This gem appeared on John Prine‘s 1978 album, Bruised Orange. This album is often viewed as a deeply personal collection, following a difficult period in his life, yet it’s filled with the kind of observational wisdom and dark humor that defined his best work. “That’s the Way That the World Goes ‘Round” quickly became one of the album’s most beloved tracks and an absolute cornerstone of his live performances.
Musically, the song is deceptively cheerful. It’s an upbeat folk/country tune, driven by a lively acoustic guitar and featuring a particularly bright, almost sprightly mandolin line. The rhythm is steady and inviting, creating a soundscape that makes you want to tap your foot and smile. This cheerful musical exterior is a classic Prine technique, providing a warm and accessible setting for lyrics that are often much deeper, and in this case, wryly philosophical and darkly humorous.
Lyrically, “That’s the Way That the World Goes ‘Round” is Prine’s musing on the unpredictable, often unfair, and sometimes outright absurd nature of life. It’s a series of vignettes and observations about how things just happen, often with little logic or reason. He sings about seemingly random misfortunes, personal struggles, and the general chaos of existence (“You’re up one day and the next you’re down,” “a fat boy fell on a thin man,” “fell in love with a girl… she had a fat boyfriend”). The recurring line, “That’s the Way That the World Goes ‘Round,” serves as a kind of resigned but ultimately resilient punchline, a universal truth delivered with a shrug.
Prine’s vocal delivery is key to the song’s success. His voice, with its unique timbre, carries the weight of the world but delivers these observations with a conversational ease and a twinkle of dark humor. You can almost hear the wry smile in his voice as he delivers lines that are both funny and deeply true.
The achievement of “That’s the Way That the World Goes ‘Round” is in its enduring appeal as a source of both laughter and comfort. It never became a huge chart hit, but it became a song that resonated profoundly with listeners who appreciated its honest portrayal of life’s difficulties coupled with a defiant, humorous resilience. It’s a perfect example of John Prine‘s genius – capturing complex human experiences in simple, relatable terms and reminding us that sometimes, all you can do is observe the absurdity, shrug, and keep going, because, well, that’s just the way the world goes ’round.