"Sam Stone" is a song written by
John Prine
John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...
about a
drug-addicted veteran
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field.
A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces.
A topic o ...
with a
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
and his death by
overdose
A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014. . It appeared on Prine's eponymous 1971 debut album. The song was originally titled "Great Society Conflict Veteran's Blues".
The song is usually interpreted as a reference to the phenomenon of
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
or
morphine
Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...
addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
among
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
veterans
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field.
A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces.
A topic o ...
. A similar surge of addiction followed the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, after which morphine addiction was known as "Soldiers' Disease". The song does not mention the Vietnam War, saying only that Sam returned from "serving in the conflict overseas".
There is a single explicit reference to morphine, but Prine alludes to heroin on several occasions including the use of the term "habit", slang commonly associated with heroin use, and the line "he popped his last ''balloon''", very likely referring to one of the ways in which street heroin is commonly packaged – in small rubber balloons. The song's refrain begins, "There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes" and concludes with "Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios".
''Time'' magazine reviewed the song on July 24, 1972. "Sam Stone" ranked eighth in a ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine 2013 poll of the "ten saddest songs of all time".
Allusions to "Sam Stone" in other songs
Parts of the melody of "Sam Stone" were used by
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. In 1965, he co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd as the bassist. Following the departure of the group's main songwriter Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became ...
in the opening of "
The Post War Dream", a song on
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
's 1983 album ''
The Final Cut''. The song is indirectly referenced in "Cop Shoot Cop...", which closes
Spiritualized
Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centred on Pie ...
's 1997 album, ''
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
''Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space'' is the third studio album by English space rock band Spiritualized, released on 16 June 1997. The album features guest appearances from the Balanescu Quartet, the London Community Gospel Choir an ...
'' – the lyrics "There's a hole in my arm where all the money goes/Jesus Christ died for nothing, I suppose," are almost identical to the memorable refrain of "Sam Stone".
Cover versions
The song has been interpreted by numerous artists, including
Swamp Dogg
Jerry Williams Jr. (born July 12, 1942), generally credited under the pseudonym Swamp Dogg after 1970, is an American Southern soul, country soul and R&B singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. Williams has been described as "one of the ...
,
Al Kooper
Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s he was a prolific studio musician, including playing organ on the Bob Dylan song " Like ...
, and
Laura Cantrell
Laura Rose Cantrell (born July 16, 1967) is a country singer-songwriter and DJ from Nashville, Tennessee.
Biography
Cantrell moved to New York City from her native Nashville to study English at Columbia University. She briefly recorded songs w ...
, among others. Johnny Cash covered the song in a live concert, changing the line "Jesus Christ died for nothing, I suppose" to "Daddy must have hurt a lot back then, I suppose", and later "Daddy must have suffered a lot back then, I suppose". Prine explicitly gave Cash permission to change the line, although he also defended the original line as the "heart of the song" because "it means there’s no hope. If a veteran’s gonna come home to be treated like that and nobody’s gonna help him with his drug habit, then what’s the use in living?"
Other recordings
*
Theo Hakola
Theo Hakola is a singer/songwriter/musician and novelist born (1954) and raised in Spokane, Washington USA. In 1978 he settled in Paris, France. He is of Finnish and Swedish descent.
Books
* ''Non romanesque'', nonfiction and photos published ...
on ''
I Fry Mine in Butter!'' (2016)
*
Bob Gibson
Robert Gibson (November 9, 1935October 2, 2020), nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot", was an American baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. Known for his fiercely competi ...
on ''Bob Gibson'' (1970)
*
Swamp Dogg
Jerry Williams Jr. (born July 12, 1942), generally credited under the pseudonym Swamp Dogg after 1970, is an American Southern soul, country soul and R&B singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. Williams has been described as "one of the ...
on ''Cuffed, Collared, Tagged & Gassed'' (1972)
*
Al Kooper
Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s he was a prolific studio musician, including playing organ on the Bob Dylan song " Like ...
on ''
Naked Songs '' (1973)
*
Dawnwind on ''
Looking Back on the Future '' (1975)
*
Totta Näslund on ''
Totta 4 - Duetterna '' (2001) (in Swedish, duet with Charlotte Berg)
*
Laura Cantrell
Laura Rose Cantrell (born July 16, 1967) is a country singer-songwriter and DJ from Nashville, Tennessee.
Biography
Cantrell moved to New York City from her native Nashville to study English at Columbia University. She briefly recorded songs w ...
on ''
Future Soundtrack for America'' (2004)
*
Tim Grimm on ''Names'' (2004)
*
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
on ''
Live from Austin, TX'' (2005)
*
Evan Dando
Evan Griffith Dando (born March 4, 1967) is an American musician and the frontman of the rock band the Lemonheads. He has also embarked on a solo career and collaborated on songs with various artists. In December 2015, Dando was inducted into t ...
on "Live At The Brattle Theatre / Griffith Sunset EP" (2001)
*
Kelsey Waldon on ‘’They’ll never keep us down'' (2020)
See also
"Soldier's Joy", a traditional song from the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
with a similar theme, about
morphine
Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...
and
opium
Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...
. The chorus runs "25 cents for the whiskey, 15 cents for the beer/25 cents for the morphine, gonna get me out of here."
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1971 songs
John Prine songs
Anti-war songs
Songs of the Vietnam War
Songs written by John Prine
Songs about drugs
Songs about death
Songs about parenthood
Song recordings produced by Arif Mardin