He Was in Heaven Before He Died - John Prine

There’s a rainbow of babies

Draped over the graveyard

Where all the dead sailors

Wait for their brides

And the cold bitter snow

Has strangled each grassblade

Where the salt from their tears

Washed out with the tide

And I smiled on the Wabash

The last time I passed it

Yes I gave her a wink

From the passenger side

And my foot fell asleep

As I swallowed my candy

Knowing he was in heaven

Before he died

Now the harbor’s on fire

With the dreams and desires

Of a thousand young poets

Who failed 'cause they tried

For a rhyme without reason

Floats down to the bottom

Where the scavengers eat 'em

And wash in with the tide

And I smiled on the Wabash

The last time I passed it

Yes I gave her a wink

From the passenger side

And my foot fell asleep

As I swallowed my candy

Knowing he was in heaven

Before he died

The sun can play tricks

With your eyes on the highway

The moon can lay sideways

Till the ocean stands still

But a person can’t tell

His best friend he loves him

Till time has stopped breathing

You’re alone on the hill