John Prine Encore: My Cover of "Day Is Done"

Show Notes

"Day Is Done" is a simple song about a clandestine relationship. Since very little has been written about the song, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact subject matter. It could be about two married adults having an illicit affair. The lyrics and tone, however, indicate a relationship between two adolescents forbidden by parents or society.

The drawings on the album cover of "Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings" tend to support the theory of a prohibited young love.

In "Day is Done," Prine has written a charming little song with universal implications. Many of his songs deal with the intricacies of human relationships and are laced with Prine's subtle sense of humor. Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings was John's fourteenth album. Released in 1995, it is another example of the artist's exploration of the human condition.

From humble beginnings, John Prine came a long way in his fifty-year career. He won Grammy Awards and was posthumously inducted into the Country and Folk Music Hall of Fame. What struck me, however, is this early recollection of John's career. It is taken directly from Prine's official website:

"Prine still remembers the first three songs he performed on any stage: Sam Stone, Hello in There, and Paradise. With humility, he recalls, “I sang those three songs and people just sat there and looked at me. I thought, ‘Wow, those are really bad.’ They wouldn’t even applaud.'”

Things changed dramatically when a young journalist named Roger Ebert dropped into a Chicago folk club for a beer while John was on stage. Ebert wrote a glowing review of Prine's performance in the Chicago Sun-Times which essentially launched John's career.

Here's my cover of "Day Is Done."

Episode Transcript

[00:00:29] Speaker A: Do you like me? [00:00:32] Speaker B: Well, I hope you do. [00:00:35] Speaker C: Cause if you like me then I think I'm gonna have to like you, too. [00:00:41] Speaker B: We'll share our things and have some. [00:00:46] Speaker D: Fun then we'll say goodbye and go back home when the day is done. [00:00:55] Speaker B: If you tell me, I'll tell you too and we'll say the things the things that lovers do we'll keep it to ourselves we won't hurt no one. [00:01:14] Speaker D: Then we'll say goodbye and go back. [00:01:17] Speaker A: Home when the day is done we'll. [00:01:21] Speaker B: Carve our names on a tree then. [00:01:28] Speaker D: We'Ll burn it down so no one. [00:01:30] Speaker A: In the world can see and we'll make love while we watch the flames then we'll walk away as if we. [00:01:43] Speaker D: Never had no shame. [00:02:12] Speaker A: Now we must. [00:02:13] Speaker B: Hide to be alone and we can't. [00:02:20] Speaker A: Say our sweet things on the telephone. [00:02:25] Speaker B: If we can't stop what we've begun. [00:02:31] Speaker C: We should say goodbye and go back. [00:02:34] Speaker A: Home when the day is done well. [00:02:38] Speaker B: Do you still like me? I hope you do. [00:02:44] Speaker C: Cause if you're still like me then I think I'm gonna have to still. [00:02:48] Speaker B: Like you we shared our things and we had some fun now we'll say. [00:02:58] Speaker D: Goodbye and go back home when the day is done yeah, we'll say goodbye. [00:03:05] Speaker A: And go back home while we still. [00:03:08] Speaker B: Have one let's say goodbye, fire and. [00:03:17] Speaker D: Go back home when the day is done close.

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