Hello in There, Redux….

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Just give me one thing that I can hold on to
To believe in this living is just a hard way to go

~John Prine, Angel from Montgomery

John Prine, Wikimedia Commons

I was saddened to learn this morning that the great John Prine died yesterday, another casualty of the coronavirus. I have loved John Prine’s music since I was a teenager. His voice is as piercing as his lyrics, illustrating why Rolling Stone proclaimed him “the Mark Twain of American songwriting.”

I wanted to link back to a post I wrote in 2016, which talked about my very favorite Prine song, “Hello in There.” It describes the isolation so many elderly people feel in our society, and it’s particularly poignant today, in the midst of COVID-19, as isolation confronts us all in different ways. I hope you’ll follow the link and listen to Prine’s song and then think about who in your life, or in your neighborhood, could use a “hello” from you.

Thank you, John Prine, for your songs and your spirit. https://ayearoflivingkindly.com/2016/08/18/hello-in-there-hello/

 

26 thoughts on “Hello in There, Redux….”

  6. I’ve not heard of John Prine, but I am sorry he is a victim of this pandemic. I’m finding that one of the unexpected positive consequences of this self-quarantine is that neighbors are waving hello as they walk by each other– six feet apart, of course. This is new and I like it.

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  8. I love this man and his music — have for over four decades and always will. John Prine felt more like true kin than any relative of mine. I was lucky enough to have seen him perform in person, twice; he was warm, gracious, funny and brilliant. A duet with Bonnie Raitt: heaven.
    I read the achingly sad news of his passing right before bed last night. And so I was overjoyed to find him strolling through my dreams, smiling that illegal smile and cracking jokes.

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    • Oh, I’m envious, Kris, that you saw him perform in person … twice! And with the equally brilliant Bonnie Raitt! That is, indeed, the soundtrack of heaven.

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  10. Hello Donna, only yesterday my Mum was talking to me about John Prine and playing me ‘Hello in There’. What a song, and Mum was crying as she listened to it. I will be listening to more of his music and am glad to have found him 😌

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    • So glad you found and enjoy John Prine. I still occasionally discover that a song I have long loved by someone else was actually written by John Prine. If you haven’t heard, Bette Midler’s version of “Hello In There,” I recommend it. Thanks!

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