Overall, "Picture Show" has many layers, touching on themes of aspiration, the power of celebrity, and the exploitation of Native American culture. Prine's lyrics are poetic and invite the listener to think about the deeper meanings behind the images he creates.
Line by Line Meaning
A young man from a small town
The song talks about a young man who comes from a small town.
With a very large imagination
This young man has a very vivid and active imagination.
Lay alone in his room with his radio on
He would lie alone in his room with the radio playing.
Looking for another station
He was looking for something new and interesting to listen to.
When the static from the mouthpiece
When the static noise from the radio stopped the mouthpiece...
Gave way to the sound below
...he could hear the sound that was playing below it.
James Dean went out to Hollywood
The song talks about James Dean and how he went to Hollywood.
And put his picture in a Picture Show.
He put his picture in the movies.
And it's oh Daddy get off of your knees
This line is part of the chorus and doesn't have a literal meaning.
Mamma why'd you have to go
This line is part of the chorus and doesn't have a literal meaning.
Your darling Jim is out a limb
This line is part of the chorus and doesn't have a literal meaning.
I put my picture in a Picture Show
This line is part of the chorus and doesn't have a literal meaning.
Whoa ho! Put my picture in a Picture Show
This line is part of the chorus and doesn't have a literal meaning.
Hamburgers cheeseburgers
This line might be referring to fast food chains and how American culture has taken over.
Wilbur and Orville Wright
This line is referring to the Wright Brothers who were American inventors and pioneers of aviation.
John Garfield in the afternoon
John Garfield was an actor who appeared in many films in the 1930s and 1940s.
Montgomery Clift at night
Montgomery Clift was an actor who appeared in many films in the 1940s and 1950s.
A Mocca man in a wigwam sitting on a Reservation.
This line might be referring to the Native American people and how they aren't treated fairly in American society.
With a big black hole in the belly of his soul
This line might be referring to the struggles that the Native American people have faced.
Waiting on an explanation
The Native American people are waiting for an explanation as to why they have been treated poorly.
While the white man sits on his fat can
This line might be referring to how white people in America are comfortable and not struggling like the Native American people.
And takes pictures of the Navajo
This line might be referring to how the Native American people are exploited and not treated as equals.
Every time he clicks his Kodak pics
This line is referring to how white people are taking pictures of the Native American people.
He steals a little bit of soul.
This line is suggesting that every time someone takes a picture of the Native American people, they are stealing a little bit of their soul.
Yie Hi! Put my picture in a picture show
This line is part of the chorus and doesn't have a literal meaning.
Here we go!
This line is part of the chorus and doesn't have a literal meaning.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: John E Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tracy Harmon
It does not get better than John Prine and Tom Petty. Good heavens, we should treasure this forever.
Harry Green
You are so right
Jim Wright
I'm still having a difficult time dealing with the loss of both of these wonderful artists!
Two of my all-time favorites.
😢💔
Ricky Zeichner
Never knew they collaborated! A great song if you think about it! RIP to both John and Tom, two amazing singers! Gone but never forgotten!
jinny roesch
Two of my favorite
vocalists, two of my favorite performers, all right here on one of my favorite songs. Bet its cool to jam in heaven... RIP fellas.. Such a loss
Stephen
John Prine is now living in a much higher, finer realm than us-- which, ironically, was the source of all the music he brought us for all these years. People will still be listening to John Prine sing his songs two hundred years from now.
cliff sweezey
Just heard the news of John's passing, so bummed, another great one gone too soon. One of the greatest songwriters ever, combining wisdom, insight and sensitivity with a great sense of humor. Now JP & TP can jam again in that great gig in the sky.
Four - Q
John Prine was the artist's artist. Everyone wanted to sing with John or sing his songs. I have a feeling now that he's passed on his music will be rediscovered.
Ken Ztopolovky
I did . I never knew of John Prine and I love listening to him know . What an artist he was.
AthensWalkerblog
I had listened of him but never took the time to discover. Tom Petty brought me here and now I'm not leaving.