About the Song

Track: When I Get to Heaven

Length: 3:42

Album: The Tree of Forgiveness (2018)

Artist: John Prine

Songwriter: John Prine

Favorite verse:

“And then I'm gonna get a cocktail

Vodka and ginger ale

Yeah, I'm gonna smoke a cigarette

That's nine miles long

I'm gonna kiss that pretty girl

On the tilt-a-whirl

‘Cause this old man is goin' to town”

℗ Oh Boy Records

Here’s Why I Love It

I couldn’t possibly do another edition of Lyrics I Love without first paying tribute to John Prine. He was one of music’s greatest songwriters, and he passed away on April 7, 2020, at the age of 73 due to complications from Covid-19. The task of picking just one song from Prine’s song catalogue (1971-2018) was a near-impossible mission. So why did I settle on “When I Get to Heaven”?

Well, aside from the obvious, this song is a great snapshot into Prine’s sensibilities as a storyteller. Even with the backdrop of big themes like death, loneliness, love, and American life, Prine had a way of blending humor, charm, and wit that only few can (or have.) Prine’s joy for life shines through in this song. The album, aptly titled The Tree of Forgiveness, is the perfect vessel for this song, emphasizing end-of-life forgiveness as a concept, and capstoning with the line, “I’m going to open a nightclub called The Tree of Forgiveness / And forgive everybody ever done me any harm.”

With deteriorating physical health, including operations to remove cancer cells from his neck (1998) and an entire lung (2013), Prine must have felt Father Time ticking. This makes the song more special and quite emotional, even with its lighthearted tone. As he says, “Yeah when I get to heaven, I’m gonna take that wristwatch off my arm / What are you gonna do with time after you’ve bought the farm.”

Thanks, John Prine. I will continue to enjoy your music for many many years, so this isn’t goodbye. I hope it’s the first of many hellos for some of you. This is the beauty of creative work.

And this won’t be the last time Prine is featured on LIL, that’s for sure.

Listen to song and read the lyrics for full effect.

You can now listen to the Lyrics I Love playlist on Spotify. A new song is added with each edition!

*This article is part of the ongoing Lyrics I Love series: short interpretations of the meaning and story behind one song with lyrics that move me.