Kacey Musgraves dropped her latest album on Friday, and it features a sweet nod to her late friend John Prine.
In the zine available for purchase with her new record A deeper wellout now, Musgraves, 35, reveals that album opener “Cardinal” was inspired by the country icon, who died in April 2020 of complications from Covid-19, writing, “When the cardinals come, the angels are near.”
“Unexplainable things started happening and Cardinals started showing up on my doorstep shortly after my good friend and mentor, John Prine, passed away,” Musgraves writes in the zine. “He always had a great connection with cardinals and felt they were messengers from the spiritual realm. He no doubt inspired this song.”
“I saw a sign / Or an omen / On the branches / In the morning / It was right after I lost my friend / Without warning / Unspoken words / Crimson red / Cardinal / Are you bringing me a message from the other side / Cardinal / Are you telling me that I am someone on your mind / Don’t leave me,” Musgraves sings on the song.
The lyrics complement the track’s otherworldly production, as well as the album’s overall aesthetic, which Musgraves succinctly described as a “soft-natured witch’s shack” to The Cut.
Musgraves was a longtime fan of Prina before they became friends and collaborators after she rose to fame in Nashville. She joined Prine in 2015 on his Cayamo: A Journey Through Song cruise, where they sang his hits “Illegal Smile” and “Paradise”; and in 2017 they reunited to sing his classic “Angel from Montgomery” at Red Rocks Amphitheater.
“John Prine personally influenced my songwriting more than anyone else. He is the king of the turn of phrase, but he remains simple,” Musgraves told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement following his death four years ago. “They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes, but you’ll never meet someone as honest as he was.”
At the time, Musgraves added, “I’ve seen my dad cry twice: at my Memaw’s funeral and the time I got to play with John Prine.”
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“Cardinal” isn’t the first Musgraves song Prine has inspired: he was also the muse behind her early track “Burn One with John Prine.”
As for the rest A deeper wellMusgraves recently told PEOPLE that the record reflects a quiet time she’s enjoying in her life.
“This is definitely my most down-to-earth period so far. Now I’m 35 years old and I know myself better than in previous years, previous albums, and I just feel that I’m exactly where I need to be,” she said. “Ultimately, the song sums up where I am in my mid-30s and really evaluating what love means to me, what friendships mean to me, what are the things that I need, what’s really important to me, what works for me, what doesn’t work for me, and take that into account and make room for the things that are really important. This life is so short. I think you have to be a little bit ruthless about removing obstacles to growth.”
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Source: HIS Education