If heartaches was commercials, we'd all be on TV.
John PrineRead
I didn't hear anybody talking about the plight of a soldier coming back home and what he'd gone through. That was why I wrote about that stuff. If somebody else had done it, I probably wouldn't have touched the subject.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the often-overlooked struggles of soldiers returning home and the importance of addressing such issues through art.
John Prine reflects on his motivation to write about the challenges faced by soldiers returning from war. He points out that their plight is rarely discussed and emphasizes the significance of bringing such topics to light through music and storytelling. His statement suggests a deep empathy for those who serve and a commitment to giving voice to their experiences when others do not.
Themes
SoldierPlightHomecomingArtStorytelling
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech at a veterans' event, you might share this quote to emphasize the importance of addressing veterans' mental health.
More from John Prine
All quotes →One time, I went to school, and they asked us all to find out where our roots were. It's goin' around the class, and the kids were going, 'I'm Swedish-German' or 'I'm English-Irish.' They got to me and I said, 'Pure Kentuckian.'
John PrineRead
I just tried to come up with some honest songs. What I was writing about was real plain stuff that I wasn't sure was going to be interesting to other people. But I guess it was...I've never had any discipline whatsoever. I just wait on a song like I was waiting for lightning to strike. And eventually-usually sometime around 3 in the morning-I'll have a good idea. By the time the sun comes up, hopefully, I'll have a decent song.
John PrineRead
I feel basically good about my career because it's remained constant. What I do has never been especially in vogue or gotten high on the charts. At the same time, I haven't had to stop performing any of my music because it aged in style.
John PrineRead
You know that first love that leaves you? You never forget that, especially if you're a songwriter. I must have gotten nine songs out of that girl.
John PrineRead
You get to thinking that because you've written 50 or 100 songs, you think maybe you know how to do it. But when they're not coming along, you're just as in the dark as you ever were. When they're coming along, there's nothing to it. Sometimes it's so easy, it's like you're a court stenographer.
John PrineRead
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Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with friends. You order what you want then when you see what the other person has, you wish you had ordered that.
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You're an interesting species, an interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.
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