Them 'Ol Crazy Bones - John Prine

John Prine: The  Tree of Forgiveness
-review by Bill Glahn-

When John Prine released his first album in 1971, he was 25 years old. But he wasn’t blind to the world. It was a socially aware piece of work that still resonates today. Among the songs contained on that album was “Hello In There,” about the loneliness of old age. He finishes off the song with a request rooted in social responsibility.  “Please don’t pass them by and stare / Say Hello in there.”

John Prine is 71. The Tree of Forgiveness is his first album of new songs in over a decade. It starts off with the lines “I ain’t got nobody / hangin’ round my doorstep.” (Knockin’ On Your Screen Door)

Times are different. Communities are different. The most prominent thing at the front of a modern housing development is a two (or three) car garage. Entry is usually made from inside the garage. And those doors are usually shut when not entering and exiting. The idea of sitting on a front porch sipping tea (or beer) with the neighbors is a lost one. There are no front porches. The front door is the door least used, and like the garage door, never open. Gatherings are on the patio behind the privacy fence. By invitation only.

From it’s opening track, Prine is taking a mature look at an old problem. Despite his description of being in high cotton, bangin’ on a six-string while listening to George Jones 8-tracks, he still needs help opening a can of beans. He still paints a picture of loneliness – and this time no one’s knocking. So he goes out to knock on their front door. “You don’t have to answer.” Prine’s new album is aptly named. Forgiveness comes early. That’s the secret of growing older. You either learn forgiveness or you become a curmudgeon.

The setting for the hilariously titled “Egg & Daughter Nite. Lincoln, Nebraska 1967” is an old folk’s home. There’s a lot more going on than dementia, bed-wetting, and failing vision. And it’s told in a way that only John Prine can tell it – a 71-tear-old John Prine who slips into scat with the voice of a 30-year-old Satchmo.

The Tree Of Forgiveness doesn’t have the beginning-to-end greatness of Prine’s first album. His voice is a little more gruff and the songwriting, while strong, isn’t as consistent. But he uses his voice quite effectively in ways he didn’t have to at 25. And if you don’t hear it, you probably haven’t lived long enough. Just blame it his ol’ crazy bones.

But that would be a lie. There's more to it than that. Far more. It's got bits about the fear of growing old. And the acceptance. Unlike "Hello In There," it also recognizes that, sometimes, empathy is not enough (Boundless Love). The greatest success of Tree of Forgiveness is that John Prine is no curmudgeon.

Suggested tracks: