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.
Some Humans Ain
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mm Mm
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
You open up their hearts
And here's what you'll find
A few frozen pizzas
A broken Popsicle
You don't want to go there
Some humans ain't human
Though they walk like we do
They live and they breathe
Just to turn the old screw
They screw you when you're sleeping
They try to screw you blind
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
You might go to church
And sit down in a pew
Those humans who ain't human
Could be sittin' right next to you
They talk about your family
They talk about your clothes
When they don't know their own ass
From their own elbows
Jealousy and stupidity
Don't equal harmony
Jealousy and stupidity
Don't equal harmony
[Repeat: x4]
Mm Mm
Have you ever noticed
When you're feeling really good
There's always a pigeon
That'll come shit on your hood
Or you're feeling your freedom
And the world's off your back
Some cowboy from Texas
Starts his own war in Iraq
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
They lie through their teeth
With their head up their behind
You open up their hearts
And here's what you'll find
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
[Repeat: x4]
Mm Mm
John Prine's "Some Humans Ain't Human" is a song that highlights the fact that some people are not compassionate or kind. The song starts with a description of what you might find in the heart of such people - frozen pizzas, hair-covered ice cubes, and a broken Popsicle. The items symbolize the person's lack of warmth, empathy, and soul, which makes them as good as the inanimate objects found in their hearts.
The song explores the fact that some humans can blend in with others, looking and walking just like everyone else, but they live solely to manipulate, deceive, and hurt others. They go out of their way to make other people unhappy and always have their selfish interests at heart. They are the kind of people who pretend to be your friends but talk behind your back and try to manipulate you when you are most vulnerable.
Prine highlights the negative aspects of people who are driven by jealousy and stupidity. He points out that these traits never lead to harmony but instead make people miserable. The song also references the tendency of some people to ruin the happiness of others or the world in general, i.e., a pigeon, ruining your clean car with its droppings or a cowboy, keen on starting his own war that affects many lives.
Overall, the song reminds us to be careful about who we let into our hearts and lives, even if these people look like everyone else.
Line by Line Meaning
Some humans ain't human
There are some people who lack basic human qualities like empathy and kindness.
Some people ain't kind
Not everyone is kind, even though it is the basic trait that humans should possess.
You open up their hearts
And here's what you'll find
A few frozen pizzas
Some ice cubes with hair
A broken Popsicle
You don't want to go there
When you try to understand such people closely, the only things you might find in their hearts are things that have gone bad and are no longer worth keeping. In short, they are not worth knowing.
Though they walk like we do
They live and they breathe
Just to turn the old screw
They screw you when you're sleeping
They try to screw you blind
These people may seem like us and carry out normal life functions like us, but they exploit and deceive you in the most undesirable and cunning ways possible.
You might go to church
And sit down in a pew
Those humans who ain't human
Could be sittin' right next to you
They talk about your family
They talk about your clothes
When they don't know their own ass
From their own elbows
Even in a sacred place like church, these inhumane people could sit next to you and talk negatively about your loved ones and yourself while not knowing anything about their own lives, let alone understanding yours.
Jealousy and stupidity
Don't equal harmony
Jealousy and stupidity
Don't equal harmony
Jealousy and stupidity only create disharmony, and they go on to prove that these feelings and behaviors are not what humans should possess.
Have you ever noticed
When you're feeling really good
There's always a pigeon
That'll come shit on your hood
When things are going right, there is always something unpleasant happening to ruin the moment, just like how a bird could spoil your car by pooping on it.
Or you're feeling your freedom
And the world's off your back
Some cowboy from Texas
Starts his own war in Iraq
A person might feel free and liberated, but someone else from a powerful position could take advantage of that and start a war, causing chaos and destruction where there was peace.
They lie through their teeth
With their head up their behind
You open up their hearts
And here's what you'll find
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
These people are habitual liars and are lost in their own twisted mindset, making them not worthy of human contact or kindness.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: John E Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ronald Gavula
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
You open up their hearts
And here's what you'll find
A few frozen pizzas
Some ice cubes with hair
A broken popsicle
You don't wanna go there
Some humans ain't human
Though they walk like we do
They live and they breathe
Just to turn your old screw
They screw you when you're sleeping
They try to screw you blind
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
You might go to church
You sit down in a pew
Those humans who ain't human
Could be sittin' right next to you
They talk about your family
They talk about your clothes
When they don't know their own ass
From their own elbows
Jealousy and stupidity
Don't equal harmony
Jealousy and stupidity
Don't equal harmony
Have you ever noticed?
When you're feeling really good
There's always a pigeon
That'll come shit on your hood
Or you're feeling your freedom
And the world's off your back
Some cowboy from Texas
Starts his own war in Iraq
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
They lie through their teeth
With their head up their behind
You open up their hearts
And here's what you'll find
Some humans ain't human
Some people ain't kind
Xine999
I love the utter honesty and integrity that bleed through every line, whether he's singing a love song, articulating the problems of evil, or just making a musical witticism.
Eric L Clash
I’m a punk rocker but when my mom put this song on in the car when I was a teenager, it was my first time listening to it and I couldn’t resist the tears. This song is relevant no matter if it’s about war or discrimination or just people of power ignoring others for their own political gain.
Jerry Black
My man
Jerry Black
Feeding my Alzheimer's babe watermelon..
Sue Montgomery
No one should ever give a thumbs down to any John Prine song.
dangermouseCLG
Some humans ain't human.
S
John would disagree! Lighten up folks!
Skeggi Skjeldarson
Probably some MAGA's thinking we thinking it fits the Donald.
ONE PUNCH GEORGE
Want some truth'? Take a Deep Breath.
This Song is nothing but Truth.😎⚓🇺🇸
Bibelen
It doesn't matter if it's a thumb up or down! You see if it'¨s a thumb down... that's also positive... cause it means it caused a reaction! The worst is... no reaction. But ofcourse a thumb up is more preferable.