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.
Please Don
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put on my slippers
Walked in the kitchen and died
And oh what a feeling!
When my soul went through the ceiling
And on up into heaven I did ride
When I got there they did say
John, it happened this way
And hit your head
And all the angels say
Just before you passed away
These were the very last words
That you said
Please don't bury me
Down in the cold cold ground
No, I'd druther have 'em cut me up
And pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane
And the blind can have my eyes
And the deaf can take both of my ears
If they don't mind the size
Give my stomach to Milwaukee
If they run out of beer
Put my socks in a cedar box
Just get 'em out of here
Venus de Milo can have my arms
Look out! I've got your nose
Sell my heart to the Junkman
And give my love to Rose
But please don't bury me
Down in that cold, cold ground
No, I'd druther have 'em cut me up
And pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane
And the blind can have my eyes
And the deaf can take both of my ears
If they don't mind the size
Give my feet to the footloose
Careless, fancy free
Give my knees to the needy
Don't pull that stuff on me
Hand me down my walking cane
It's a sin to tell a lie
Send my mouth way down south
And kiss my ass goodbye
But please don't bury me
Down in that cold cold ground
No, I'd druther have 'em cut me up
And pass me all around
Throw my brain in a hurricane
And the blind can have my eyes
And the deaf can take both of my ears
If they don't mind the size
In John Prine's song "Please Don't Bury Me," the singer describes his bizarre funeral requests after he dies. He begins the song by saying he died after slipping and hitting his head in the kitchen. When he arrives in heaven, he begs the angels not to bury him in the ground because he doesn't believe in a traditional burial. Instead, he asks for his body parts to be donated to anyone who might need them. He humorously suggests throwing his brain in a hurricane, giving his stomach to Milwaukee for when they run out of beer, and giving his love to Rose. He ends the song by encouraging the listener to "give my mouth way down south and kiss my ass goodbye."
The song is a lighthearted take on the funeral industry and traditional burial practices. It highlights the singer's desire to have his body parts donated to those who need them and his belief that traditional burial is a waste. The song can also be interpreted as a commentary on the value of life and the importance of organ donation.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up this morning
The singer is describing the start of his day.
Put on my slippers
The singer got out of bed and put on his comfortable footwear.
Walked in the kitchen and died
The singer figuratively died (perhaps due to being startled or overwhelmed) upon entering the kitchen.
And oh what a feeling!
The artist is emphasizing the intensity of his experience.
When my soul went through the ceiling
The artist's soul symbolically ascended to heaven.
And on up into heaven I did ride
The singer is describing his imaginary journey to heaven.
When I got there they did say
The singer is describing what he imagined would occur upon reaching heaven.
John, it happened this way
The artist imagines being greeted by someone who knows his name and what had happened to him.
You slipped upon the floor
The artist imagines a scenario in which he died from a simple accident.
And hit your head
The artist imagines his fatal injury was a result of striking his head.
And all the angels say
The singer is giving a humorous twist to his vision of the afterlife, imagining the presence of angels who know of his strange request.
Just before you passed away
The artist imagines his final moments, during which he makes a bizarre request.
These were the very last words
The singer imagines the strange utterances he made before his death would be remembered.
That you said
The singer imagines someone recounting his unusual final words.
Please don't bury me
The singer's last request was to not be interred in the ground.
Down in the cold cold ground
The artist is emphasizing that he does not want to be buried normally.
No, I'd druther have 'em cut me up
The artist's request becomes more extreme, desiring his body to be dismembered instead of buried.
And pass me all around
The singer wants his body parts to be distributed to others.
Throw my brain in a hurricane
The singer continues with his surreal requests, suggesting his brain be tossed into a natural disaster.
And the blind can have my eyes
The artist wants his eyes to be used by the blind.
And the deaf can take both of my ears
The artist wants his ears to be used by the deaf.
If they don't mind the size
The artist is making a joke, implying that his body parts might not be suitable for everyone.
Give my stomach to Milwaukee
The singer continues with his absurd requests, desiring his organs to be given to a place instead of a person.
If they run out of beer
The artist is using humor to mask his odd request.
Put my socks in a cedar box
The singer continues listing humorous instructions for his body.
Just get 'em out of here
The singer is implying that his socks are no longer of use to him.
Venus de Milo can have my arms
The singer's requests become increasingly bizarre, offering his limbs to a famous statue.
Look out! I've got your nose
The artist is making a joke, claiming to have taken someone else's nose before his death.
Sell my heart to the Junkman
The artist continues listing comically macabre requests for his body.
And give my love to Rose
The singer finishes his humorous suggestions by requesting his affection be sent to someone named Rose.
Give my feet to the footloose
The singer is making one final request to have his body distributed amongst others.
Careless, fancy free
The artist is indicating that he does not care to whom his body parts are given.
Give my knees to the needy
The artist continues with his final bizarre request, desiring his knees to be used by those who require them.
Don't pull that stuff on me
The artist is insisting that his odd requests for his body be taken seriously.
Hand me down my walking cane
The singer is transitioning away from talking about his body and onto something else.
It's a sin to tell a lie
The artist is stating a well-known axiom, but it is unclear how it relates to the rest of the song.
Send my mouth way down south
The singer is using slang to say goodbye and indicate that he wishes to be cremated instead of buried.
And kiss my ass goodbye
The singer is making one final joke about his own death.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marissapeters7995
I was introduced to this song my by father, John, back in November 2019 while sitting in the ER in Pittsburgh. We had just heard from the doctors that his cancer was terminal and with tears in his eyes he asked my brother and I to make sure we played this at his funeral. He was much like John Prine in his humourous ways, and I recently learned of the passing if John Prine just a month before my own father passed. I hope these two Johns are up there singing together now and will be happy to watch down and see us play this when we celebrate my father's life with all his close friends and family in a couple of weeks.❤
@craigtrexler8156
You had a very cool father!
@marissapeters7995
@@craigtrexler8156 absolutely! He was the best and introduced me to all the best music and I'm forever grateful for that!
@fourthjournal
Did you play it at his funeral? ❤️
@st.charlesborromeo9793
Sweet! Thanks for sharing. I hope I have the same wisdom as you father when the time comes. And I hope you’ve gotten in to Prine’s whole repertoire by now.
@alenahawke475
You know they are singing together. And some day you will be singing with them.
@paulo4771
I was fortunate enough to see John Prine perform several times and happy to see that Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed him to be the "Mark Twain of American song writing" in 2017. It is a appropriate honor. You will be missed by many, John.
@ezekielbrockmann114
Rolling Stone would proclaim Mark Twain the "Mark Twain of Literature" if it'd elect some fool "Blue, No Matter Who."
@paulo4771
@@ezekielbrockmann114 With all respect to whatever feelings or insight you may (think you) possess, I don't know (or care about) the "politics" of RS, but knowing the abundance of folky Americana songs Mr. Prine wrote that captured a lot of the essence of American culture, a proclamation like that to celebrate his life is an appropriate comparison to Mark Twain. But then again, perhaps you have some distain for all three parties involved....or just the world in general?
@akivajeff714
I'm playing this at my brother's service on Monday. Was just checking the lyrics. Glad to see I'm not the first to do it. God Bless you, John.