John Prine and his label, Oh Boy Records, wanted to give back to government workers during the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history. On Jan. 18, the Americana singer and his team bought TSA workers at the Nashville airport lunch.

Showing his appreciation to the airport staff for their hard work in a time with no pay, he thanked them in a heartfelt message on social media:

"The Nashville airport is my second home and everyone there always takes care of me," Prine explains, "It's nice to be able to do something small for them today."

Workers at the airport enjoyed lunch from popular Nashville hot chicken restaurant Hattie B's. The TSA also shared their appreciation to Prine for his generosity, quoting a lyric from his 1972 song, "Billy the Bum."

"What a gesture of appreciation to BNA’s dedicated Transportation Security Administration staff. Hope to see you again soon at BNA, where we 'prove we can run twice as fast as the sun by losing our shadow at night,'" the airport writes on Facebook.

Prine and fellow country songwriter Tom T. Hall will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced the inductees for 2019 via their website on Jan. 12, and 72-year-old Prine is being recognized for his remarkable five-decade career. The two-time Grammy Award winner has earned cuts from Johnny Cash, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, George StraitMiranda LambertZac Brown Band and many others.

Prine is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, a PEN New England Lyrics Award recipient and a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee. His songs have also been honored as part of the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame.

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