Sam Stone
1971 · Atlantic SD 8296 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- John Prine
- Title
- Sam Stone
- Release
- John Prine
- Year
- 1971
- Label
- Atlantic # SD 8296
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Songwriter
- John Prine
- Genre
- Country · Country Folk · Singer Songwriter · Contemporary Folk
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
John Prine, influential and successful country singer/songwriter, born 10 October 1946 in Maywood, Illinois, USA, and died on 7 April 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, released the topical track "Sam Stone" (Atlantic # SD 8296).1 The narrator told of the plight of a Vietnam veteran returning home from the "conflict overseas", who turned to drugs: "morphine eased his pain". The song ended with his death: "Sam Stone was alone when he popped his last balloon". Thus, this was another Vietnam-Drugs representation. The song makes a small reference to the Purple Heart - a US military decoration. Covered by the Virginia soul artist Swamp Dogg on the 1972 album Cuffed, Collared and Tagged.Sources1The Encyclopedia of Country Music (Michael McCall, 2004)↩
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Lyrics
English: Sam Stone came home to his wife and family / After serving in the conflict overseas / And the time that he served had shattered all his nerves... / But the morphine eased the pain and the grass grew 'round his brain / And gave him all the confidence he lacked / With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back / There's a hole in daddy's arm... / Sam Stone was alone when he popped his last balloon... / While the room smelled just like death with an overdose hovering in the air / But life had lost it's fun
Notes
Atlantic 45-2815, 45 R.P.M., issued in both a mono pressing (red and white label, side code A-22571 SP) and a stereo pressing (pale blue label, ST-A-22571 SP), both marked "Vocal"; "Sam Stone" (John Prine), 3:40, published by Walden-Sour Grapes, ASCAP. "Mfg. by Atlantic Recording Corp., 1841 Broadway, New York, N.Y." Both copies come in the red-and-white "Atlantic Records" company sleeve with the repeated "A" pattern. [From the record sleeve and labels]
About the artist
American singer-songwriter, born 10 October 1946 in Maywood, Illinois ('Sam Stone'); died 7 April 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. [Source: Wikipedia]
Themes
Mistreatment of Vet · Drugs · Purple Heart · Home Front Perspective · Religion