Summer's End

Album: The Tree of Forgiveness (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • This melancholic song finds John Prine musing on the passing of time.

    The moon and stars hang out in bars just talkin'
    I still love that picture of us walkin'
    Just like that ol' house we thought was haunted
    Summer's end came faster than we wanted


    The veteran troubadour is looking back at some precious moments with the realization that all good things come to a end - "Summer's end came faster than we wanted." It serves as an elegy for the many things being lost in modern American society.
  • Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile provides backing vocals on the track.
  • American Songwriter magazine ranked this as their Best Song of 2018.
  • The haunting video for the song takes a different angle tackling the tough issue of substance abuse. Kerrin Sheldon and Elaine McMillion Sheldon, the directors of Recovery Boys, created a visual that depicts a grandfather and granddaughter coming to terms with the loss of their daughter and mother. A brief flash of a TV report about the opioid crisis explains the devastating story being told.

    "The opioid crisis is tearing American families apart," said Prine. "I love what Elaine and Kerrin have done with my song."

Comments: 4

  • Georgep from New MexicoDoes anyone know who Max was that John Prine dedicated the song “come on home” to?
  • Eddisc from Seattleforgot to add link for below comment. https://bit.ly/2APwucp
  • Eddisc from Seattlefor a more inclusive look at this amazing song/video, see the embedded vid w/in the RS one. BRING TISSUES !!

    Blessings to John and family.
  • Edward L'ecluse from CanadaWho is the young man playing with John Prine at the end? Is that actually Max? Or is that John's grandson?
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