published on in News

John Prine Lyrics, Meaning & Videos

Paradise
John Prine Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴When I was a child my family would travel
Down to Western Kentucky where my parents were born
And there's a backwards old town that's often remembered
So many times that my memories are worn

And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'

Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away

Well, sometimes we'd travel right down the Green River
To the abandoned old prison down by Airdrie Hill
Where the air smelled like snakes and we'd shoot with our pistols
But empty pop bottles was all we would kill

And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away

Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel
And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
Well, they dug for their coal 'til the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man

And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away

When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester Dam
I'll be halfway to Heaven with Paradise waitin'
Just five miles away from wherever I am

And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
Down by the Green River where Paradise lay

Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away


Overall Meaning

The song "Paradise" by John Prine is a nostalgic reflection on the destruction of the natural beauty and way of life in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky due to the coal industry. In the first verse, Prine remembers his childhood trips to the town where his parents were born, but laments the town's disappearance due to the coal train hauling away the land. In the second verse, he reminisces about playing by an abandoned prison that now smells like snakes, and again wishes to return to the green river and the "paradise" that once was.


The third verse takes a more political tone, as Prine describes the coal company's destruction of the land and the resulting devastation. The final verse speaks to the desire to return to paradise even in death, but again the father denies the request, highlighting the permanent loss caused by the coal industry.


Line by Line Meaning

When I was a child my family would travel
As a child, my parents would travel with me to Western Kentucky.


Down to Western Kentucky where my parents were born
We would travel to the birthplace of my parents in Western Kentucky.


And there's a backwards old town that's often remembered
In that area, there is a town known for its rural and outdated ways.


So many times that my memories are worn
I remember the town so vividly that my memories have become faded over time.


And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
I wish my dad would take me back to Muhlenberg County.


Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
Where everything was once pristine, pure, and untouched.


Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
Unfortunately, we cannot go back to that time and place anymore.


Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away
The coal company has ravaged the land, leaving nothing of its former beauty.


Well, sometimes we'd travel right down the Green River
Sometimes we'd take a trip down the Green River.


To the abandoned old prison down by Airdrie Hill
To an abandoned prison located near Airdrie Hill.


Where the air smelled like snakes and we'd shoot with our pistols
The air smelled of reptiles, and we'd engage in target practice with our pistols.


But empty pop bottles was all we would kill
Fortunately, the only things we managed to hit were empty bottles of soda.


Then the coal company came with the world's largest shovel
The arrival of the coal company meant that they brought in some of the largest machinery possible.


And they tortured the timber and stripped all the land
They ravaged the land by cutting down trees and stripping it of its natural resources.


Well, they dug for their coal 'til the land was forsaken
They mined for all the coal available, leaving behind a ruined and abandoned land.


Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man
The destruction they caused was seen as progress, a benefit to mankind.


When I die let my ashes float down the Green River
When I pass away, I want my ashes to be scattered down the Green River.


Let my soul roll on up to the Rochester Dam
I want my soul to journey up the river to the Rochester Dam.


I'll be halfway to Heaven with Paradise waitin'
In this way, I'll be halfway towards heaven, with Paradise being my final destination.


Just five miles away from wherever I am
From wherever I may be, Paradise will only be five miles away.


And daddy, won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County?
One more time, I'm asking my dad to take me back to Muhlenberg County.


Down by the Green River where Paradise lay
I still desire to visit the once beautiful, unspoiled land of Muhlenberg County by the Green River.


Well, I'm sorry, my son, but you're too late in askin'
I'm sorry but that is just not possible anymore.


Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away
The coal company destroyed everything, and paradise is now long gone.


Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Prine

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

ncG1vNJzZmirn6O2pLTIrapnm5%2BifLe1w56maIKfnbugnNGipZ5ngJa%2ForDIrJw%3D