John Prine — He Was in Heaven Before He Died

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