#149 John Prine, 'John Prine' (1971)

“There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes.” The first line in the chorus of ‘Sam Stone’ stopped me in my tracks. What an incredible lyric. Its vivid imagery and sombre reality that invoke feelings of such sadness and pathos really sum this album up in 11 words. John Prine was a storyteller, not just a singer-songwriter. His songs, and the songs on this album in particular, tell stories of real, everyday people.