I haven't been able to listen to a Prine song for the past week. The Peabody coal company which has or had an operation near my hometown, sued him for this song. I'd think that was about the ultimate compliment for songwriting ability. RIP.
My husband worked at the Paradise Coal Plant. TVA built that plant where Paradise, KY once stood. And some of John Prine’s ashes were scattered on the Green River. Just like he wanted.
A masterpiece, written for his dad. All the places he mentions, like the abandoned prison by Adrey Hill and the Rochester dam, were places he played as a child. There’s a video on UA-cam of this performance of all stills that show these places. Very powerful.
I love the line "remembered so many times the memories are worn." I feel like that about my hometown. Born in a little community in West Virginia. This song could have been written about my town. My heart is so sad for the loss of this American poet - he's so much more than a singer. We have lost a treasure.
Don't know what we are going to do without John he will be truly missed it still gets me how many people have heard him or one of his songs and didn't know it was him RIP John
Awesome! Thanks for doing this. John always closed his shows with this song. I'm not sure if John was cremated or not, but if he was, I hope that at least some of his ashes were scattered in the Green River and found their way to Paradise, as I'm sure his soul did. RIP Legend
So honored to live only 30 minutes from paradise. Rest easy Mr. Prine, your music still heals me today. My lovely wife and I got to see you live when she was still mine. Thank you for helping me with this divorce. Bless you
@Aj Hayes Hey Aj, good to see you again, and sad to hear you've been going through a divorce. I went through one and it hurt so bad it was unreal. I hope you're able to find moments of personal resurrection, which is what I referred to my moments where I felt strong enough to move ahead. I'm sorry my brother, but no matter what it's good to see you again, even if just in a comment section.
I missed this the other day. Thank you so much for doing this. ♥️♥️♥️ Memories put perfectly into words. I too have these memories of Muhlenburg county and the Green River. My childhood memories are peppered with all this song talks about. We'd be sent out to find leftover pieces of coal for Granny's old pot bellied stove that was her only source of heat. We loved just walking around and seeing what used to be. It was always bitter sweet to imagine what it was when our parents were kids. The Green River is a large river. Mama n Daddy never said anything about the coal being transported on the river. I believe it was only by train. The tracks are where we'd go to scavage the coal that had fallen off the piled high rail cars. The Green River is beautiful with some good fishing and a wicked current so you need to be careful not to go out too far when you are swimming. The area is worth a visit especially when your are an empathic history buff. The coal companies back then didnt have to replant trees or do anything to restore the land to it's original glory so they didn't. They just left the devastation and moved on to the next state, county, set up the new mining city and drew people desperate for a way to support their family in and told them the coal would never run out and everyone would prosper. They were paid in vouchers to the mines store and not enough to fully fund the families needs. They ended up owing the company store. The song 16 Tons by Tennessee Earnie Ford illustrates the plight of the coal miner very well. I could listen to this all day.
I am from the border in Arizona, and have been down there. Paradise doesn't exist anymore. There is a Green River, I had friends that lived in Greenville, which is the county seat of Muhlenberg County. Very nice people down there.
I live directly across the river from adrian prison in ohio county ky. Fished hundreds of times at the rochester dam. Paradise is truly gone. Thank you for this
This song means the world to me . My ancestors on both parents sides are from Muhlenberg Co. My mom's dad was a timber man in the old shaft mines and she grew up in the little towns where miners lived . My uncle worked at the strip mines and used to take me down to the Green River to fish . I spent my last year of High School living with my Grandmother and graduated from Muhlenberg Central . My favorite version of this song is on his German Afternoons album . If you haven't done so yet , check out his Grammy Winning "Missing Years" album .
My favorite cover of a John Prine song is "Angel From Montgomery" by Young@Heart Chorus. They are a group of seniors (some in their 90's) who cover song you would never expect them to cover
I'm from Ohio County, Ky, the Green river separates Mulenburg County. Use to swim in the green river as a kid when I stayed at my Papa Pete's in Cromwell, Ky. Love John Prine and the visual he created was spot on. The Peabody Coal Company devastated Paradise, but for progress it created jobs that fueled that area. The coal train cars would go on for miles and the coal trucks ran constantly. The Big Shovel was massive, you could park 10 trucks inside it and it took 10 men to run it. So, this song means a lot to me when I hear it. May John be playing for God now.
