This post won’t be dedicated to a single song.

The first time I heard John Prine was actually from a John Denver album, which I only pieced together two nights ago. I was a little kid and the song was “Paradise” which I originally heard off of John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High Album. When I heard John Prine singing, I recognized the words. But from where?

The second John Prine song for me was “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” from Nanci Griffith, which I know by heart. It’s one of my very favorite songs of all time. Probably somewhere in all of this I heard “Angel from Montgomery.” Is there anything more beautiful than hearing Bonnie Raitt singing this song?

You may not know who John Prine was or even heard his music. But I promise that you will find one of his songs that speaks to you. He was gifted with words and music.

A friend and I were talking about this huge sadness over the loss of John Prine. It’s like the day I learned David Bowie died. There are so few artists who really reach inside of you and make you feel, make you realize what it is to be human. I don’t think I’m wrong in drawing a comparison between John Prine and David Bowie despite how very different their music was. They both touched humanity and understood it. They expressed their realities in very different ways, but I feel they shared a common vision and compassion for people. They understood struggle, even an ocean apart. And, from all accounts both were decent, good people.

Life. It’s not to be taken for granted–ever. Maybe we all need to just reach out and say: hello, in there.

The following video is a tribute to John Prine.

“Hello in There” is hugely emotional all on its own in any space, any time, but when you think about this virus and how it affects the older part of our community, this song feels so heavy.

If you listened to the John Prine tribute, you heard not once but twice one of my favorite songs, “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness.” Now it’s time for “Angel from Montgomery.”

Hello in there, to you all.