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Fair & Square

by John Prine

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    John Prine's 2005 album, Fair & Square, available on CD from Oh Boy Records. Winner of the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Fair & Square via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Includes the four bonus tracks from the Fair & Square EP and the original vinyl release.

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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 23 John Prine releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2, I Remember Everything (Digital Download), The Kentucky Sessions, The Living Room Sessions, The Tree of Forgiveness, September 78, John Prine: Live in Asheville '86, For Better, Or Worse, and 15 more. , and , .

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1.
Oh the glory of true love Is a wild and precious thing It don’t grow on old magnolias Or only blossom in the spring No the glory of true love Is it will last your whole life through Never will go out of fashion Always will look good on you You can climb the highest mountain Touch the moon and stars above But Old Faithful’s just a fountain Compared to the glory of true love Long before I met you darlin’ Lord, I thought I had it all I could have my lunch in London And my dinner in St. Paul I got some friends in Albuquerque Where the governor calls me “Gov” You can give ‘em all to Goodwill For the glory of true love You can climb the highest mountain Touch the moon and stars above But Old Faithful’s just a fountain Compared to the glory of true love Glory, glory, glory, glory You can’t never get enough Time alone will tell the story Of the glory of true love Glory, glory, glory, glory You can’t never get enough Time alone will tell the story Of the glory of true love
2.
Back before I was a movie star Straight off of the farm I had a picture of another man's wife Tattooed on my arm With a pack of Camel cigarettes In the sleeve of my tee shirt I'm headin' out to Hollywood Just to have my feelings hurt That town will make you crazy Just give it a little time You'll be walking 'round in circles Down at Hollywood and Vine You'll be waitin' on a phone call At the wrong end of a broom Yes, that town'll make you crazy Crazy as a loon So, I headed down to Nashville To become a country star Every night you'd find me hangin' At every honky-tonk and bar Pretty soon I met a woman Pretty soon she done me wrong Pretty soon my life got sadder Than any country song That town will make you crazy Just give it a little time You'll be walking 'round in circles Lookin' for that country rhyme You'll be waitin' on a phone call At the wrong end of a broom Yea, that town'll make you crazy Crazy as a loon So, I gathered up my savvy Bought myself a business suit I headed up to New York City Where a man can make some loot I got hired Monday morning Downsized that afternoon Overcome with grief that evening Now I'm crazy as a loon So I'm up here in the north woods Just staring at a lake Wondering just exactly how much They think a man can take I eat fish to pass the time away ' Neath this blue Canadian moon This old world has made me crazy Crazy as a loon Lord, this world will make you crazy Crazy as a loon
3.
Long Monday 03:22
You and me Sittin' in the back my memory Like a honey bee Buzzin' 'round a glass of sweet Chablis Radio's on Windows rolled up And my mind's rolled down Headlights shining Like silver moons Rollin' on the ground We made love In everyway love can be made And we made time Look like time Could never fade Friday Night We both made the guitar hum Saturday made Sunday feel Like it would never come Gonna be a long Monday Sittin' all alone on a mountain By a river that has no end Gonna be a long Monday Stuck like the tick of a clock That's come unwound - again Soul to soul Heart to heart And cheek to cheek Come on baby Give me a kiss That'll last all week The thought of you leavin' again Brings me down The promise of Your sweet love Brings me around It's gonna be a long Monday Sittin' all alone on a mountain By a river that has no end It's gonna be a long Monday Stuck like the tick of a clock That's come unwound - again And again
4.
A man came to our house I believe it was yesterday I would have invited him in But I didn't have a lot to say His anticipation of me opening the door Outweighed my apprehension as it never had before And drove my concentration Right through that hardwood floor I'm taking a walk I'm going outside I'm taking a walk I'm just getting by There's a girl in the white house I don't even know her name Her disheveled appearance Speaks volumes of shame It's an embarrassing situation But a situation just the same The way she walks on others And never takes the blame Upsets my constitution Beyond its mortal frame Oo-oo a-ha I'm taking a walk I'm going outside I'm watching the birds I'm just getting by Found a card in the pocket Of my worn out overalls From a girl in Cedar Rapids Now residing in Idaho Falls I wish you could have been there When she opened up the door And looked me in the face Like she never did before I felt about as welcome As a Wal-Mart Superstore 0o-oo - a-ha I'm taking a walk I'm going outside I'm taking a walk I don't need a ride I'm watching the birds Flying so high
5.
Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Some humans ain't human Some people ain't kind You open up their hearts And here's what you'll find A few frozen pizzas Some ice cubes with hair A broken Popsicle You don't want to go there Some humans ain't human Though they walk like we do They live and they breathe Just to turn the old screw They screw you when you're sleeping They try to screw you blind Some humans ain't human Some people ain't kind You might go to church And sit down in a pew Those humans who ain't human Could be sittin' right next to you They talk about your family They talk about your clothes When they don't know their own ass From their own elbows Jealousy and stupidity Don't equal harmony Jealousy and stupidity Don't equal harmony Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm (Spoken) Have you ever noticed When you're feeling really good There's always a pigeon That'll come shit on your hood Or you're feeling your freedom And the world's off your back Some cowboy from Texas Starts his own war in Iraq Some humans ain't human Some people ain't kind They lie through their teeth With their head up their behind You open up their hearts And here's what you'll find Some humans ain't human Some people ain't kind Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm
6.
Far away over the sea There's a river that's calling to me That river she runs all around The place that I call my hometown There's a valley on the side of the hill And flowers on an old windowsill A familiar old picture it seems And I'll go there tonight in my dreams Where it's green in the summer And gold in the fall Her eyes are as blue As the sky I recall Far away over the sea There's a place at the table for me Where laughter and music abound Just waiting there in my hometown The river she freezes When there's snow on the ground And the children can slide To the far side of town Far away far away me Hung up on a sweet memory I'm lost and I wish I were found In the arms of my darlin' hometown With the evening sun sittin' On the top of the hill And the mockingbird answering The old chapel bell Far away over the sea My heart is longing to be And I wish I could lay myself down In the arms of my darlin' hometown
7.
I saw you All dolled up Singing a song in your pickup truck You put me on a morning train You put me on a morning train Ain't no need to explain You put me on a morning train Hey, Hey, Brother Ray What'd you mean by "what'd I say" You put me on a morning train You put me on a morning train Ain't no need to explain You put me on a morning train If it's gonna rain And I wish that it would Just go ahead and rain Get it over for good If there's really a hole in that big blue sky Then move it on over and let me by Constantinople is a mighty long word Got three more letters than mockingbird You put me on a morning train You put me on a morning train Ain't no need to explain You put me on a morning train I like you with your make-up on All dolled up Singing a song You put me on a morning train You put me on a morning train Ain't no need to explain You put me on a morning train
8.
The moon is down All over town The forecast is grey Now that she's gone away The stars in the skies Fell out of her eyes They shattered when they hit the ground And now the moon is down The sun will be fine It'll still shine all the time The sky will be blue And do what it's supposed to do Ya see gravity pulls But it can't keep you around It'll be one long day And now the moon is down The moon is down All over town The stars in the skies Fell out of her eyes The gravity pulls But it can't hold you down It'll be one long day Now the moon is down It'll be on long day Now the moon is down
9.
Clay Pigeons 04:27
I'm goin' down to the Greyhound Station, gonna get a ticket to ride Gonna find that lady with two or three kids and sit down by her side Ride 'til the sun comes up and down around me 'bout two or three times Smokin' cigarettes in the last seat Say hello to the people I meet and get along with it all Go down where the people say "y'all" Sing a song with a friend Change the shape that I'm in, And get back in the game, And start playin' again I'd like to stay but I might have to go to start over again Might go back down to Texas, might go to somewhere that I've never been And get up in the mornin' and go out at night and I won't have to go home Get used to bein' alone Change the words to this song Start singin' again I'm tired of runnin' 'round lookin' for answers to questions that I already know I could build me a castle of memories just to have somewhere to go Count the days and the nights that it takes to get back in the saddle again Feed the pigeons some clay Turn the night into day Start talkin' again, when I know what to say I'm goin' down to the Greyhound Station, gonna get a ticket to ride Gonna find that lady with two or three kids and sit down by her side Ride 'til the sun comes up and down around me 'bout two or three times Smokin' cigarettes in the last seat Say hello to the people I meet And get along with it all Go down where the people say "y'all" Feed the pigeons some clay Turn the night into day Start talkin' again When I know what to say
10.
