Eric Church Tributes John Prine With Cover of 'Long Monday'

Eric Church is paying to tribute to John Prine after the singer/songwriter's death on Tuesday, sharing a video of himself performing a cover of Prine's "Long Monday." Wearing a t-shirt and a baseball cap, Church filmed the clip in his home, accompanying himself on guitar for his performance. "We lost one of my all time favorites yesterday," Church says in the clip. "A man that taught me how to write songs. So I want to do this for John."

He then went into "Long Monday," playing the song through the first chorus. "Long Monday" appeared on Prine's 2005 album Fair and Square and is a sweet and simple song about the first day away from your lover after spending time with them. "Gonna be a long Monday / Sittin' all alone on a mountain / By a river that has no end," the chorus reads. "Gonna be a long Monday / Stuck like the tick of a clock / That's come unwound again." At the end of the video, Church offered another message to Prine, telling the camera, "I love you John Prine. Thank you." He shared the same sentiment in his caption, writing, "For John. Thank you."

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A post shared by Eric Church (@ericchurchmusic) on Apr 8, 2020 at 2:00pm PDT

Prine died at age 73 on April 7 due to complications from the coronavirus. Church recently reflected on the pandemic ahead of his performance for ACM Presents: Our Country, where he debuted a new song, "Never Break Heart." "The hardest thing about this for me as a dad, as a husband, as business leader, as a citizen, has been the unknown," Church told viewers. "I believe we fear the unknown," he said. "But after some thought and a lot of prayer, here's what I know. I have hope and you should have hope."

"Since the beginning of time people have gathered," he continued. "They've gathered for fellowship, they've gathered for worship, they've gathered for prayer, they've gathered for song. They've gathered for communion, they've gathered for grief. But they've gathered, and we will gather again. The important thing to remember is to not fear, to be brave, and to endure. That's what this song is about."

Church is one of numerous country stars to have shared tribute to Prine since his death. Many remembered the late musician with messages on social media, and others, like Brandi Carlile, have posted covers of their own.

Photo Credit: Getty / Jason Kempin