John was a one of a kind poet and singer/songwriter not unlike Guy Clark. It is great to hear one of his greatest compositons performed by himself. He will be sorely missed on the country scene and across all other genres of music. May he rest in peace and may God grant Comfort to his loved ones and friends. Keep rockin' that country Don.
This is one of John's songs that most people, other than John Prine fans know by John Denver, a great songwriter in his own right, who had a big hit with it and who died way too early. The song is about his memories as a child of his family and what once was a beautiful place that was destroyed in the name of progress to be lost forever. Listening to John Prine is like have a private jam in your house. He had the ability to reach people emotionally and individually. He will be missed but hut huge catalog of music will live on. RIP John.
Muhlenberg County, Kentucky is where the Everly brothers family was from also. And James Best was from there too, he is a cousin to the Everly brothers.
In the Western Kentucky region the method of coal mining is different than in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia where they dig tunnels and bore into the earth. In Western Kentucky they strip mine, which is using huge mechanical scrapers, once called "steam shovels", to literally claw the surface soil and everything on it away. The Peabody mines in KY have been reclaimed, to some extent, and they provide some terrific outdoor camping and spectacular pan fishing, but that came after this song was written and probably gives little solace to anyone who has memories wrapped up in the land before the mines came.
One of the first songs, learned on the guitar; the first being Angel from Montgomery. Solar power is also devastating the desert ecology. I live adjacent to the Mojave desert and they have to scrape the land barren to install hundreds of square miles for the solar farms.
I grew up in Western Kentucky in the county next to Muhlenburg Co. This is a beloved song there - we used to have lots of coal mines in western Kentucky as well, but of course that is no more, just like in eastern Kentucky.
Paradise was actually the name of a coal town in Muhlenberg county Kentucky, it was shut down in the 60’s by the Peabody Coal Company and completely demolished, they drained it dry then built a coal fired plant where the town was, if I’m not mistaken Unit 3 is the largest of its kind, only thing left of Paradise is the graveyard ironically
I grew up deer hunting in Muhlenberg County we travel there every year from eastern Kentucky and hunt on Peabody coal property. They have actually done a really good job fixing and preserving the land. I'm sure it looked better before they got there though.
Every word in this song is true. Adrie Hill and Paradise were real places. This is a county over from me, near to where the Everly brothers were from. The world's largest shovel was built by a company here in the town I live in. I am friends with the owner. The Green River does support barge traffic. It is so deep there are places they couldn't find the bottom in the early 1900s
when the song was released some folks thought it was an old forgotten song about the horrible strip mining of the county John was a phenomenal writer RIP
RockN2Country thanks Don! I do luv you’re review of the songs. I love all kinds of music, but especially the older ones. I grew up with dad in the middle of the floor flipping channels, a little Lawrence Welk, a little Hee Haw. I like Hee Haw better. Anyway, in the late 1970s thru some of the 80’s, I was hooked on radio stations that specialized in the old country and western tunes, but also lotta great newer singers thrown in, Reba, Alan Jackson, etc. just keep up the good work and thanks for your replies!
If I remember correctly, they were mining coal and the vain wound up passing right under the town of Paradise. Given the choice, the coal company actually destroyed the town to get the coal.
Randy Travis did a cover of this from the movie "Fire Down Below" sound track! They played "Paradise" John sang it in the movie and that's why I bought the sound track but Randy Travis covered it an butchered it on the movie sound track! The movie is excellent! It's based on a true story! it has Steven Seagal, Kris Kristofferson, Helen Helgenberger!
I am sure that everyone will get together and have a concert in memorial to him but even if is 2 hours long they still couldn't cover half of his songs
We can recycle the solar panels. MOt hard to make them from a carbon material. I live in a place where the sun shines 98% of the time. So why do we not use the sun.
@kathy pellette I saw that, and it wasn't anything but a normal internet faux pas. Besides, if you heard what my two sisters call me you'd understand that it is almost impossible to offend me. Ha!!
John Prine was amazing! I found him later in my music life and it was just the right time. Could you do Slow Dancing by Lucero? My favorite band of all time. They started out punk-country added up in a class of their own. It's really worth your time to try out Lucero. The band from Memphis, not the Mexican diva. music.ua-cam.com/video/hTmMgRxLZcU/v-deo.html&feature=share
Touching on what you said as us being human even with renewable resources and making waste. There's a band out of Richmond called strike anywhere and there's a line and one of their songs where they say "We all are human pollution". And it really is true because no matter how well you try to live your life and leave no waste inadvertently you're going to leave something just because you exist.
![John Prine -- Hello In There [REACTION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tSkJ-jEedSc/mqdefault.jpg)
![John Prine -- Hello In There [REACTION]](/img/tr.png)
I haven't been able to listen to a Prine song for the past week. The Peabody coal company which has or had an operation near my hometown, sued him for this song. I'd think that was about the ultimate compliment for songwriting ability. RIP.
My husband worked at the Paradise Coal Plant. TVA built that plant where Paradise, KY once stood.
And some of John Prine’s ashes were scattered on the Green River. Just like he wanted.
Love John Prine we are both from Kentucky
I still can't hear his wonderful voice without weeping.
You are not alone . It’s hard at times to get through any of his songs without a hint of teardrops. I nearly forget we have lost this “Gift” !
A masterpiece, written for his dad. All the places he mentions, like the abandoned prison by Adrey Hill and the Rochester dam, were places he played as a child. There’s a video on UA-cam of this performance of all stills that show these places. Very powerful.
Never get enough of John Prine! We appreciate what you do Don! Thanks.
I love the line "remembered so many times the memories are worn." I feel like that about my hometown. Born in a little community in West Virginia. This song could have been written about my town. My heart is so sad for the loss of this American poet - he's so much more than a singer. We have lost a treasure.
Don actually half of his ashes are being put in the Green River...as the song says.💚
Steve Goodman, another wonderful songwriter, is supplying the background vocals on this one.
They were great friends.
Ok, I've watched you react to two John Prine songs and totally nail it. Kinda love you for that. Easy follow.
@Colleen Mahony I’m glad I got them right because John isn’t linear or simplistic by any stretch! Welcome aboard the channel!
Don't know what we are going to do without John he will be truly missed it still gets me how many people have heard him or one of his songs and didn't know it was him RIP John
Awesome! Thanks for doing this. John always closed his shows with this song. I'm not sure if John was cremated or not, but if he was, I hope that at least some of his ashes were scattered in the Green River and found their way to Paradise, as I'm sure his soul did. RIP Legend
I believe it happened this way...
ua-cam.com/video/gM9FQIvX8l0/v-deo.html
John Prine is a national treasure.
So honored to live only 30 minutes from paradise. Rest easy Mr. Prine, your music still heals me today. My lovely wife and I got to see you live when she was still mine. Thank you for helping me with this divorce. Bless you
@Aj Hayes Hey Aj, good to see you again, and sad to hear you've been going through a divorce. I went through one and it hurt so bad it was unreal. I hope you're able to find moments of personal resurrection, which is what I referred to my moments where I felt strong enough to move ahead. I'm sorry my brother, but no matter what it's good to see you again, even if just in a comment section.
I missed this the other day. Thank you so much for doing this. ♥️♥️♥️
Memories put perfectly into words. I too have these memories of Muhlenburg county and the Green River. My childhood memories are peppered with all this song talks about. We'd be sent out to find leftover pieces of coal for Granny's old pot bellied stove that was her only source of heat. We loved just walking around and seeing what used to be. It was always bitter sweet to imagine what it was when our parents were kids. The Green River is a large river. Mama n Daddy never said anything about the coal being transported on the river. I believe it was only by train. The tracks are where we'd go to scavage the coal that had fallen off the piled high rail cars. The Green River is beautiful with some good fishing and a wicked current so you need to be careful not to go out too far when you are swimming. The area is worth a visit especially when your are an empathic history buff. The coal companies back then didnt have to replant trees or do anything to restore the land to it's original glory so they didn't. They just left the devastation and moved on to the next state, county, set up the new mining city and drew people desperate for a way to support their family in and told them the coal would never run out and everyone would prosper. They were paid in vouchers to the mines store and not enough to fully fund the families needs. They ended up owing the company store. The song 16 Tons by Tennessee Earnie Ford illustrates the plight of the coal miner very well.
I could listen to this all day.
I am from the border in Arizona, and have been down there. Paradise doesn't exist anymore. There is a Green River, I had friends that lived in Greenville, which is the county seat of Muhlenberg County. Very nice people down there.
This is a classic John Prine song. He is an irreplaceable talent.
I live directly across the river from adrian prison in ohio county ky. Fished hundreds of times at the rochester dam. Paradise is truly gone. Thank you for this
Just goes to show that nothing is forever. All things come to an end.
