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.
The Late John Garfiled Blues
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where rain has pressed it's weight
Wind blown scarves in top down cars
All share one western trait
Sadness leaks through tear-stained cheeks
From winos to dime-store Jews
Probably don't know they give me
Midnight fell on Franklin Street
And the lamppost bulbs were broke
For the life of me, I could not see
But I heard a brand new joke
Two men were standing upon a bridge
One jumped and screamed you lose
And just left the odd man holding
Those late John Garfield blues
An old man sleeps with his conscience at night
Young kids sleep with their dreams
While the mentally ill sit perfectly still
And live through life's in-betweens
I'm going away to the last resort
In a week or two, real soon
Where the fish don't bite but once a night
By the cold light of the moon
The horses scream the nightmares dream
And the dead men all wear shoes
'Cause everybody's dancin'
Those late John Garfield blues
In this song, John Prine paints a picture of the loneliness and despair felt by individuals in a big city. He starts with the image of black faces pressed against the window panes, watching the world go by in the rain. People from different walks of life - winos and dime-store Jews - come together in their sadness. Prine muses that they probably don't even know that they are giving him the "late John Garfield blues" - a reference to the American actor who was known for playing tough, working-class characters.
The song goes on to describe a darkly humorous scene, where one man jumps off a bridge while the other is left holding the bag. Prine then contrasts the different ways in which people sleep - the old man with his conscience, young kids with their dreams, and the mentally ill who sit perfectly still, trapped in their in-between state. The song ends with Prine himself seeking solace, going away to a remote place where he can escape the trials of city life. He describes a surreal scene where horses scream and the dead men all wear shoes – everyone dancing to the tune of the late John Garfield blues.
Overall, this song is a poignant commentary on the human condition. Prine captures the feelings of isolation, loss, and desperation experienced by people in a city, and contrasts it with the surrealism of life in general. He uses the late John Garfield as a symbol of tough, working-class masculinity to explore themes of hopelessness and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
Black faces pressed against the glass
People of color looking through windows where the rain has left its marks
Where rain has pressed it's weight
Rainfall that has left visible marks on a surface
Wind blown scarves in top down cars
Scarves flying in the wind in convertibles
All share one western trait
All people in the Western world share a singular characteristic
Sadness leaks through tear-stained cheeks
Tears flow from sad eyes
From winos to dime-store Jews
From homeless alcoholics to Jewish shoppers at the discount store
Probably don't know they give me
They probably don't realize that they inspire me
These late John Garfield blues
Feelings resembling those of actor John Garfield in his films
Midnight fell on Franklin Street
Franklin Street at midnight
And the lamppost bulbs were broke
The light bulbs of the street lamps were shattered
For the life of me, I could not see
Despite trying, I couldn't see anything
But I heard a brand new joke
But I overheard a fresh joke
Two men were standing upon a bridge
Two individuals were standing on a bridge
One jumped and screamed you lose
One man jumped and yelled at the other
And just left the odd man holding
The jumper left the other guy confused
Those late John Garfield blues
Feelings similar to those that actor John Garfield's characters often experienced
An old man sleeps with his conscience at night
An elderly man rests with a clear mind
Young kids sleep with their dreams
Children rest with aspirations for their futures
While the mentally ill sit perfectly still
Those with mental illness stay motionless
And live through life's in-betweens
And endure the moments of life that are neither good nor bad
I'm going away to the last resort
I'm escaping to the final option
In a week or two, real soon
Very shortly, within the next two weeks
Where the fish don't bite but once a night
Where fish only bite once after dark
By the cold light of the moon
Under the dim moonlight
The horses scream the nightmares dream
The horses' screams become part of a bad dream
And the dead men all wear shoes
The deceased are clothed, including footwear
'Cause everybody's dancin'
Because everyone is dancing
Those late John Garfield blues
Feelings similar to those portrayed by actor John Garfield's characters
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ForeverNenaa
Want more Nenaa? Check out this video! 😊💕
https://youtu.be/VR1nxxFF4TA
@Itzthatperson595
Ok! :D
@michelleramirez3629
OFC ILL CHECK IT OUT
@CMBGAMER2018TV
Cool
@Jervis-JehanYvesLaurent
Where's lasgana?
@michelleramirez3629
@Jervis-Jehan Laurent with jon
@ShortsYoutuber_6017
Here’s the lore behind gorfield:basically Garfield turned into Gorefield after getting after getting infected by a hostile parasite outside, after that happened Garfield lost control of his body and the parasite took over turning Garfield to gorfield, he then killed odie just to show how insane he is, he then tried to get in the house to most likely kill jon, but he saw jon’s love interest nermal he then killed her as well, and then was able to get in the house, gorfield started taunting jon saying stuff like “i require lasagne jon”
“Bullets won’t work jon” jon then blew up the house to try and kill gorfield, but it didn’t work, jon then finds out the government has launched a nuke to destroy gorfield, which is why he says “jon “the world is gonna END Jon”he then absorbs Jon and flies away most likely meaning gorfield actually wasn’t trying to kill him but to show that he was obsessed with him.
Then we see the “crazy” dude come out the sewers and realizes that jon and odie are no wgone then he turning into this person with a six pack and says “i’ll make them pay” as it cut out and thats it the end :)
This took 5 mins
Like pls (fixed now)
👇
@byronsf6199
What about when gorefield cut jon's hand off
@michelethorne3512
"gotfield" (you spelt it wrong once)
@Kaby-The-Red-Kirby
Ow… the lore… -10 braincells