A writer must “know and have an ever-present consciousness that this world is a world of fools and rogues… tormented with envy, consumed with vanity; selfish, false, cruel, cursed with illusions… He should free himself of all doctrines, theories, etiquettes, politics…” —Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?). “The nobility of the writer's occupation lies in resisting oppression, thus in accepting isolation” —Albert Camus (1913-1960). “What are you gonna do” —Bertha Brown (1895-1987).
We had an apartment in the city And me and Loretta liked livin’ there Well. it’s been years since the kids have gone Lives of their own, left us alone
John and Linda live in Omaha And Joey’s somewhere on the road We lost Davy in the Korean War And I still don’t know what for, don’t matter anymore
(Refrain): You know that old trees just grow stronger And old rivers grow wilder every day Old people they just grow lonesome Waiting for someone to say, hello in there, hello
Me and Loretta, we don’t talk much more She sits and stares through the back-door screen And all the news just repeats itself Like some forgotten dream, that we’d both seen
Someday I’ll go and call up Rudy We worked together at the factory But what can I say if he asks what’s new Nothing, what's with you, nothin’ much to do
(Refrain)
So if you’re out walkin’ down the street sometime And spot some hollow ancient eyes Please don’t just pass them by and stare, as if you didn’t care Say, hello in there, hello
Hello in There by John Prine
ReplyDeleteWe had an apartment in the city
And me and Loretta liked livin’ there
Well. it’s been years since the kids have gone
Lives of their own, left us alone
John and Linda live in Omaha
And Joey’s somewhere on the road
We lost Davy in the Korean War
And I still don’t know what for, don’t matter anymore
(Refrain): You know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers grow wilder every day
Old people they just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say, hello in there, hello
Me and Loretta, we don’t talk much more
She sits and stares through the back-door screen
And all the news just repeats itself
Like some forgotten dream, that we’d both seen
Someday I’ll go and call up Rudy
We worked together at the factory
But what can I say if he asks what’s new
Nothing, what's with you, nothin’ much to do
(Refrain)
So if you’re out walkin’ down the street sometime
And spot some hollow ancient eyes
Please don’t just pass them by and stare, as if you didn’t care
Say, hello in there, hello