‘Some humans ain’t human’ was on John Prine's mind

"You know red ants don’t like black ants;

And coyotes have a fondness for chickens;

Some folk have problems with a critic’s rants;

And a few politicians see war as easy pickens."

John Prine in his album "Fair and Square" wrote a song about humans and his dislike for the war in Iraq. The storyteller’s lyrics of human behavior are provoking; I listen to them often.

Do you ever think about that behavior of some people?

I do too.

Let’s take a few moments to digest Prine’s verses:

Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm

"Some humans ain't humanSome people ain't kindYou open up their heartsAnd here's what you'll find

A few frozen pizzasSome ice cubes with hairA broken popsicleYou don't wanna go there"

Do you know any humans like that? Makes you wonder what makes people tick, don’t it? Prine continues:

"Some humans ain't humanThough they walk like we doThey live and they breatheJust to turn your old screwThey screw you when you're sleepingThey try to screw you blindSome humans ain't humanSome people ain't kind"

Tis a strange world we live in where people ain’t kind; can you think of any other examples? Prine can.

"You might go to churchYou sit down in a pewThose humans who ain't humanCould be sittin' right next to youThey talk about your familyThey talk about your clothesWhen they don't know their own (behind)From their own elbows"

Uh oh! John must have had a few bad experiences in some of those pews! Ever wonder how a storyteller’s mind works? Me too!

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People just seem to have some difficulty coming to grips with a lot of issues these days. Most likely that’s the reason for some 4,000 different religions in the world where hardly anyone can agree.

People often can’t get along just like those red and black ants, or those coyotes and chickens, "some humans ain’t human," too is an uncanny thought shared by this storyteller.

Prine too is rather descriptive in describing his subject matter, don’t you think? I sort of like his raw assessment of people at times:

"Have you ever noticed?When you're feeling really goodThere's always a pigeonThat'll come (poop) on your hood

Or you're feeling your freedomAnd the world's off your backSome cowboy from TexasStarts his own war in Iraq"

I was just now wondering how many people today still remember the war with Iraq? Do you remember why we went to war and what the outcome was? Here’s the rationale of President George Bush Jr. in his assessment:

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"The primary rationalization for the Iraq War was articulated by a joint resolution of the United States Congress known as the Iraq resolution. The U.S. claimed the intent was to 'disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.' ”

How do you think that plan worked out for us? Sounds a bit like Vietnam, huh? I think Prine’s assessment was that it didn’t work out so well for America when you examine today’s historical assessment.

When you consider the many wars that this country has been involved in over the years, it seems like our political friends have a poor won/loss record on those excursions, but still insist on jumping into the water of conflict far too quickly.

Those young lives lost in Vietnam were enough to sour me on poor decisions of our political leaders. My good friend Ed and many others can readily see the folly of that war too, and even today when someone asks the question why Vietnam, the room becomes silent, and no good answer is forthcoming.

Have you ever considered the misery and memories created because of political war follies?

John Prine was a little upset by George Bush Jr. taking us into another war with similar results as he took pen to hand, tuned up his guitar and gave us these reminders of "human behavior."

John concludes his song:

"Some humans ain't humanSome people ain't kindThey lie through their teethWith their head up their behindYou open up their heartsAnd here's what you'll findSome humans ain't humanSome people ain't kind"

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I’m thinking about now that many humans just don’t think very much, and how so many of those nonthinkers end up in politics sort of stretches my imagination like a wet spaghetti noodle.

Life is a journey that requires much examination; unfortunately for many, realities are often distorted.

"Some humans ain’t human" is Prine’s conclusion.

How about yours?

Pete Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: ‘Some humans ain’t human’