I haven't actually heard this song, but just judging by the lyrics, I'd say that that is sort of the point- there isn't anything special about Kokomo, Indiana at all. But since it is Joe's home, it is the most important place in the world to him.
He may not even realize how much he loves the place until he is away from it. He wants to be back and return to his life, maybe even get married, but instead he's a lifeless corpse floating down a river in Southeast Asia, and he probably doesn't even know why. (He might not be dead, but I interpret it that way. "Bodies" is too impersonal a word to describe a living person.)
John Prine does a very good job of being "for the common man." Many of his songs show a deep respect for people in general, whether it be the little boy and his mother in Guam or the soldier (who is just a person like you or me) who has to be there. Even using words like "mom" instead of "mother" keep it from having a pretentious tone, and help you realize that they are just everyday people too- it's a song for people about people.
And, of course, whether they are families in Guam or soldiers from America, their lives are probably going to be ravaged by war (specifically, Vietnam.)
I haven't actually heard this song, but just judging by the lyrics, I'd say that that is sort of the point- there isn't anything special about Kokomo, Indiana at all. But since it is Joe's home, it is the most important place in the world to him. He may not even realize how much he loves the place until he is away from it. He wants to be back and return to his life, maybe even get married, but instead he's a lifeless corpse floating down a river in Southeast Asia, and he probably doesn't even know why. (He might not be dead, but I interpret it that way. "Bodies" is too impersonal a word to describe a living person.)
John Prine does a very good job of being "for the common man." Many of his songs show a deep respect for people in general, whether it be the little boy and his mother in Guam or the soldier (who is just a person like you or me) who has to be there. Even using words like "mom" instead of "mother" keep it from having a pretentious tone, and help you realize that they are just everyday people too- it's a song for people about people.
And, of course, whether they are families in Guam or soldiers from America, their lives are probably going to be ravaged by war (specifically, Vietnam.)