34. John Prine and Iris DeMent, In Spite of Ourselves
These two characters are characters. Their gentle little backhanded compliments to each other belie the truest, most lasting love that we all dream of. They’ve long since left sparkly romance behind and have arrived at a place that’s deeper and more essential, a place of peaceful coexistence where they could, if they were careless about such things, take each other for granted. The beauty is, they don’t. And after all the funny, earthy lines about undies and brass monkeys comes the big payoff, an idea of such guileless sweetness: in spite of ourselves, we’ll end up sitting on a rainbow.
John Prine and Iris DeMent, “In Spite of Ourselves,” 1999. Written by John Prine.
This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day through May 31, 2025. Inspired by my MFAH 100 project.
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Hilarious - the best cheer for anytime
A look at our ridiculous selves that bring smiles - if we can’t make fun of ourselves we are lost
One of the best songs ever
This was a hoot! Thank you....truth be told, they have the right idea!