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LET’S SPIN A JOHN PRINE CLASSIC SONG ON THE TURNTABLE
YOUR FLAG DECAL WON’T GET YOU IN TO HEAVEN ANYMORE
John Prine (1946–2020), if you are not familiar with him, was one of the great singer-songwriters. Unfortunately, the world lost John to the COVID pandemic. Kris Kristofferson, who was no slouch himself as a singer-songwriter, helped Prine early in his career and said of him, “Prine writes songs so good we’ll have to break his thumbs.” Prine’s first eponymous album was classic, containing many classic songs like Sam Stone, Illegal Smile, Angel From Montgomery, Hello In There, Paradise, and, of course, Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore. It was a rare debut album that could double as his Greatest Hits, Volume 1.
YES, IT IS A PROTEST SONG
Prine wrote this song during the Vietnam War, a war that divided America. It was a time that one was either a hawk or a dove. You either supported the war or you were part of the Anti-War Movement. The flag decal was a symbol of support for the war in Vietnam. When Prine wrote the song, the Vietnam War seemed to be dragging on forever with no end in sight. Every night on the network news, you see the carnage in Vietnam on your living room television. Humor was part of Prine’s lyrics. He had the rare gift of being humorous and profound at the same time…
