So, I consider myself a fairly decent student of music history, but every once in a while I discover an artist I should have known about for 40-plus years.
One day I was scrolling through my Facebook page and the name John Prine came across my feed. After I read a nice tribute to him, I thought to myself, “How did this lyrical genius elude me all this time?” As I scrolled through some of his music catalog, there was one song in particular that struck me. It’s called “Hello in There” and it’s musical storytelling at its finest. The song is a melancholy take on the loneliness and isolation that often comes with aging. The chorus is rather simple but thought-provoking:
“You know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers grow wilder every day
Old people just grow lonesome
Waiting for someone to say
‘Hello in there, hello.’
Prine got the inspiration when he was a mail carrier and was delivering mail to senior citizen homes. He was intrigued by the reactions he would get from the residents. Some of them would look at him like he was a child or relative. A lot of them had a rather distant look on their faces, seemingly waiting for someone to say “hello in there” to them. Prine, in his distinctly unique style, weaved that human emotion into a beautiful song.
After several listens, it got me thinking of where we are right now in a post-COVID 19 society. As I interact with hundreds of people every day, I see so many people who appear isolated, distant and often reluctant to have human interaction. The toll of a pandemic, coupled with about two decades of political turmoil and the rise of instant-reaction social media outlets, has become a dystopian recipe for us all.
I’ll be the first to admit, the general malaise that creeps into my mind and life is far too frequent for my comfort level. It’s like we’re all waiting for a switch to turn on and we all change our viewpoints and attitudes. Life, however, always has other plans. You can’t just snap your fingers and suddenly become happy.
Similarly, while likes and positive reactions on our social media posts may temporarily satisfy our hunger for attention cravings, they often serve as empty calories. As the great author Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, “Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
As difficult as sitting quietly may be in a world where the negative forces are pulling at the strings of your soul, it’s then you have to lean on the things that give your life meaning. Having something meaningful to wake up to every day gives us all a sense of purpose. That’s where the relationships and human connection come in. If you’re true to yourself and others, you develop great relationships with the most important people in your life. Like a tree that stands firm and tall when the hard winds blow, solid relationships are paramount to keeping yourself grounded.
So, if you do find yourself alone, feeling isolated or hurting, please seek out the beautiful souls like John Prine in your life. Try not to let the bad days win and don’t let those days bleed into each other.
Similarly, when you see someone with that distant and isolated look in their eyes, perhaps just saying “hello in there” will let them know that they are not alone and someone truly cares about them.
If you’ve read this far, I hope you find your personal peace, and if you need someone or something to cheer you up, maybe listen to John Prine’s music.
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