Day #8 - Sam Stone
Probably one of the coolest things I saw at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, was the framed 8.5” by 11” notebook paper that John Prine used to write down the first verse/chorus of his hauntingly sad 1971 song “Sam Stone”. His original title for the song was “Great Society Conflict Veteran's Blues".
It’s by far the saddest song in my repertoire, and one that is difficult to play and sing without emotion pouring out. Maybe that’s how it should be.
It doesn’t seem that we learned much from Sam Stone. 52 years later and our veterans still come home from conflict with debilitating injuries, mental health issues and yes, addictions. We need to do better for them.
I said there would be sad and tragic songs in this project. This one is both.
