HELLO IN THERE
(John Prine)

John Prine - 1971
Bette Midler - 1972
Jeffrey Shurtleff - 1972
Joan Baez - 1975
David Allan Coe - 1983
10,000 Maniacs - 1989
Eddi Reader - 1992
Andrew Calhoun - 1999


We had an apartment in the city
Me and Loretta liked living there
And it'd been years since the kids had grown
A life of their own, left us alone

John and Linda live in Omaha
And Joe is somewhere on the road
And we lost Davy in the Korean War
And I still don't know what for, don't matter anymore

You know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers get wilder every day
Old people just get lonesome
Waiting for someone to say "Hello in there, Hello."

Me and Loretta, we don't talk much more
She sits and stares through the back door screen
And all the news just repeats itself
Like some forgotten dream that weÕve both seen

Some day I'll go and call up Rudy
We worked together at the factory
But what'll I say when he asks, "What's new?"
"Nothin'. What's with you?" Nothin' much to do.

You know that old trees just grow stronger
And old rivers get wilder every day
Old people just get lonesome
Waiting for someone to say "Hello in there, Hello."

So if you're walkin' down the street some day
And spot some hollow, ancient eyes
Please don't just pass 'em by and stare
As if you didn't care, say "Hello in there, Hello."