Today's anthem

A PRAYER FOR THE SANE

Tear the world in half
The haves from have-not halves
They built a fire between us
And hoped like hell to raise the Phoenix

Tear the world in two
The truths from the half-the-truths
The lies and the bad disguises
From the facts and Nobel prizes

These were once good lands
Of good neighbors and good friends
We used to fight like dancers
One call with different answers

These were open lands
And strangers were our future friends
But fences make for consequences
We’re prisoners of our own defenses

Now our heart’s been broken
Lost our way but found it stolen
Hidden in a storm of nothing
A hurricane of newsmen blushing

Now our eyes are bleeding
Tears of the loss of reason
A pool of our own objections
Honest men with no reflections

Here’s the choice my sister
Gentle warrior, fierce resistor
Fill the sky like blackbirds
Or sit and watch the world spin backwards

Here’s the choice my brother
Old soldier, different drummer
March hard to break the borders
Or stand guard the old world orders

Here’s the choice my child
Raise your hands and reconcile
While the king kneels down before us
It’s time for you to rise in chorus

It’s time to set our anger free
It’s time for facts to shade beliefs
It’s time to name the new north star
It’s time for flames to skewer the dark
It’s time to shake the voting booth
It’s time for us to scream the truth

Now’s it’s time my friends
Time to make us whole again
Just as the world revolves
Let’s get these broken days resolved

John Prine on a few of his songs

"John Prine: The Secrets Behind His Classic Songs" Patrick Doyle

Another new Dylan song

"Bob Dylan channels Walt Whitman in another glorious surprise release" Aaron Robertson

John Prine: the person and the musician

"John Prine: The Last Days and Beautiful Life of an American Original" Patrick Doyle

Jason Isbell writing about John Prine

"Jason Isbell: John Prine Taught Me to Stay Vulnerable
If the artist’s job is to hold a mirror up to society, John had the cleanest, clearest mirror of anyone"

Gillian Welch's inspiration

"Gillian Welch on How April 14th Came to Be ‘Ruination Day’" Julia Wick

Gene Shay has died

"Gene Shay, legendary Philly DJ and Folk Festival host, has died at 85 of the coronavirus" Dan DeLuca

Interesting look at Dylan's latest

"Dylan’s dark song for the darkest of times" Stephen Kessler

No more musical mail from John Prine

There's a hole in all of our lives ... no supposing about it.

"John Prine, One of America’s Greatest Songwriters, Dead at 73   Grammy-winning singer who combined literary genius with a common touch succumbs to coronavirus complications" STEPHEN L. BETTS & PATRICK DOYLE

"John Prine: The Secrets Behind His Classic Songs   The legend opened up about his writing process in a series of deep conversations in recent years. As he battles COVID-19 and his family asks for love and support, here’s a guide to his greatest songs in his own words"
Patrick Doyle

"John Prine, Who Chronicled the Human Condition in Song, Dies at 73
The folk singer and songwriter with a raspy voice and an offbeat humor was revered by peers including Bob Dylan."
William Grimes

"From 1970: John Prine’s first review, by Roger Ebert The film critic did a music review on the side to herald 'an extraordinary new composer and performer.'"