That Close to You

by John Prine

57 Views May 01, 2026

Lyrics

Like a bolt of lightning
Like a bolt of thunder
Like a cloudy day
Down at the Zoo
Like a drowning man
That will never go under
That close to you
Yeah, that close to you

In the middle of the night
You'd ask me to make you smile
You'd come on like a one armed child
With a hole in its shoe
Poor you
Everybody oughtta know
It only hurts ya for a little while
So stop putting yourself on trial
For something you didn't do
Not you
To me
Can't we
Be
Just like
Lovers and mothers and brothers
And sorrow
Can I find a little something
With a nicer view
I'm hating to plead
But I'm begging to borrow
Just to be
That close to you
Yeah, that close to you