We have lost one of our best singer/songwriters today to Covid-19. I feel sad about that. I sat this evening and watched a whole slew of videos on YouTube of John Prine and I was struck with what a genuinely nice man he clearly was. He didn’t take himself too seriously and had a good sense of humor. His songs reflect his sensibility.

This particular song is a favorite of mine and truly demonstrates his songwriting ability.

John Prine, your voice evokes a lifetime of memories for me. May light perpetual shine upon your soul.

Hello In There by John Prine

We had an apartment in the city
Me and Loretta liked living there
Well, it’d been years since the kids had grown
A life of their own left us alone
John and Linda live in Omaha
And Joe is somewhere on the road
We lost Davy in the Korean war
And I still don’t know what for, don’t matter anymore

Ya’ know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers grow wilder ev’ry day
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, “Hello in there, hello”

Me and Loretta, we don’t talk much more
She sits and stares through the back door screen
And all the news just repeats itself
Like some forgotten dream that we’ve both seen
Someday I’ll go and call up Rudy
We worked together at the factory
But what could I say if asks “What’s new?”
“Nothing, what’s with you? Nothing much to do”

So if you’re walking down the street sometime
And spot some hollow ancient eyes
Please don’t just pass ’em by and stare
As if you didn’t care, say, “Hello in there, hello”

Source: LyricFindSongwriters: John Prine

Hello In There

lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc