He Was In Heaven Before He Died

----------------------------------------------------------------------------                He Was in Heaven Before He Died - John Prine          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tabbed by: Dave S. Email: Tuning: Standard Artist: John Prine Album: Great Days: The John Prine Anthology Year: 1993 [Intro] [Verse 1] 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 [Chorus] 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 [Verse 2] 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 [Chorus] 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 [Verse 3] 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 [Chorus] 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