This song means the world to me . My ancestors on both parents sides are from Muhlenberg Co. My mom's dad was a timber man in the old shaft mines and she grew up in the little towns where miners lived . My uncle worked at the strip mines and used to take me down to the Green River to fish . I spent my last year of High School living with my Grandmother and graduated from Muhlenberg Central . My favorite version of this song is on his German Afternoons album . If you haven't done so yet , check out his Grammy Winning "Missing Years" album .
My mother was born in Muhlenberg county Kentucky is my home and I will never leave
"The coal companies came, with the world's largest shovel. They tortured the Timber and stripped all the land."
That kills me everyone.
Don, “And I don’t know this song.”
In my head, “ Ohhh dude, you are in for a treat.”
One of my favorite songs by John Prine
My favorite cover of a John Prine song is "Angel From Montgomery" by Young@Heart Chorus. They are a group of seniors (some in their 90's) who cover song you would never expect them to cover
I'm from Ohio County, Ky, the Green river separates Mulenburg County. Use to swim in the green river as a kid when I stayed at my Papa Pete's in Cromwell, Ky. Love John Prine and the visual he created was spot on. The Peabody Coal Company devastated Paradise, but for progress it created jobs that fueled that area. The coal train cars would go on for miles and the coal trucks ran constantly. The Big Shovel was massive, you could park 10 trucks inside it and it took 10 men to run it. So, this song means a lot to me when I hear it. May John be playing for God now.
John was a one of a kind poet and singer/songwriter not unlike Guy Clark. It is great to hear one of his greatest compositons performed by himself. He will be sorely missed on the country scene and across all other genres of music. May he rest in peace and may God grant Comfort to his loved ones and friends. Keep rockin' that country Don.
This is one of John's songs that most people, other than John Prine fans know by John Denver, a great songwriter in his own right, who had a big hit with it and who died way too early. The song is about his memories as a child of his family and what once was a beautiful place that was destroyed in the name of progress to be lost forever. Listening to John Prine is like have a private jam in your house. He had the ability to reach people emotionally and individually. He will be missed but hut huge catalog of music will live on. RIP John.
Muhlenberg County, Kentucky is where the Everly brothers family was from also. And James Best was from there too, he is a cousin to the Everly brothers.
In the Western Kentucky region the method of coal mining is different than in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia where they dig tunnels and bore into the earth. In Western Kentucky they strip mine, which is using huge mechanical scrapers, once called "steam shovels", to literally claw the surface soil and everything on it away. The Peabody mines in KY have been reclaimed, to some extent, and they provide some terrific outdoor camping and spectacular pan fishing, but that came after this song was written and probably gives little solace to anyone who has memories wrapped up in the land before the mines came.
RIP John Prine. Awesome storyteller. Will alway be a fovorite of mine.
That is John's brother Dave Prine on fiddle and Steve Goodman on 2ud guitar and harmony vocal
John was born near Chicago, his mum and dad were born in Muhlenberg county. Keep up the great work Don...
@stephen walton That info comes in more handy than you'd be aware of this week due to some dude who was trash-talking me--ha!! Thanks for that!
@@RockN2Country no worries Don, keep up the good work... Cheers from Australia.
One of the first songs, learned on the guitar; the first being Angel from Montgomery. Solar power is also devastating the desert ecology. I live adjacent to the Mojave desert and they have to scrape the land barren to install hundreds of square miles for the solar farms.
I grew up in Western Kentucky in the county next to Muhlenburg Co. This is a beloved song there - we used to have lots of coal mines in western Kentucky as well, but of course that is no more, just like in eastern Kentucky.
Paradise was actually the name of a coal town in Muhlenberg county Kentucky, it was shut down in the 60’s by the Peabody Coal Company and completely demolished, they drained it dry then built a coal fired plant where the town was, if I’m not mistaken Unit 3 is the largest of its kind, only thing left of Paradise is the graveyard ironically
Give Jimmy LaFave a listen Not Dark Yet, Never Came Back From Memphis
I grew up in Muhlenberg County. Rest easy, John.
I grew up deer hunting in Muhlenberg County we travel there every year from eastern Kentucky and hunt on Peabody coal property. They have actually done a really good job fixing and preserving the land. I'm sure it looked better before they got there though.
Great tune....... thanks for honoring John ....... I went to see him in concert by chance a few years ago.... not knowing his music and left a fan
A Classic, John Prine and this song! His music allowed you to see life around you from his perspective.
Paradise was actually the name of the town. Not just a metaphor.😀
Have you thought about “ When I Get to Heaven “ . I can see him .
