I am an old woman
Named after my mother
An old man is another
Child who's grown old

If dreams were thunder
Lightning was desire
This old house it would've burned down
A long time ago

Make me an angel
That flies from Montgomery
Make me a poster
Of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing
That I can hold on to
To believe in this livin'
Is just a hard way to go

When I was a young girl
I had me a cowboy
It wasn't much to look at
It was a free ramblin' man
There was a long time
No matter how I tried
The years they just rolled by
Like a broken down dance

Make me an angel
That flies from Montgomery
Make me a poster
Of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing
That I can hold on to
To believe in this livin'
Is just a hard way to go

There's flies in the kitchen
I can hear them there buzzin'
And I ain't done nothing since I woke up today
But how the hell can a person
Go on to work in the morning
To come home in the evening
And have nothing to say

Make me an angel
That flies from Montgomery
Make me a poster
Of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing
That I can hold on to
To believe in this livin'
Is just a hard way to go



Lyrics submitted by Bobo192

Track duration: 04:30

"Angel from Montgomery [Live]" as written by John Prine

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Angel From Montgomery song meanings
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15 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Everyone gets the lightning and thunder lines wrong....no biggie but ya know
    Flag EdShron April 18, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:"To believe in this living is just a hard way to go. . ."

    Damn.
    Flag rufustfireflyon October 29, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I had a dream I got lyrics from this song tattooed on my back and arm...hmmm.


    Lovely song. To agree with a previous poster, Susan Tedeschi does a good (great, actually) cover of this song. It is definitely a woman's song, but also agreed, John Prine manages to capture it very well regardless.


    Flag rustedshuton July 31, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:John Prine nails it, and so matter of factly but sweetly too. Reminds me of Dylan because he says so much in so little words and it's pure poetry. I have listened to this song so many times, but today it grabbed ahold of me like songs and poetry sometime do.I wept because it is about my life. It is hard to hold on, but I do have hope that he still loves me. And I'm turning 50. I never ever thought I'd end up here. (I'm named after my mother too, and she was at this place in her life when she was my age, but she has a very full life now and my dad got it together. She held on.)

    Flag rosebuddyon August 24, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:"How the hell can a person go to work in the morning
    And come home in the evening and have nothing to say."

    Some of my favorite lines. Embodies that angst I feel about work slicing into our time on this earth.
    Flag scraps33on February 01, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I heard it first on the film "Into The Wild" such a great movie.
    And such a great duet by Chris and Tracy..their voices are awesome.
    Love Tracy's voice and I will always have Chris view on my life, he is my saviour.
    Flag bear_hug20on November 05, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I love how John Prine wrote this song and sings it from a woman's perspective. He does it so naturally that it doesn't seem odd.
    Flag bhoover247on August 22, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Sad but true for many people. Life with a person who has nothing to say is lonely and depressing. People do find something to hang on to, some kind of hope, just to make it through the day. One of my favorite songs...Prine with Ronnie Raitt of course.
    Flag Boogson June 12, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:She's a free-spirit at heart who has been trapped by her life. And now it's too late to undo the choices she has made and the freedom she gave up.

    Such wonderful characterization.
    I love this song.
    Flag wayupnorthon April 23, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this is quite a heavy and depressing song for jps usual standards but i still think its one of his best. itsd simply about a simple person with an empty life. poetry at its best
    Flag sk84urlifeon May 21, 2006   Link

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