John Prine (born October 10, 1946 in Maywood, Illinois) is an American country/folk singer/songwriter who has achieved widespread critical (and some commercial) success since the early 1970s. The son of William Prine and Verna Hamm, his grandfather had played guitar with Merle Travis and he started playing guitar himself at 14 years old. He was a postman for 5 years and spent a couple of years in the army before starting his musical career in the Chicago area. He emerged in 1971 with a highly acclaimed debut album titled John Prine. He and friend Steve Goodman (another folk singer/songwriter) had been minor stars in the Chicago folk scene before being "discovered" by Kris Kristofferson.
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He Was In Heaven Before He Died Lyrics
John Prine
Theres a rainbow of babies
Draped over the graveyard
Where all the dead sailors
Wait for their brides
And the cold bitter snow
Has strangled each grassblade
Where the salt from their tears
Washed out with the tide
Chorus
And I smiled on the wabash
The last time I passed it
Yes I gave her a wink
From the passenger side
And my foot fell asleep
As I swallowed my candy
Knowing he was in heaven
Before he died
Now the harbors on fire
With the dreams and desires
Of a thousand young poets
Who failed cause they tried
For a rhyme without reason
Floats down to the bottom
Where the scavengers eat em
And wash in with the tide
Repeat chorus:
The sun can play tricks
With your eyes on the highway
The moon can lay sideways
Till the ocean stands still
But a person cant tell
His best friend he loves him
Till time has stopped breathing
Youre alone on the hill
Repeat chorus: