Music
16 Dec 20

The Shaker Hymn share cover of John Prine track 'Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone'

In the liner notes to 'John Prine Live', the US folk singer marveled, "What a strange song. Who would want to write a song like this?"

The Shaker Hymn have shared a poignant cover of John Prine's 1978 neo-folk song 'Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone', taken from his Bruised Orange album.

The four-piece alternative indie rock band hailing from Cork, Ireland wanted to pay their respects to acclaimed American singer-songwriter Prine following his death in April.

The unique track tells the story of an Indian actor who played Sabu the elephant boy in the movies and the culture shock he experiences on a promotional tour of shopping malls in the American Midwest during winter.

"John Prine has been a huge influence on us as songwriters and we wanted to pay our respects to him before end of 2020. A year in which we lost one of the best, due to Covid-19," the Shaker Hymn said.

"‘Sabu’ isn’t really thought of as one of the hits from the John Prine back catalogue, but for ourselves it’s one of his classics and exemplifies all that is great about his songwriting. It's a thoughtful and humorous song which encapsulates all the small madnesses of this world."

The Shaker Hymn's indie rock flare can be witnessed in their 2019 single 'Brother (Love in Flight)' and EP, The Shape of the Sea, which follows the band's previous albums Do You Think You're Clever? and Rascal's Antique.

Listen to the outfit's cover of 'Sabu Visits The Twin Cities Alone' below: