Hello in There – English Lyrics

• By: John Prine
• Album: Tree of Forgiveness

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heartfelt empathy in John Prine's "Hello in There," a folk classic that shines a light on the isolation of aging. By exploring the touching lyrics and the story behind this song, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how simple acts of kindness can bridge the gaps of loneliness and offer a powerful lesson in human connection.

[English]

We had an apartment in the city

And me and Loretta liked living there

Well, it'd been years since the kids had grown

A life of their own

And left us alone

John and Linda live in Omaha

And Joe is somewhere on the road

We lost Davy in the Korean War

And I still don't know what for

Don't matter anymore

You know that old trees just grow stronger

And old rivers grow wilder every day

Old people just grow lonesome

Waiting for someone to say

"Hello in there, hello"

...

Me and Loretta, we don't talk much more

She sits and stares through the back door screen

And all the news just repeats itself

Like some forgotten dream

That we've both seen

Someday I'll go and call up Rudy

We worked together at the factory

But what could I say if he asks, "What's new?"

"Nothin', what's with you?

Nothin' much to do"

You know that old trees just grow stronger

And old rivers grow wilder every day

Old people just grow lonesome

Waiting for someone to say

"Hello in there, hello"

So if you're walkin' down the street sometime

And spot some hollow, ancient eyes

Please don't just pass 'em by and stare

As if you didn't care

Say, "Hello in there, hello"

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
apartment /əˈpɑːrtmənt/ A2	noun - a set of rooms for living in, typically on one floor of a building
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town or urban area
kids /kɪdz/ A1	noun - children
grown /ɡroʊn/ A1	verb - past participle of grow: to increase in size or amount; to develop
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
lost /lɔːst/ A1	verb - past tense of lose: to be deprived of something
war /wɔːr/ A2	noun - a state of armed conflict between different countries or groups within a country.
trees /triːz/ A1	noun - a woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches at some distance from the ground.
rivers /ˈrɪvərz/ A1	noun - a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another such stream.
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively.
lonesome /ˈloʊnsəm/ B2	adjective - sad because one has no friends or company
door /dɔːr/ A1	noun - a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle, or in the framework of a cupboard.
news /nuːz/ A2	noun - newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent events.
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.
factory /ˈfæktəri/ A2	noun - a building or group of buildings where goods are manufactured or assembled chiefly by machine.
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town, typically with houses and buildings on one or both sides.
eyes /aɪz/ A1	noun - the organ of sight
ancient /ˈeɪnʃənt/ B2	adjective - belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence.

Key Grammar Structures

• Well, it'd been years since the kids had grown

  ➔ Past Perfect Tense

  ➔ The past perfect tense ('it'd been' - it had been) emphasizes that the kids growing up happened *before* the time the narrator is referring to. It highlights the distance in time. We use it to show something happened earlier than another event in the past.

• And I still don't know what for

  ➔ Indirect Question (embedded question) / Ellipsis

  ➔ This is an indirect question embedded in a statement. It's short for "I still don't know *what he died for*." The ellipsis shows the omission of redundant words. This makes it sound conversational and natural.

• You know that old trees just grow stronger

  ➔ General Truth / Simple Present Tense

  ➔ The simple present tense "grow" is used to express a general truth or a universal fact about old trees. This imparts a sense of timelessness and generality to the statement.

• Waiting for someone to say

  ➔ Present Participle as Adjective

  ➔ "Waiting" acts as an adjective modifying "old people", describing their state. It shows their continuous action and adds to the melancholic tone.

• Me and Loretta, we don't talk much more

  ➔ Subject Pronoun Repetition (emphasis) & Adverb of Frequency

  ➔ The repetition of the subject "Me and Loretta, we" is a slightly non-standard but effective way to emphasize the subject. The adverb of frequency "much" indicates the reduced amount of talking. "More" means 'anymore'.

• Like some forgotten dream That we've both seen

  ➔ Relative Clause with reduced relative pronoun

  ➔ "That we've both seen" is a relative clause modifying "dream." The relative pronoun (that/which) can be omitted when it's the object of the relative clause.

• But what could I say if he asks, "What's new?"

  ➔ Second Conditional (Hypothetical)

  ➔ This sentence uses the second conditional, a hypothetical situation in the present or future. The structure is 'if + past simple, would/could/might + base form of verb'. This shows uncertainty and a low probability of the event happening.

• As if you didn't care

  ➔ 'As if' Clause (expressing unreal situation)

  ➔ The phrase 'as if' introduces a clause expressing something contrary to fact. The past tense 'didn't care' implies that you *do* care, even though the person observing you might think otherwise. It emphasizes the disconnect between appearance and reality.