John Prine - The Sins of Memphisto video free download

From the album, "The Missing Years" (1991), "The Sins of Memphisto" is one heck of a verbal workout by John Prine, a brilliant man with a pen and a guitar.

The word "Memphisto" came about as the result of an incorrect blending of the names "Memphis, Egypt" (ancient city which was constructed to house such things as a pyramid or a sphinx) and Mephistopholes (the devil)

My favorite interpretation of this song is that Memphisto (the devil) represents one's inner demons or issues that are driving that person to distraction. The intent is to become the spectator of this phenomenon rather than the participator. Paradoxically however, "nothing can stop" the sins of Memphisto.

The expression, "Exactly Odo Quasi Modo" is a play on words that Prine conjured up in his mind years before writing this song. He was finally able to interject it here (This is Prine's own explanation). In English, it could be loosely translated into some sort of hip lingo like "No shit, Sherlock" i.e. there he is crying while he looks in the mirror at what he's become killing the thing he loved.

Images were found on the Internet via Google.

John Prine is a songwriting/guitar-picking genius. When put on the spot and told to come up with another cut for "The Missing Years" album, he did this song in no time. How awesome is that!!

NOTE: The image in the first frame was taken from an internet blog site. It turns out to be an original drawing from the person's blog. I had no idea. Thank you!

Lyrics:

From the bells of St. Mary

To the Count of Monte Cristo

Nothing can stop

Nothing can stop

Nothing can stop

The sins of Memphisto

Sally used to play with her hula hoops

Now she tells her problems to therapy groups

Grampa's on the front lawn staring at a rake

Wondering if his marriage was a terrible mistake

I'm sitting on the front steps drinking orange crush

Wondering it it's possible for me to still blush

Uh huh....Oh yeah

The hands on his watch spin slowly around

With his mind on a bus that goes all over town

Looking at the babies and the factories

And listening to the music of Mister Squeeze

As if by magic or remote control

He finds a piece of a puzzle

That he missed in his soul

Uh huh...oh yeah

Adam and Eve and Lucy and Ricky

Bit the big apple and got a little sticky

Esmeralda and the Hunchback of Notre Dame

They humped each other like they had no shame

They paused as they posed for a Polaroid photo

She whispered in his ear "Exactly Odo Quasi Modo"