Theres some songs I like to listen to , but some are totally exceptional , that was an excellent choice, paradise is an awesome song
This is a very pretty and moving song. Thank you.
John Prine is the Van Gogh of lyricist, he is the only artist that can draw tears from my eyes!!!
Every word in this song is true. Adrie Hill and Paradise were real places. This is a county over from me, near to where the Everly brothers were from. The world's largest shovel was built by a company here in the town I live in. I am friends with the owner. The Green River does support barge traffic. It is so deep there are places they couldn't find the bottom in the early 1900s
Paradise.. ❤️JP... RIP
when the song was released some folks thought it was an old forgotten song about the horrible strip mining of the county John was a phenomenal writer RIP
RIP John Prine!!
I love that last verse
Luv this Prine song, recorded also by J. Denver on the. Rocky Mountain High album
@kathy pellette Great album, and welcome aboard the channel!
RockN2Country thanks Don! I do luv you’re review of the songs. I love all kinds of music, but especially the older ones. I grew up with dad in the middle of the floor flipping channels, a little Lawrence Welk, a little Hee Haw. I like Hee Haw better. Anyway, in the late 1970s thru some of the 80’s, I was hooked on radio stations that specialized in the old country and western tunes, but also lotta great newer singers thrown in, Reba, Alan Jackson, etc. just keep up the good work and thanks for your replies!
What the coal industry did to these folks for generations was a crime. They did the same thong here in Arizona for copper. It was Phelps Dodge here.
You should do When I Get To Heaven
Definitely
I live one county over from Muhlenberg county. Paradise was actually a town that was torn down by the TVA.
Solar panels last a very long time. I have panels that are 40 yrs old and still working fine.
👍👍
Give Jimmy LaFave a listen Not Dark Yet, Never Came Back From Memphis
“Paradise “ is the actual name of the town. You should react to “How every empire falls”
It shouldn't be lost on anyone that Steve Goodman sang backup on this song.
If I remember correctly, they were mining coal and the vain wound up passing right under the town of Paradise. Given the choice, the coal company actually destroyed the town to get the coal.
Reminds me of Chris knights song “dirt”
Randy Travis did a cover of this from the movie "Fire Down Below" sound track! They played "Paradise" John sang it in the movie and that's why I bought the sound track but Randy Travis covered it an butchered it on the movie sound track!
The movie is excellent! It's based on a true story! it has Steven Seagal, Kris Kristofferson, Helen Helgenberger!
I am sure that everyone will get together and have a concert in memorial to him but even if is 2 hours long they still couldn't cover half of his songs
You should also understand the double entendre of Paradise, not just a fabled place but also the name of the town they grew up in.
Try anything by John Stewart. Suggestions: California Bloodlines or July your a woman. Especially the live versions from the Phoenix Concerts album.
my brother plays this song and introduces it as a coltrane song
Would you do CLASS OF 57 by the Statler Brothers, Harold Reid just passed away
"If there's not necessarily strip-mining." That'd be a good start.
What price progress?
❤
This song ends the Steven Seagal movie FIRE DOWN BELOW.
torture the timbers are called over burden think about that for a minute
This song is from Fire Down Below. It's a good song
We can recycle the solar panels. MOt hard to make them from a carbon material. I live in a place where the sun shines 98% of the time. So why do we not use the sun.
Oh, i believe I called you John yesterday in a post...sorry bout that Don!
@kathy pellette I saw that, and it wasn't anything but a normal internet faux pas. Besides, if you heard what my two sisters call me you'd understand that it is almost impossible to offend me. Ha!!
RockN2Country Ha really! You must have been the pesky younger brother! Mostly call you don or Donny? Either way, you are a okay in my book!
John Prine was amazing! I found him later in my music life and it was just the right time. Could you do Slow Dancing by Lucero? My favorite band of all time. They started out punk-country added up in a class of their own. It's really worth your time to try out Lucero. The band from Memphis, not the Mexican diva. music.ua-cam.com/video/hTmMgRxLZcU/v-deo.html&feature=share
peabody coal company .real fact .
This was always a coal company strip-mining protest song, than a actual country song.
please do spanish pipedream reaction
No ..... no it's not qbout coal mining at all, it's about the Wilderness...
Not the best version,
Touching on what you said as us being human even with renewable resources and making waste. There's a band out of Richmond called strike anywhere and there's a line and one of their songs where they say "We all are human pollution". And it really is true because no matter how well you try to live your life and leave no waste inadvertently you're going to leave something just because you exist.