3. Souvenirs

 John Prine returns to the blog with Souvenirs. It is a great song and this performance has a great story about how the song came to be. It is also a testament to his songwriting ability considering he wrote one of his best songs on the way to the club where he was playing. 

You will recognize why I chose the song as soon as you hear him sing about faded memories and childhood souvenirs. I love the way he writes. "All the snow has turned to water". Perfect.  He could have said the snow melted, but the way he states it creates a great image. I can see a salt stained sidewalk and the gray blandness of a city at the tail end of winter. The runoff from a dirty snow pile washing away the season is a great metaphor for time washing away memories whether we like it or not. 

Aside from the images he creates, I think the reason I really enjoy this song is because once again Prine touches on the things that mean so much to me. Hanging on to memories and trying to stop the passage of time. Certainly there are places I've been and people I will never forget, but it is also scary that as each year passes there are things that slip away from my memory bank. Childhood laughs, first vacations, friends, children's milestones, relatives that have gone, simple times with those we care about.   Memories they can't be bought, that is for sure, and hopefully the hands of time don't take these souvenirs away too soon.