John Prine, Thank you for the Souvenirs

Together,
both here and abroad, 

we are fighting the same enemy. 

COVID 19 

And it is difficult to stay positive 

when there is so much that is negative.

No one escapes it’s wrath.  

Directly or indirectly everyone is affected...  

death, illness, anxiety, depression, 

unemployment, financial instability,  emotional instability,

time away from our loved ones,

lack of business travel..lack of pleasure travel, 

school closings, restaurant closings, retail closings.

No concerts, weddings, graduations, proms, school sports, professional sports.

On and on it goes.

And 
sadly, this week John Prine, a true legend, 

was taken from us by the enemy Covid 19.
(Not only a legend but also a contemporary with 
albums from 1971 - 2018.)

He was such an impressive storyteller 
gifted musically and lyrically….

crafting stories…

funny stories, sad stories, everyman stories. 

Stories of love, isolation, death, and the human condition.

Someone who was able to touch us…

with a turn of a word…

a turn of a phrase…

turn of a concept…

and at every turn 
he had our hearts.

It's only fitting that the final track
on his last album is
"When I get to heaven"
with his plans for the afterlife.
So I guess about now...
he's drinking a vodka and ginger
and smoking a cigarette 9 miles long.
Cuz ya know it's always happy hour round there.

Anywhoooooo.....

Throughout the years,
from college to now
PaulA and I have been getting together with good friends 

who have been John Prine fans since the 70's.   

With a John Prine soundtrack playing in my mind,
I think of...

hanging out with them on weekends …

drinking cups of coffee (pre-pods, pre-Starbucks) 
and reading the Sunday newspapers (pre-digital news), 

hangin' out in the afternoon sun,

chillin' out with great conversation in the evening,

hearin' Billy, Tom and Terry sing his lyrics.
as John Prine plays on in the background. 

For me, his songs 
were a perfectly woven blanket of 
voice, music, and lyrics.
A blanket that wrapped warm feelings of 
true times 
with truer friends.

IN 2008 we all got tickets to

see John Prine in NYC 

at the renowned Carnegie Hall. 

Before going to the concert 
we asked what CD we should listen to

 to get us primed for John Prine???

Souvenirs

We played that CD for weeks …

mostly in the car traveling from CT to Manomet MA....A 2.5 hour drive.  

PaulA would do the driving 

thank ya PaulA 

and I would put in the CD…

put my seat on recline and 
put John Prine on rewind.
someone had to be the DJ

I loved listening to those songs…
as we traveled back and forth that chilly fall/winter.
Feeling the warmth of the sun through the car window, 
and the sound of John Prine's voice and songs…
 I would drift off to sleep…
feeling peaceful, secure, and enjoy that "all's right with the world" feeling.
They were lullabies that fed my soul
and I was wrapped in the warmest blanket 
of John Prine songs.

Those memories are my souvenirs.

More recently we saw John Prine
at the Opry in Nashville...
another iconic venue.

We rang in the 2019 New Year with John Prine

 and it was a NYE to remember...  
good times with Beth and Tom.

More souvenirs from John Prine.

Covid may have taken John Prine's life..
but it will never take away his music 
and the souvenirs he has left us.

Today as I listen to John Prine's songs, 
I remember him,
and I wait 
and 
hope upon all hope
for that
"all's right with the world" feeling.

"There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes"
is a lyric from  John Prine's song Sam Stone.

But for John Prine fans....

There’s a hole in our hearts

where all the tears go…

We will miss you John Prine.