How Kacey Musgraves Tried to “Burn One With John Prine” and Failed

Kacey Musgraves and John Prine had quite a musical relationship before the country music bard passed away in 2022. Prine inspired Musgraves to write her songs, “Cardinal” and “Burn One With John Prine.” Regarding the first of the two, Musgraves wrote the song as a homage to her late friend and everlasting musical influence. Needless to say, Prine meant the world to Musgraves as a musician.

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Given the affection Musgraves held for Prine, it seemingly was always a dream to not only meet him but also collaborate with him in some way. Well, that dream came true, as Prine and Musgraves took the stage together on two separate occasions. Once in 2015 at Prine’s Cayamo: A Journey Through Song, and another in 2017 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. However, none of this would have transpired if it wasn’t for an arbitrary night in Nashville.

Kacey Musgraves, John Prine, and The Historical Station Inn

In November of 2024, Kacey Musgraves sat down on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to talk about her booming success. Although, her success story seemingly couldn’t be told without referencing her fan-girl night with John Prine. So, Musgraves recalled the night she met Prine at Nashville’s infamous music venue, the Station Inn.

Musgraves acknowledged that one of the first songs she ever wrote was “Burn One With John Prine.” Hence, it was on her bucket list to do exactly that. She told Colbert, “I met him one time at the Station Inn in Nashville, this legendary place” and “He was doing a show there and I snuck back and got to talk to him.” In the conversation, Musgraves proceeded to ask Prine, “‘Hey, this might be a weird question, but do you want to burn one out in the parking lot?’”

Musgraves recalled that Prine simply responded by saying, “I’ve had throat cancer. No.” However, that was clearly not the end of the beginning, as Musgrvaes also recalled how Prine first got to hear her fan-girl song. “He got a cassette tape put on his desk and it was a song called ‘Burn One With John Prine’” and “He was like ‘That’s that girl that asked me to smoke in the parking lot.’”

Even though Kacey Musgraves’ simple dream didn’t come true, surely she’s more than happy with what transpired after their initial meeting. Lastly, this moment is a testament to how John Prine’s music and stories are a gift that just keeps on giving.

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