"There's a hole in daddy's arm" is a line in John Prine's song "Sam Stone"

Since this lyric post is not very active, I though I would post an analysis of an established lyric. I want to talk about John Prine's "Sam Stone". I have listened to this song for a couple of years, and yesterday I decided to learn it. I'll play it Monday night at open mic. I am a performer so I like to do covers. Doing covers is essential to my song-writing because I need to play great material so that I know what it feels like to sing a great song. I do not know how someone can write a song and not at least listen to other great music but there are folks who boast of that very thing.

John Prine is not everybody's cup of tea but let's take a look at this song-if you haven't heard it, trust me, the prosody is perfect.

Sam Stone came home,
To his wife and family
After serving in the conflict overseas. (wisely didn't say what war- making this song potentially timeless)
And the time that he served,
Had shattered all his nerves, (honesty- this is what war does)
And left a little shrapnel in his knee. (a concrete image)
But the morphine eased the pain, (foreshadows a problem)
And the grass grew round his brain, (uniquely John Prine)
And gave him all the confidence he lacked, (problem confirmed)
With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back. (brilliantly ironic- the hero's image and the drug addicts image in one line)

Chorus:
There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes, (some songwriter's will never have one line that good in years of writing)
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose. (sacrilegious or profound?- I vote for profound)
Little pitchers have big ears, (I don't know but he can take me anywhere now)
Don't stop to count the years, (again, I'm in his territory now and happy to be on this train)
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios. (very impressionistic but the meaning is clear- daddy is broken and his reception is bad because of the habit)
Mmm....

Sam Stone's welcome home
Didn't last too long. (honesty again- he is not a hero, he is just a man)
He went to work when he'd spent his last dime (government give you a little time to adjust but eventually you are on your own)
And Sammy took to stealing
When he got that empty feeling
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime. (factual- honest)
And the gold rolled through his veins ( another unique Prine line that some would kill for)
Like a thousand railroad trains, (what a great way to describe the rush of a users sensation)
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose, (he is self absorbed)
While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothes...(poignant factual consequence of his action)

Repeat Chorus:

Sam Stone was alone
When he popped his last balloon (Is this John Prine or what- the guy is one of a kind)
Climbing walls while sitting in a chair (irony squared!)
Well, he played his last request
While the room smelled just like death
With an overdose hovering in the air (he didn't have to say it so plainly but John does, ultimately, want to communicate)
But life had lost its fun (Prine is sometimes just this simple)
And there was nothing to be done
But trade his house that he bought on the G, I. Bill
For a flag draped casket on a local heroes' hill (completes the irony set up in the first verse- a purple heart and a monkey on his back. You can look at this like a companion line (much like a rhyme) He is connecting all the way back to the first verse- That tells you that he understands his craft perfectly- His theme is straight down the track- his focus does not vary.
Repeat Chorus

It helps me to be a better writer, I feel, when I can analyze good lyrics. You may have heard it said. "practice makes perfect" Well that is not entirely true- practice makes permanent. Practice of perfection makes perfect.

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' Nowhere Man '. I'd spent 5 hours that morning trying to write a song that was meaningful and good, and I finally gave up and lay down. Then, ' Nowhere Man ' came, words and music, the whole damn thing, as I lay down.
john lennon

[This message has been edited by nashvillecat (edited 06-15-2006).]

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein