I think I alluded to John Prine's song "Sam Stone" in part one of this thread but until now I didn't notice that it isn't in the library. Here, then, are the lyrics to what must surely be right up there with the saddest of songs.

SAM STONE
by John Prine
As recorded by John Prine on "John Prine" (1971)

1. Sam Stone came home to the wife and family,
After serving in the conflict overseas,
And the time that he served
had shattered all his nerves,
And left a little shrapnel in his knee.
But the morphine eased the pain
and the grass grew round his brain,
And gave him all the confidence he lacked,
With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back.

CHORUS: There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose,
Little pitchers have big ears,
don't stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios, hmmmm.

2. Sam Stone's welcome home didn't last too long,
He went to work when he'd spent his last dime,
And Sammy took to stealin'
when he got that empty feelin',
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime.
And the gold rolled through his veins
like a thousand railroad trains,
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose,
While the kids ran around wearin' other people's clothes. CHORUS

3. Sam Stone was alone when he popped his last balloon,
Climbin' walls while sitting in a chair,
Well, He played his last request
while the room smelled just like death,
With an overdose hoverin' in the air.
But life had lost its fun
and there was nothin' to be done,
But trade his house that he bought on the GI Bill,
For a flag-draped casket on a local hero's hill. CHORUS


Whew, it turns out "Sam Stone" isn't just hard to sing with dry eyes, it's hard to type with dry eyes as well. The humming at the end of the chorus is part of the melody and actually fills out the last two bars. Now will this eventually make its way into the library or is it necessary to repost with a "LYR ADD" header?

- Mark