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 Moon Is Down
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All over town
The forecast is gray
Now that she's gone away
The stars in the skies
Fell out of her eyes
They shattered when they hit the ground
The sun will be fine
It'll still shine all the time
The sky will be blue
And do what it's supposed to do
You see gravity pulls
But it can't keep you around
It'll be one long day
And now the moon is down
The moon is down
All over town
The stars in the skies
Fell out of her eyes
The gravity pulls
But it can't hold you down
It'll be one long day
Now the moon is down
It'll be one long day
Now the moon is down
The lyrics of John Prine’s The Moon Is Down are poetic and bittersweet, representing the emotions of someone who has just lost a loved one. The phrase "the moon is down" is a metaphor that symbolizes the darkness and despair the singer of the song is feeling. The line "all over town" connotes the idea that the sense of loss is pervasive and all-encompassing. The next line, "the forecast is gray," further emphasizes this bleakness and suggests that the world has lost its color and vibrancy without the loved one.
The singer then describes the stars falling out of the loved one's eyes and shattering on the ground - a beautiful and poignant image that represents the end of a relationship. This is followed by the repeated stanza "The moon is down, all over town," which reinforces the pervasive sadness of the situation. The final repeated stanza, "It'll be one long day, now the moon is down," suggests that the sadness and darkness will linger for a long time.
The next stanza offers a glimmer of hope. The sun will still shine, and the sky will still be blue, representing the idea that life goes on and the world continues to turn, even after a significant loss. Gravity is explored as a metaphor for the forces that keep us tied to the past, but ultimately can't hold us back entirely. The final repetition of "It'll be one long day, now the moon is down," synthesizes the themes of loss, grief, and hope, creating a poignant and emotionally charged conclusion.
Line by Line Meaning
The moon is down
The atmosphere is grim and gloomy after her departure
All over town
The absence of her has created a feeling of desolation that is spread throughout the entire town
The forecast is gray
The future appears uneventful and cheerless
Now that she's gone away
After her leaving, everything seems colorless and unexciting
The stars in the skies
She had a dazzling effect on the world with the sparkle in her eyes that made it more beautiful
Fell out of her eyes
She's gone now and so is the light, now everything and every place seems dark and dull
They shattered when they hit the ground
The impact of her absence was so intense that it seemed like the world shattered and collapsed
And now the moon is down
A metaphor to indicate that the world is devoid of any light or hope
The sun will be fine
Life will go on in all its routine ways as though nothing has ever happened
It'll still shine all the time
The sun will still give light to the world and carry on its course
The sky will be blue
The sky continues to be its usual self, without changing or appearing concerned by what occurs on the ground
And do what it's supposed to do
The sky will continue to be the way it is with or without her
You see gravity pulls
There is a force which attracts us towards each other, making the world go round
But it can't keep you around
Her leaving is something that can't be delayed or stopped no matter how strong the force that bonds us together
It'll be one long day
Every day feels like an endless one and there seems to be no respite from the agony of her being away.
Now the moon is down
With her absence, the world becomes devoid of all the magic and hope, and everything appears dull and gloomy.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: John E Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aprilcortes2302
This makes me think of my grandmother who just passed away 😭
@sharonj6236
Still missing you ~ and the moon is still down !
@davidknowlton4028
One of the most underrated Prine tunes. RIP brother
@nathanaelcross4158
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@lillyboldlyshewhispers7145
John Prine sings the human condition like no other.
Lyrically poetic. 💜🌙✨☀️🎶🎵
@andyghelfi6050
When I want to smile or just feel better about life, I listen to any JP song.
@gregggrubbs4823
What a terrible loss to music.A one of a kind Legend.
@backroadimages
Perfect
@sharonj6236
the moon is down now you're gone ~~~ miss you
@sharonj6236
long year gone ~~~ and the moon is still down ~~~without you Missing you always