John Prine Lake Marie

John Prine sang Lake Marie on West 54th.

“That night she fell asleep in my arms 

singing Louie, Louie. Ah, we gotta go now.” 

When I met him later on tour in Calgary

I told him I’d lost my date to his bass player

in 1978 in Toronto. He smiled slyly, 

“That would be Pickles,” he laughed.

What I should have said was how in  

I was playing Lake Marie to my girlfriend. 

I wanted to show her what a great song 

It was to me. “Many years later, I found 

myself talking to this girl who was standing 

with her back turned to Lake Marie.The 

wind was blowing— especially through her hair.” 

She got up from the sofa, changed records. 

It was Neil Young singing Man Needs A Maid. 

“There,” she said. That’s a song about you.” 

And I knew we were though. Just like that.

As I walked to my car I thought of the line 

from Lake Marie. “You know what blood 

looks like in a black-and-white video? 

Shadows! That's what it looks like.” 

I bled out shadows on the ride home.