Heaven on Earth Revisited

 

          It was 1985.  I was at the hospital, being wheeled into the operating room for an elective surgery that was more annoying than critical.  Through the powers of my persuasion (a dangerous substance - to be used only in small doses) - I had convinced the staff to let me listen to some music on my headset before the anesthesia kicked in.  This is what I heard -

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He Was In Heaven Before He Died *
©John Prine 

There’s a rainbow of babies
Draped over the graveyard
Where all the dead sailors
Wait for their brides
And the cold bitter snow
Has strangled each grassblade
Where the salt from their tears
Washed out with the tide

Chorus
And I smiled on the Wabash
The last time I passed it
Yes I gave her a wink
From the passenger side
And my foot fell asleep
As I swallowed my candy
Knowing he was in heaven
Before he died

Now the harbor’s on fire
With the dreams and desires
Of a thousand young poets
Who failed ’cause they tried
For a rhyme without reason
Floats down to the bottom
Where the scavengers eat ‘em
And wash in with the tide

Repeat Chorus:

The sun can play tricks
With your eyes on the highway
The moon can lay sideways
Till the ocean stands still
But a person can’t tell
His best friend he loves him
Till time has stopped breathing
You’re alone on the hill

Repeat Chorus:

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          I woke up with the words still gently caressing my mind.  The surgery was over.  God was in this place, and all was well with the world.  I felt blessed by the life I had been given. 

          Who would have thought rectal surgery could be so reassuring?

 

          { For more Prine info, check out the John Prine Shrine.  Music and other materials can be purchased at OhBoy Records .}

 

{originally published April 9, 2007 in Necessary Therapy}