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.
Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out
John Prine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's all I ever get
Yeah, calling a man like you a husband
Is just like calling a wild cat a pet
You'd better stop your running around
Straighten up and stop moving on
Well, who's gonna take your garbage out
When I've packed my bags and gone?
Each day you walk off over me
Can't you take another route
If you'd start acting like married man
Maybe we could find the way to work things out
You'll find your key won't fit the lock
If you keep on a keeping on
Well who's gonna take your garbage out
When I've packed my bags and gone?
I know you think I'm running round
And that's why you're so peeved
That's another line of the same ole stuff
That I hope you don't expect me to believe
Go out tonight but don't come back
Cause you've just lost a home
But who's gonna take your garbage out
When I've packed my bags and gone?
Yeah who's gonna take your garbage out
When I've packed my bags and gone?
You're gonna miss me honey gal
You kidding me
The lyrics to John Prine's song “Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out” is evidently about a marriage that is falling apart. The wife is exasperated with her husband's infidelity and lack of commitment in the relationship. She expresses her disappointment and frustration that he takes her for granted and doesn't appreciate her enough. She feels undervalued and refers to the husband as a wild cat compared to a pet, implying that he is unmanageable and beyond her control. She confronts him and warns him to clean up his act or else she will leave him. She warns that when she leaves, he will have to take care of his own garbage - suggesting that he has relied on her too much and taken her for granted.
The wife's dissatisfaction with her husband's behavior is evident throughout the song. She believes that he doesn't act like a married man and doesn't take his role seriously. She suggests that if he changes his ways, they might be able to work things out. However, she doubts this is possible as he seems to be stuck in his ways. She warns him that his key won't fit the lock if he keeps on behaving as he has been. In the end, the wife is convinced that she needs to leave him so that she can reclaim her value and self-respect. She warns him that he will miss her and that he will have to take out his garbage by himself.
Line by Line Meaning
I take too much abuse from you
You treat me poorly and disrespectfully.
That's all I ever get
I don't receive anything positive from you.
Yeah, calling a man like you a husband Is just like calling a wild cat a pet
Your behavior is uncontrollable and untamable, making our marriage a joke.
You'd better stop your running around Straighten up and stop moving on
You need to stop cheating and commit to our relationship.
Well, who's gonna take your garbage out When I've packed my bags and gone?
If I leave, who will handle your mess and responsibilities?
Each day you walk off over me Can't you take another route
You continually prioritize yourself over our relationship, and it needs to stop.
If you'd start acting like married man Maybe we could find the way to work things out
If you took responsibility and committed fully to our marriage, we could potentially work things out.
You'll find your key won't fit the lock If you keep on a keeping on
If you continue your destructive behavior, you'll eventually lose access to our home and our relationship.
I know you think I'm running round And that's why you're so peeved
You wrongly accuse me of cheating, causing unnecessary tension between us.
That's another line of the same ole stuff That I hope you don't expect me to believe
I'm tired of your baseless accusations and I refuse to believe them anymore.
Go out tonight but don't come back Cause you've just lost a home
If you continue to disrespect me and our marriage, you'll lose your home and our life together.
Yeah who's gonna take your garbage out When I've packed my bags and gone?
Once I leave, you'll have to handle your own mess and responsibilities without me to support you.
You're gonna miss me honey gal You kidding me
You're going to regret mistreating me and causing our relationship to fail.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: JOHNNY TILLOTSON, LUCILLE COSENZA, TEDDY WILBURN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dan D
I take too much abuse from you
That's all I ever get
Yeah, calling a man like you a husband
Is just like calling a wild cat a pet
You'd better stop your running around
Straighten up and stop moving on
Well, who's gonna take your garbage out
When I've packed my bags and gone?
Each day you walk off over me
Can't you take another route
If you'd start acting like married man
Maybe we could find the way to work things out
You'll find your key won't fit the lock
If you keep on a keeping on
Well who's gonna take your garbage out
When I've packed my bags and gone?
I know you think I'm running round
And that's why you're so peeved
That's another line of the same ole stuff
That I hope you don't expect me to believe
Go out tonight but don't come back
Cause you've just lost a home
But who's gonna take your garbage out
When I've packed my bags and gone?
Yeah who's gonna take your garbage out
When I've packed my bags and gone?
You're gonna miss me honey gal
You kidding me
dLimboStick
This is me and my wife before she got cancer. When somebody you love starts dying, all this shit goes out the window, but before you realize how much you mean to each other, this is the way you talk. John Prine was a genius in putting a mirror up to real human lives.
dufus
John was a genius.
ginnyisalive
I’m the wife dying of cancer. Third time. I pray that people understand the true meaning of life and stop getting restless and have Mercy and Love for one another ...because so much in our society is another type of cancer. Affects you just as deeply.
John L Sullivan
He had.this mmknack for making real people,with real problems in real life allow us to be real laugh i with ourselves and to each other , because its alright:.
nathanas64
John Prine always puts a smile on me. Even during covid.
Leah Sugar Britches
Very ironic, given that he passed away last week due to complications of Covid-19.
Damian Correa
Same lol 😂
Joe Raines
What's COVID?
Jim Anderson
We are missing John Prine. RIP.
gary moore
Iris Dement! John's best duet partner!