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Watch John Prine play his last recorded song, 'I Remember Everything'

(EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white.) John Prine performs at John Anson Ford Amphitheatre on October 01, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
(EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white.) John Prine performs at John Anson Ford Amphitheatre on October 01, 2019 in Hollywood, California.Rich Fury/Getty Images

by Stephen Thompson

June 12, 2020

When John Prine died on April 7 due to complications from COVID-19, he didn't just leave behind a rich recorded legacy. He also left behind works in progress — threads and sketches from a fruitful late career marked by wistful, plainspoken reflections on a life well lived.

On Friday, Prine's label released his last recorded song: "I Remember Everything," which he wrote with longtime collaborator Pat McLaughlin and recorded with prolific Nashville producer Dave Cobb. As its title suggests, it's a humble but wide-ranging, deeply graceful look back for an artist who knows his end is approaching.


I've been down this road before
Alone as I can be
Careful not to let my past
Go sneaking up on me
Got no future in my happiness
Though regrets are very few
Sometimes a little tenderness
Was the best that I could do

"I Remember Everything" is available now via Oh Boy Records.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit www.npr.org.

John Prine - official site