Who is John Prine’s ‘Angel from Montgomery’?
The late John Prine was one of the definitive American singer-songwriters. Although he was one of the many legends that rose in the wake of Bob Dylan, he cut through the noise and carved out a space for all for himself. Like a more comedic, musical version of author Raymond Carver, his most incisive songs tended to be social commentaries and satire that drew on love, current affairs and Prine’s personal odyssey.
Prine cut his teeth as one of the cornerstones of Chicago’s chapter of the folk revival. His success outside of the ‘Windy City’ was helped by an effusive review by the eminent movie critic Roger Ebert. Before too long, one of the country’s most famous singer-songwriters, Kris Kristofferson, invited Prine to be his support act at the insistence of Prine’s Chicago folk peer, Steve Goodman. Following this, Prine released his self-titled debut album in 1971 on Atlantic Records to wide acclaim. It is hailed as one of the definitive efforts by a singer-songwriter.
Since that moment, Prine was an active musician and occasional actor until his death at the age of 73 in April 2020. While he wrote many compositions of note, one of his finest and most lauded is ‘Angel of Montgomery’ from his debut. However, the identity of the titular angel has always been a source of puzzlement for fans. It turns out they were fictional but represented an experience very real for many women across America during this era and today.
Prine was helped to write the song by his friend Eddie Holstein. Looking to write a track together, the latter suggested it be about old people, similar to the Prine favourite, ‘Hello In There’, which also featured on his debut. Prine didn’t want to replicate what he had done with the other track as he felt he had said all he wanted to about his seniors on it, but he did like the idea of penning one about “a middle-aged woman who feels older than she is”.
“I had this really vivid picture of this woman standing over the dishwater with soap in her hands and just walking away from it all,” Prine explained in More Songwriters On Songwriting. “I just kept that whole idea image in mind when I was writing the song, and I just let it pour out of that character’s heart.”
He later said of the character’s situation: “She wanted to get out of her house and her marriage and everything. She just wanted an angel to come to take her away from all this.” Prine also revealed that although he couldn’t be sure why he chose the Alabaman capital, Montgomery, as the setting, he thought it was likely because he was a longtime fan of country great Hank Williams, who is closely tied to the city.
Who was Eddie Holstein?
A staple of the Chicago folk scene, he was esteemed for his humorous songwriting as well as his guitar playing and work on the banjo. He has written many songs, including ‘Jazzman’, with them covered by the likes of Bette Middler, Steve Goodman and Martin Simpson. An integral part of Chicago’s folk music, he featured as a performer on the Grammy-winning album Tribute to Steve Goodman from 1989.
In the early period of the Chicago scene, Eddie and his late older brother, Fred, would perform at the venues that made the sound famous, including The Earl of Old Town, The Quiet Knight and The Fifth Peg, where the likes of Prine, Goodman and Bonnie Koloc all cut their teeth. Holstein often performs ‘Angel from Montgomery’ at his shows and consistently introduces it with the joke: “I wrote half of this… and John just bought me lunch.”
What are the lyrics to John Prine’s ‘Angel From Montgomery’?
The song is noted for its traditionally unusual start, wherein Prine assumes the role of the female character. He kicks it off with the line, “I am an old woman,” before exploring her world of inertia, which involves a loveless husk of a marriage to a man-child. In a testament to Prine’s skill, he aptly brought to life the hum-drum experiences of many housewives of the era.
The first verse is: “I am an old woman / Named after my mother / My old man is another / Child who’s grown old.” It is followed by the second verse: “If dreams were thunder / And lightning was desire / This old house would’ve burned down / A long time ago.” Later, Prine delivers the standout line, “Those years just flown by / Like a broken down dam.”
As an internal plea from the woman who yearns to escape, the chorus is: “Make me an angel / That flies from Montgomery / Make me a poster / Of an old rodeo / Just give me one thing / That I can hold on to / To believe in this livin’ / Is just a hard way to go.”
Bonnie Raitt, the acclaimed singer-songwriter who has performed the song since the 1970s, explained the significance of Prine’s work here. She told Uncut: “As a young feminist, the idea that this young man could inhabit the world of a middle-aged woman in a thankless marriage really resonated with me.”
How many songs did John Prine write?
In his time, Prine remained one of America’s most active folk musicians and released 18 studio albums. He also completed a string of live albums and sent two live ones into the ether. In addition to this, he appeared on five guest singles, including with Swamp Dogg, Myles Kennedy and Kurt Vile. Notably, the latter is one of his most lauded contemporary adherents.
While there is no definitive answer to how many songs John Prine wrote in his lifetime, due to his passing and the fact he will have written many that never saw the light of day as a young musician and veteran, Spotify records that the Illinois native has 164 tracks on their website.
Listen to ‘Angel from Montgomery’ below.
