Prine, John - Clocks And Spoons Lyrics

This remains one of my favorites after nearly 50 years!

@Nancy Wall (??) I also liked this song right-off because it's easy to play on guitar. It is also challenging to sing it well enough that a listener can understand what the singer thinks that it is about. My singing is much better than my playing so I could work on various ways to convey content and make the song more moving. This became even more important when at 17 I went off to college and got to sing it to an audience at the Red Herring Open Stage, instead of just myself and a few friends.

By far the best

one of the best ever...Jonny Prine!

John Prine is a genius. The emotions he can convey is inhuman for such a simple song

David Bromberg's electric guitar really helps make this a great song too.

David plays guitar with such patience .. he never rushes anything .. a true artist.

Will be in Calgary this summer!! wish I had $600 for one ticket.

kevin walsh Canadian dollars sure are funny

Perfect

that's bromberg on guitar

Now all you hear on the radio is over-produced commercial crap.

Listen to Dax Riggs cover of this

Noraa Sinktaw I love Dax homie!

America's Greatest Song Writer!

a hidden treasure for sure

WAY COOL! Fred

ive heard its about Heroine Addiction.... makes sense if you read the lyrics.... great stuff...

As long as I hve listened to Prine---This is the first time i ever heard this one. How could this have happened

This was his 2nd album, he changed producers and the instrumental music is much more transparent than on the 1st. The songs are great - most of my favorites are on this album. 'Clocks and Spoons' ; 'The Late John Garfield Blues' & everybody's favorite 'Souvenirs'. The title song 'Diamonds in the Rough' is unaccompanied 3 part harmony vocals : John Prine, his brother Dave, and his great friend Steve Goodman! I have always that this album has been neglected, and 'Clocks and Spoons' especially. But I think that I did hear him sing it on tour last year (2017), either Joliet or Indianapolis. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance, clearly John still loved the song and sang it perfectly.

@Juliet Duncanson What was his first album?

@Nancy Wall "John Prine" - When you listen to it the thing that leaves you in awe is he was just a very young man when he wrote all the material. You sit there wondering, 'how did he know all this shit'? I concluded he must have been recycled and is an old soul.

@Nancy Wall His first album was "John Prine" with the hay-bale and wearing a work-shirt. It is amazing because most of the songs are still sung a his concerts today (unless something has radically changed in the last 2 years.) I stand by my treatise on album #2.
Where was this posted? I just stumbled on it when I logged into my Gmail inbox for the first time since I established my "named" address ten or so years ago. I guess this is thread on YouTube, but I had forgotten all about it. Just our luck - I am lucky because of knowing about John & Steve and their music before they had albums! (and a few other things) Regards, Juliet

' Its raining out tonight '

Kenny Reel a

Yeah, they don't play anything cool like this on the radio anymore. It's all American Idol or R&B = B-O-R-I-N-G !

Porter C you have to go to college/indie radio stations and u can get this kind of music. meaning music

I just heard this song on the radio yesterday night driving home.

What station or where were you?

Juliet Duncanson knon in Dallas TX

I'll make a note of that, Thanks!

I've been listening to this man for 40 years, and I never get tired of him. The good old songs and the newer ones are all wonderful. So grateful for him to have been such a big part of my life!!!!

when I think of great American song writers and singers I think of this man first and foremost there is and never will be anyone like him he sang with a lot of depth and feeling that we all could relate to Love you John

My favorite singer-somgwriteer from the 70s- shewas indeed hard to categorize, but he sang some of the best C&W songs I rver heard

Far far from me is my fav of all but dam it's hard to choose since all are so heartfelt, relevant and whatever! He is the best i have bought his records since 1972 but all got burned in a house fire. I got in the door with the flames coming out and my 300 vynal albums were melting . the only thing i got out was my Garrard Turn table! Thanks to the net i can still enjoy his music!

This and hello in there probably his best.

When I got nowhere to go this where you'll find me

How beautiful....

Loved his music since 1st time I heard him on the beeb, must have been his 1st time in UK.

listened to him since late 70s but back then I didn't really understand the deeper meanings of the lyrics  yeah I got some of the anti war stuff, but I still loved his music but now that I have lived a while I see how amazing and poetic these songs are and it boggles my mind the way he can sum up the pain joy and irony of life in a few sentences,  I met him in Nashville and was brave enough to say hello and the guy is great.  he was so nice and was like someone you would love to go hang out with and shoot the breeze have a beer or something. i cannot express how much i love this man.

I love the description you wrote. I grew up on Prine's music. There really is nothing like his music and no one like him. He's just real. and simple. Which is good. You'll never hear of the "T-Prine Effect" lol (T- Pain effect that is just a pitch changer and every single song almost uses it now.)

Sam Stone is the best, MAYBE

greatttttttttttt song

Ain't got no stinkin' badge, but this is a really cool early JP album I never heard of before.
... first few lines do sound like dylan until the JP kicks in.
Great bouncy track.
Now I gotta hear all of them .

I like kris kristofferson just about as much....but John Prine is a hero of mine just like me grampa

what you just wake up.....man I've been listening to this music since I was a kid......46 now and I still listen to it, back then i had no choice....but today i buy the cd's and give to my friends.....he's the best...know most of his music by heart

@joeintervale I can dig it

I'm 24 and everyone I know has heard of John Prine, or will soon.

Thanks Fred!
The first time I heard this, a friend popped in an 8 track tape in my 72 Gran Torino Sport one morning on the way to a construction job we worked during summer break! We flat wore it out and I've been a Prine fan ever since.

There's a big discription about this song here.
celestialmonochord. org/2006/08/clocks_and_spoo
I just think Prine wrote this about one of his Vietnam vet buddys that came back hooked on the stuff...like Sam Stone. Glad someone finally posted it. I love the Steve Goodman guitar.

John Lydon

by far one of the best story tellers right up there with best if not the best it's so hard to pick his best
I believe my favorite album is Fair n Square but I love all early stuff being great

The electric guitar is David Bromberg, if I remember right

Thank you for posting this. I adore this song.