I love this song by John Prine. He is one of the most underrated songwriters. Such amazing lyrics, I can't ever listen to him enough. To me, a line like "naked as the eyes of a clown" is sheer poetry (not to mention the imagery of it suddenly getting cold enough for one to be frozen in the bathtub). That's a beautiful turn of phrase in my book. If you've never heard him before, I hope that you enjoy this. If you have heard him before this is a wonderful live version with John's response to a mondegreen (misheard song lyrics) by a fan.
Link to video for those reading on FB
Well I know a guy that's got a lot to lose,He's a pretty nice fella, kinda confused.He's got muscles in his head ain't never been used,He thinks he owns half of this town.Starts drinkin' heavy, gets a big red nose,Beats his old lady with a rubber hoseThen he takes her out to dinner, buys her new clothes,That's the way that the world goes 'round.That's the way that the world goes 'round,You're up one day, the next you're down,It's half inch of water, but you think you're gonna drown,That's the way that the world goes 'round.I was sittin' in the bathtub, a-countin' my toes,When the radiator broke, the water all froze.I got stuck in the ice, without my clothes,Naked as the eyes of a clown.I was crying those ice cubes, hoping I'd croak,When the sun came through the window, the ice all broke.I stood up and laughed; I thought it was a joke,That's the way that the world goes 'round.That's the way that the world goes 'round,You're up one day, the next you're down,It's half inch of water, but you think you're gonna drown,That's the way that the world goes 'round.
