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.
Way Down
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Way down it must be
I can't stop this misery
It must be way down
Spring is just a smile away
Laughing at a summer day
Turn around look at fall
Way down
The air is thin and the sky is fat
I'm gonna buy me a brand new hat
Wear it out and go insane
Christ, I hope it never rains
Way down
Thought I saw a neon sign
Flash my name with the time
Probably didn't see a thing
Crazy dreams and a broken wing
Way down
How ya' gonna get sunshine
Peeking through Venetian blinds
Don't you know all that fear
Begins and ends the same place
Here
Way down
The lyrics to John Prine's song "Way Down" is an expressive and poignant commentary on the feeling of misery and loneliness. The song’s opening lines show that the singer feels like he is “way down”, and no one can save him from his misery. He continues to highlight the different seasons of the year as a metaphor for his melancholic state - spring, summer, fall, and winter, indicating that he is continuously feeling low without any respite.
The lyrics also suggest that the singer is grappling with a sense of disorientation and confusion. The reference to a "neon sign flashing my name with the time" is a metaphor for the singer's perceived insignificance in the grand scheme of things. Additionally, he mentions "crazy dreams and a broken wing," which suggests that he is struggling to find balance in his life, and his dreams/vision are either dragging him down or his efforts are resulting in little to no reward. The chorus of the song is the repeated sentence "Way Down" - this creates an impression of being stuck and feeling powerless to overcome his struggles.
Overall, Prine's "Way Down" is a captivating and relatable song about isolation and despair that many can relate to due to its unambiguous nature. Prine illustrates the sense of helplessness and lack of direction in a way that sounds like it's so personal yet still so widespread.
Line by Line Meaning
Way down
The singer expresses his deep sorrow and sadness about something going on in his life.
Way down it must be
The reason behind the singer's sadness must be buried deep within him as the source of the pain is difficult to discover.
I can't stop this misery
The singer is helpless as he cannot control his feelings of unhappiness and distress he's facing in his life.
It must be way down
The singer reiterates that the reason behind his sorrow is deep within him and it's hard to break that feeling of sadness.
Spring is just a smile away
The coming of spring, a new beginning and season of hope, is close, yet the singer is still feeling down.
Laughing at a summer day
The thought of summer days and happiness makes the singer feel more melancholic and lonely.
Turn around look at fall
The passing of seasons seems to indicate that things around us are always changing, but the singer cannot find relief from his sadness even as time moves on.
Winter, hear my lonely call
The singer calls out to winter in his loneliness, indicating that he finds comfort in knowing that his sadness is not unique to himself but rather something that many people experience.
The air is thin and the sky is fat
The physical environment around the singer feels oppressive and a bit out of place, adding to his sense of unease and hopelessness.
I'm gonna buy me a brand new hat
The singer will try to find solace in small things like buying a new hat, which is ultimately futile in breaking his sadness completely.
Wear it out and go insane
The singer is going to throw himself into this act of buying the hat and wearing it, even if it only temporarily distracts him from his deeper pain.
Christ, I hope it never rains
The singer is best left alone and doesn't want to face any external forces that could make his sadness worse, like bad weather.
Thought I saw a neon sign
The singer is beginning to feel he may have seen something — whether it's the solution to his problems or a sign that he's not alone in his struggle.
Flash my name with the time
The image of a neon sign displaying the time and his name could be interpreted as a symbol for how our problems and worries make us feel as if the world revolves around us.
Probably didn't see a thing
The singer is unsure of the reality of the sign, or whether it was only part of his imagination.
Crazy dreams and a broken wing
The singer is haunted by hallucinations and broken dreams, which make his sadness even more hard to bear.
Way down
The singer reiterates that he feels that his sadness is deeply embedded within him.
How ya' gonna get sunshine
The singer wonders how he will find joy or happiness in his life when he is feeling so low.
Peeking through Venetian blinds
The image of sunshine peeking through Venetian blinds symbolizes the small glimpses or moments of hope amidst the despair that the singer is searching for.
Don't you know all that fear
The singer is telling the listener that fear, just like joy or happiness, is an emotion that can be felt by all people, no matter how strong or brave they may seem outwardly.
Begins and ends the same place
The singer is conveying that fear, just like his sadness, has the power to control us and ultimately stem from within us.
Here
The singer reinforces that he is still in the same emotional state and that his search for something better may be in vain.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind