John Prine - He Was in Heaven Before He Died lyrics

There's a rainbow of babies
Draped over the graveyard
Where all the dead sailors
Wait for their brides
And the cold bitter snow has
Strangled each grass blade
Where the salt from their tears
Washed out with the tide

And I smiled on the Wabash the
Last time I passed it
Yes I gave her a wink from the passenger side
And my foot fell asleep as
I swallowed my candy
Knowing he was in heaven before he died

Now the harbor is on fire
With the dreams and desires
Of a thousand young poets who
Failed 'cause they tried
For a rhyme without reason floats
Down to the bottom
Where the scavengers eat 'em and
Wash in with the tide
And I smiled on the Wabash the
Last time I passed it
Yes I gave her a wink from the passenger side
And my foot fell asleep as
I swallowed my candy
Knowing he was in heaven before he died

The sun can play tricks with
Your eyes on the highway
The moon can lay sideways till
The ocean stands still
But a person can't tell his
Best friend he loves him
Till time has stopped breathing
You're alone on the hill

And I smiled on the Wabash the
Last time I passed it
Yes I gave her a wink from the passenger side
And my foot fell asleep as
I swallowed my candy
Knowing he was in heaven before he died