Illegal Smile Lyrics
Seem like total silence was the only friend I had
Bowl of oatmeal tried to stare me down... and won
And it was twelve o'clock before I realized
That I was havin' .. no fun
But fortunately I have the key to escape reality
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don't cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone
No I'm just tryin' to have me some fun
It was gettin' thin
Sometimes it seems like the bottom
Is the only place I've been
I Chased a rainbow down a one-way street... dead end
And all my friends turned out to be insurance salesmen
Tryin' to get away
From all the ears inside my walls
I dreamed the police heard
Everything I thought... what then?
Well I went to court
And the judge's name was Hoffman
And you may see me tonight with an illegal smile
It don't cost very much, but it lasts a long while
Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone
No I'm just tryin' to have me some fun
Well done, hot dog bun, my sister's a nun
Hilarious - those who think this ISN'T about grass or LSD. No reason to call his smile "illegal" if it's not. He's sayin' "won't you please tell the man I didn't hurt anyone" - why would he say that? Everybody who has ever smoked weed thinks the same thing - the stuff doesn't hurt anyone, so why the hell is it illegal?
He's got an "illegal smile" for a reason...
John Prine himself has commented in interviews that this song is not about weed, he acknowledges how it was a perfect anthem for stoners but not what he originally wrote it for, perhaps it’s about how you can think what ever you want in your mind and no one can come arrest you…
John Prine himself has commented in interviews that this song is not about weed, he acknowledges how it was a perfect anthem for stoners but not what he originally wrote it for, perhaps it’s about how you can think what ever you want in your mind and no one can come arrest you…
Obviously this song is about drugs, whether it is referring to LSD or marijuana I cannot safely say, as the lyrics seem to point to both. I always thought it was about weed, but I can see how LSD would make sense too. For those that said this song isn't about drugs, of course John Prine didn't come right out and say "Yes, this song is about smoking weed." A lot of artists don't just come clean and admit their songs are about drugs because that attracts negative attention from certain people. The Beatles also denied drug references in a lot of thier songs, but just listen to some of their lyrics. "...I get high with a little help from my friends..." Anyone can tell that Illegal Smile is definately about either LSD or marijuana, and I'm still stuck with it being about weed. It's a great tune! John Prine is awesome!
This song is almost definitely about drugs. There is no reason for anyone to have an "illegal smile" without the use of illicit substances otherwise it would have no reason to be an illegal smile.
It sounds like he had a bad LSD trip, in the beginning he says he's having a crappy day so he decides to drop acid (which is an obvious mistake for someone experienced with LSD to make) then he gradually progresses through the story ending up in his closet where he experiences irrational paranoia and delusions.
The chorus of the song seems to take defense of the drug
The randomness at the end seems just like an LSD sort of thing too. Hot Dog Bun, My Sister's a Nun. Lots of people tripping their nuts off will say strange things, I've seen people recite their ABC's, list different types of cars for 3 hours, or simply just say anything that rhymes rapid fire.
Also an "illegal smile" moment to Ted Kooser... I read that as "I was stoned out of my mind when I wrote this."
Either way it's a good song...but definitely about drugs whether he'll admit it or not. If it was just vague references within the lyrics it'd be another story but everything is explicitly stated in the song and parallel with a heavy psychedelic intoxication of some sort.
I definitely agree with your points about the paranoia and the "word salad" lines at the end.
I definitely agree with your points about the paranoia and the "word salad" lines at the end.
Regarding Prine's denials about this song, does anyone have the verbatim quote? Did he deny that it was about drugs period, or did he make what TVTropes.org calls a "suspiciously specific denial" by saying it wasn't about weed specifically? If the latter, that adds credence to the LSD theory.
Regarding Prine's denials about this song, does anyone have the verbatim quote? Did he deny that it was about drugs period, or did he make what TVTropes.org calls a "suspiciously specific denial" by saying it wasn't about weed specifically? If the latter, that adds credence to the LSD theory.
Just fyi, in the song the judge's name was hoffman. Albert Hoffman was the swiss scientist who synthesized lsd. Also the effects from lsd last a long time, while those from smoking weed do not.
@Mikethedj Judge Julius Hoffman was the judge in Chicago that presided over the Trial of the Chicago Seven--a collection of several protestors who allegedly started a riot in Chicago outside of the Democratic National Convention in 1968. This was the Hoffman who Prine was referencing.
@Mikethedj Judge Julius Hoffman was the judge in Chicago that presided over the Trial of the Chicago Seven--a collection of several protestors who allegedly started a riot in Chicago outside of the Democratic National Convention in 1968. This was the Hoffman who Prine was referencing.
I stand corrected. My dad got the anthology which includes a book with a bio and meaning behind each song. Illegal Smile is not about drugs although Prine admits that potheads have taken it up as an anthem.
@reflect4ever About as convincing as John Lennon claiming Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds wasn't LSD related.
@reflect4ever About as convincing as John Lennon claiming Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds wasn't LSD related.
John Prine is fucking with you. This song is about LSD, and he knows it too.
ray killeen - what makes you think that life isn't an illusion? ;)
It's acid.
C'mon, folks, don't get hung up on the "pot vs. LSD" thing, 'cause that's not the point. Consider that this song was released in 1971 and put it in the context of the times.
Also, consider the Wikipedia article that sez...
"... In the same essay, Prine explains that... the album opener "Illegal Smile" was "not about smokin’ dope. It was more about how, ever since I was a child, I had this view of the world where I can find myself smiling at stuff nobody else was smiling at. But it was such a good anthem for dope smokers that I didn’t want to stop every time I played it and make a disclaimer..."
i'm not positive but i think this song is about weed. i think he's saying he'll be having the crappiest day and he can sit down with a fat blunt and smoke it all away...escape reality...i think that b/c he says it's illegal and then he compares it to killing some one and that's illegal too but sh-t weed isn't as bad as they make it sound.....those are my thoughts