Drug education in tune

America's impassioned involvement with music has found its way into the schools. A great song is complete in itself and needs nothing more to enhance it. The nose-thumbing spirit of Vietnam protesters in the seventies was reflected in the music of American songwriters of that period which included John Prine. Written in the traditional folk music style, John Prine's "Sam Stone" follows the storyline of a Vietnam veteran addicted to heroin and his tragic death. This article examines the heroin-related lyricism and music of "Sam Stone" as a teaching method in drug education.