John Prine is unquestionably one of the most prolific and thought-provoking songwriters of the past several decades. While his influence is unquestionable, Prine was adamant that he was a songwriter, not a poet, in spite of his the way most of his lyrics read like beautiful poems.
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"If I wanted to be a poet, I'd write poetry," Prine tells The Guardian in a 2016 interview. "I know what poetry is. I'm not writing poetry, I'm writing song lyrics. Whatever the subject is, I'm trying to write as well about that subject as I possibly can, but still within the confines of a song. I'm not trying to put my words down as a poem set to music. To me, that's a different thing.
"But I like the idea of it being accepted," he adds.
In fact, it was music that lured Prine first, before penning lyrics.
"I mainly learned to play the guitar and write so I could sing for my dad. I'd sit in the kitchen. He didn't have to go out to a club to hear me," John Prine reveals. "I knew [Hank Williams songs] backwards and I memorized the stage patter of the live records. He would get real tickled about that."
John Prine Reflects On His Own Songwriting
Most people revere John Prine as one of the greatest of all time, most people except Prine, who was always quick to deflect praise. After his self-titled debut came out in 1971, the Illinois native was lauded for his songwriting. For Prine, the magic after that was lost, perhaps only in his mind, due to the machine of the music business.
"I wish I knew the guy who was writing those songs," Prine says in a 2016 interview, adding that he thinks "that guy left." "I haven't seen him since he signed with a record company, when it all became professional. It takes a certain amount of innocence out of [the songwriting] when that happens. Because you know you're writing songs to be recorded. Basically, I'm the same guy, but the guy who wrote those first songs he didn't know if anyone was going to listen or hear them. He was just writing."
John Prine was 73 years old when he passed away after a brief illness in 2020.