She is my everything From her suntanned shoulders Down to the freckles On her wedding ring Her feet are so warm They could melt the snow In the early Spring She is my everything She goes everywhere from Copenhagen To making eggs and bacon down in Jackson Square I'd like to drive a Cadillac The color of her long black hair She goes everywhere Kisses that come all the way from China Kinda remind her of memories of Spain If I get lost you can always find her Standing right beside me in the rain She uses Eveready batteries to keep Her electrical appliances going steady She can do fourteen things at once And then the phone'll ring She is my everything She know everybody From Muhammad Ali To teaching Bruce Lee How to do karate She can lead a parade While putting on her shades In her Masarati She know everybody Kisses that come all the way from China Kinda remind her of memories of Spain If I get lost you can always find her Standing right beside me in the rain She is my everything When she wakes up in the morning That's when the birdies Start to sing When I hear her voice I'll tell you boys I forget everything She is my everything She is my everything
11.
Well I once knew a man who was going insane He let love chase him right up a tree It took the police and a fire truck Just to bring him back down Oh, I hate it when that happens to me It made the front page of the paper The gossip tongues wagged Why they even showed it all on TV Now if he should live forever He won't live it down Oh, I hate it when that happens to me Dogs bites Man Man loses girl Oh what did he ever do Wrong in this world? Dogs bites Man Man loses girl Oh, what have I every done Wrong in this world? There once was a big buzz all over town About a movie where the killer goes free Now, he's got every one's sympathy Oh, I hate it when that happens to me Yes, I hate it when that happens to me
12.
Way up on Bear Creek, Watching the sun go down. Way up on Bear Creek, Watching the sun go down. Well it makes me feel like I’m on my last go ‘round. The water up on Bear Creek, Tastes like cherry wine. The water up on Bear Creek, Tastes like cherry wine. One drink of that water, You stay drunk all the time. If you stay up on Bear Creek, You’ll get like Jesse James. If you stay up on Bear Creek, You’ll get like Jesse James. You’ll take two pistols, And you’ll rob that Bear Creek train. I’m going high, high, Up on some lonesome ridge. I’m going high, high, Up on some lonesome ridge. Look down on Bear Creek, Where my good gal used to live. Way up on Bear Creek, Watching the sun go down. Way up on Bear Creek, Watching the sun go down. Well it makes me feel like I’m on my last go ‘round.
13.
Why do you always seem to criticize me Seems like everything I do just turns out wrong Why don’t you come on out and despise me So I could pack my bag and baby I’d be gone Remember when you used to call me honey Well ’d turn around and call you honey too You might think it’s a joke, but it ain’t funny To hurt someone who’s so in love with you A clown puts his makeup on upside down So he wears a smile even when he wears a frown You might think I’m here when you put me down But actually I’m on the other side of town. My body’s in this room with you just catching hell While my soul is drinking beer down the road a spell You might think I’m listening to your grocery list But I’m leaning on the jukebox and I’m about half ... way there A clown puts his makeup on upside down So he wears a smile even when he wears a frown You might think I’m here when you put me down But actually I’m on the other side of town. I’m sittin’ on a chair just behind my ear Playing dominoes and drinking some ice cold beer When you get done talking I’ll come back downstairs And assume the body of the person you presume who cares I’m across the river on the other side of town In my mind I’m on the other side of town
14.
Safety Joe 03:58
Well, he never got too lonely And he never got too sad But he never got too happy And that's what's just too bad He never reached much further Than his lonely arms would go He wore a seatbelt around his heart And they called him Safety Joe Safety Joe Safety Joe What do you say? What do you know? If you don't loosen up the buckle On your heart heart and start to chuckle You're gonna die of boredom Safety Joe Now Joe he lived in Baltimore 'Cause New York was too darn fast He sometimes went down to Washington Just to view our nation's past He never ate his vegetables 'Cause they were just too darn chewy And he never climbed much higher Than the arch in old St. Louis (Repeat Chorus) Joe gradually grew meaner By not changin' his demeanor But he never did nothin' Too much for too long Therefore his life never got much richer Than the day they took that picture In his birthday suit on the day that he was born. (Repeat Chorus) Well, you're gonna die of boredom Safety Joe That's golden

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released April 26, 2005

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John Prine Nashville

A two-time Grammy-winner, John Prine is among the English language’s premier phrase-turners. Almost 50 years into a remarkable career that has drawn praise from Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Roger Waters, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen & others. He is a 2019 Rock & Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member and a PEN New England Lyrics Award. ... more

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