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.
Saigon
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so afraid to kiss you I might lose control
You can hold me tighter but turn loose of my gun
It's a sentimental present all the way from Saigon
Honey, honey, honey, please call me
You don't need no money we can do it for free
I got a friend in Phoenix with a two-way radio
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
All the static in my attic getting ready to blow
My head is getting tighter, Lord I'm starting to squeak
I was talking to the mailman late last week
He had a letter in his sweater from Stuttering Don
He said things are getting better in
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Things are getting better back in Saigon
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Things are getting better back in Saigon
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Things are getting better back in Saigon
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Things are getting better back in Saigon
The lyrics of John Prine's song "Saigon" can be interpreted in various ways, and the meaning may differ from one listener to another. However, the song appears to be about a soldier who falls in love with a Vietnamese girl while stationed in Saigon, Vietnam. The soldier is afraid to kiss her because she has everything that a girl should grow, and he doesn't want to lose control over his emotions. He tells her to call him anytime, and they can be together for free.
The soldier also mentions that he has a friend in Phoenix with a two-way radio and that there's a lot of static in his attic. He seems to be going insane and mentions that his head is getting tighter, and he's starting to squeak. He then talks about a letter he received from a mailman who says things are getting better back in Saigon.
Overall, the song reflects the confusion and chaos of war and the soldiers' psychological trauma as they try to survive. It also touches on the theme of interracial love and the conflicting emotions that result from it.
Line by Line Meaning
You got everything that a girl should grow
You possess everything a woman needs to become an adult.
I'm so afraid to kiss you I might lose control
I'm scared that if I kiss you, I might not be able to hold back my feelings.
You can hold me tighter but turn loose of my gun
You can hold me tightly, but please let go of my weapon.
It's a sentimental present all the way from Saigon
This item was given with an emotional attachment from Saigon.
Honey, honey, honey, please call me
Darling, please contact me.
You don't need no money we can do it for free
We don't need any cash; we can do it for nothing.
I got a friend in Phoenix with a two-way radio
I have a friend in Phoenix with a two-way communication system.
All the static in my attic getting ready to blow
There is a lot of interference in my mind, and I'm about to lose control.
My head is getting tighter, Lord I'm starting to squeak
My mind is getting stressed, and I'm starting to show signs of it.
I was talking to the mailman late last week
I had a conversation with the mailman last week.
He had a letter in his sweater from Stuttering Don
He had a letter in his sweater from a man named Stuttering Don.
He said things are getting better in Saigon, honey, honey, honey
He told me that things are improving in Saigon, my dear.
Things are getting better back in Saigon, honey, honey, honey
Things are improving in Saigon, my darling.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JOHN E. PRINE, John Burns, John Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind