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.
Souveniers
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Christmas days have come and gone
Broken toys and faded colors
Are all that's left to linger on
I hate graveyards and old pawn shops
For they always bring me tears
I can't forgive the way they rob me
Of my childhood souvenirs
[Chorus]
Memories they can't be boughten
They can't be won at carnivals for free
Well it took me years
To get those souvenirs
And I don't know how they slipped away from me
Broken hearts and dirty windows
Make life difficult to see
That's why last night and this mornin'
Always look the same to me
I hate reading old love letters
For they always bring me tears
I can't forgive the way they rob me
Of my sweetheart's souvenirs
[Chorus]
John Prine's "Souvenirs" is a soulful reflection on the passage of time, and the inescapable loss that comes with it. The first verse sets the scene - winter has passed, and Christmas is over. The presents he received as a child are now nothing but broken toys and faded colors. The nostalgia of childhood memories is juxtaposed with the sadness and frustration of not being able to hold onto those memories. The songwriter expresses a deep attachment to his childhood and the things that meant the most to him at that time. He then mentions his aversion to graveyards and old pawn shops – places that remind him of the loss of loved ones or the selling of his own cherished possessions. The frustration and sense of loss are underscored in the chorus, where we hear that memories "can't be boughten" or "won at carnivals for free," and that somehow these souvenirs have "slipped away" from him. Prine's masterful songwriting conveys a sense of helplessness and wistfulness that is universal in experience - we all have things we wish we could hold onto, or moments we wish we could relive, but that time carries away from us.
In the second verse, the songwriter continues this theme of loss. He laments that "broken hearts and dirty windows / make life difficult to see" - there is a sense that our own sadness and pain can cloud our vision of the world around us. The hurt of lost love is another kind of souvenir that the songwriter holds in esteem – love letters bring tears and pain because of the memory and the loss of that sweetness. The songwriter cuts to the core of what makes memories so precious - they are personal, biased, and unique to each of us, and therefore they hold an unmatchable emotional investment. The final chorus brings it all home, underscoring the fact that time does indeed march on, and that, despite our best efforts, some things are simply beyond our grasp.
Line by Line Meaning
All the snow has turned to water
Winter is over and all the snow has melted, symbolizing change and passing of time.
Christmas days have come and gone
The holiday season has ended, and all the excitement and happiness it brought has passed.
Broken toys and faded colors
All that remain are glimmers of the past - the toys that were once cherished and the colors that have now faded with time.
Are all that's left to linger on
Only the remnants, the memories of those times, are what stays with him.
I hate graveyards and old pawn shops
These places are associated with death and loss, and cause him pain to visit.
For they always bring me tears
These places evoke strong feelings and emotions of grief and sorrow.
I can't forgive the way they rob me
The fact that these places take away something he holds so dear, his childhood souvenirs, makes him resentful and bitter.
Of my childhood souvenirs
These are the tangible items that represent his childhood and bring back cherished memories.
[Chorus] Memories they can't be boughten
Memories are not something that can be purchased or acquired through external means.
They can't be won at carnivals for free
No amount of games or prizes at a carnival can create memories as precious as those from his past.
Well it took me years
It took a long time for him to accumulate those memories and items that he treasures from his childhood.
To get those souvenirs
These souvenirs are not just objects, but represent his past and who he was as a child.
And I don't know how they slipped away from me
Despite holding them dear and treasuring them for years, he can't believe that these items he held so precious have now vanished with time.
Broken hearts and dirty windows
The pain of heartbreak and the inability to clearly see a way forward make it difficult to move on and let go of the past.
Make life difficult to see
These challenges make it hard to see the beauty and joy in life and appreciate the present moment.
That's why last night and this mornin'
The present repeats with little change, making it seem like time has frozen or slipped away.
Always look the same to me
The world appears static and unchanging, and it's hard to find meaning or hope in the repetition of each day.
I hate reading old love letters
These letters bring back painful memories of a love that is now lost and once again evoke powerful feelings of grief.
For they always bring me tears
Just like the old pawn shops and graveyards, the letters make him emotional and evoke powerful, negative feelings of loss.
I can't forgive the way they rob me
The letters remind him of what was taken from him, and he's bitter that he can never get back what he's lost.
Of my sweetheart's souvenirs
These are the memories and tangible items that represent his lost love - things that he can never retrieve or experience again.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats, emphasizing the idea that memories are priceless and irreplaceable, and that they can never truly be taken away or forgotten.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN PRINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
山田太郎のすけ
All the snow has turned to water
Christmas days have come and gone
Broken toys and faded colors
Are all that's left to linger on
I hate graveyards and old pawn shops
For they always bring me tears
I can't forgive the way they rob me
Of my childhood souvenirs
Memories they can't be boughten
They can't be won at carnivals for free
Well it took me years
To get those souvenirs
And I don't know how they slipped away from me
Broken hearts and dirty windows
Make life difficult to see
That's why last night and this mornin'
Always look the same to me
I hate reading old love letters
For they always bring me tears
I can't forgive the way they rob me
Of my sweetheart's souvenirs
Sheree Pascarella
My mom passed away from Alzheimers a little while ago and I keep thinking of the line... "It took me years to get those souvenirs and I don't know how they slipped away from me." Thank you John.
Barbara Chapman
That is so touching. My mom had Alzheimers as well. I'll not listen to that line the same again.
Mark Bridges
Great effin song!
E11EVEN*E11EVEN
Bless you
Kelly Joe Ray
This is another one of those Prine songs that made me cry...I could not perform it without crying so I just quit doing it...This song goes through my hear like a broken record...I love this version...It's almost as good as LIVE...Which is ALWAYS the best.
Jeremy Reagan
Kelly i feel the same about the Speed of the sound loneliness i love how John could write how i feel.
Alan Byerhoff
🕊 God Bless John Prine🎸
James Day
Me to kelly.. also iris demnet's OUR Town..
Jim Custer
John's songs never get older. Not one minute. They're like fishing on a mostly sunny day.
Martha Cousins
One of my favorite John Prine songs. Hell, one of my favorite songs ever! "Broken hearts and dirty windows make life difficult to see. That's why last night and this morning always look the same to me." So funny and sad and universal.