Kris Kristofferson

If you've never listened to Kris Kristofferson's music, do so. He is a real anti-pop hero. He is not pretentious, and he has never put his image or act above his talent (e.g. just about every "star" in music history).

The following list is of only 6 recommended Kris Kristofferson songs, along with lyrics (in no particular order).

1. "The Pilgrim Chapter 33" (I get the Pilgrim part--"Searching for a shrine he's never found"--, but I've yet to figure out the Chapter 33 part. Enlighten me, if you can)

See him wasted on the sidewalk in his jacket and his jeans,
Wearing yesterday's misfortunes like a smile
Once he had a future full of money, love, and dreams,
Which he spent like they was going out of style
And he keeps right on a'changing for the better or the worse,
Searching for a shrine he's never found
Never knowing if believing is a blessing or a curse,
Or if the going up was worth the comin' down

He's a poet, he's a picker
He's a prophet, he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Taking every wrong direction on his lonely way back home.

He has tasted good and evil in your bedrooms and your bars,
And he's traded in tomorrow for today
Running from his devils, Lord, and reaching for the stars,
And losing all he's loved along the way
But this world keeps right on turning for the better or the worse,
And all he ever gets is older and around
From the rocking of the cradle to the rolling of the hearse,
The going up was worth the coming down

He's a poet, he's a picker
He's a prophet, he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Taking every wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
There's a lotta wrong directions on that lonely way back home.

2. "Sunday Morning Coming Down" (For many, this is an anthem. For others, it's a reason to be thankful)

Well I woke up Sunday morning,
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
And I shaved my face and combed my hair,
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.

I'd smoked my brain the night before,
On cigarettes and songs I'd been picking.
But I lit my first and watched a small kid,
Cussin' at a can that he was kicking.
Then I crossed the empty street,
And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken.
And it took me back to something,
That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way.

On a Sunday morning sidewalk,
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cause there's something in a Sunday,
Makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothin' short of dyin',
Half as lonesome as the sound,
Of the sleeping city sidewalks:
Sunday morning comin' down.

In the park I saw a daddy,
With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'.
And I stopped beside a Sunday school,
And listened to the song they were singin'.
Then I headed back for home,
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'.
And it echoed through the canyons,
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday.

On the Sunday morning sidewalk,
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cos there's something in a Sunday,
Makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothin' short of dyin',
Half as lonesome as the sound,
On the sleepin' city sidewalks:
Sunday mornin' comin' down.

3. Me and Bobbie McGee (you probably know Janis Joplin's awesome version)

Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headin' for the train,
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained;
Took us all the way to New Orleans.
I took my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna,
And was blowing sad while Bobby sang the blues.
With them windshield wipers slappin' time,
And Bobby clappin' hands,
We finally sang up every song that driver knew.

Freedom's just another word for nothing' left to lose:
Nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free.
Feeling good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues.
Feeling good was good enough for me;
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee.

From the coal mines of Kentucky to the California sun,
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul.
Standin' right beside me, Lord, through everything I've done,
Every night she kept me from the cold.
Then somewhere near Salinas, Lord, I let her slip away,
Lookin' for the home I hope she'll find.
And I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday,
Holdin' Bobby's body next to mine.

Freedom's just another word for nothing' left to lose:
Nothin' left is all she left for me.
Feeling good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues.
Buddy, that was good enough for me;
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee.

4. "From the Bottle to the Bottom" (a typical country song written masterfully by a true Rhodes Scholar--yes, Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar)

You ask me if I’m happy now
That’s good as any joke I’ve heard
It seems that since I’ve seen you last
I done forgot the meaning of the words
If happiness is empty rooms
And drinkin’ in the afternoon
Well I suppose I’m happy as a clam
But if it’s got a thing to do
With smilin’ of forgettin’ you
Well I don’t guess that I could say I am

Did you ever see a down and outer waking up alone
Without a blanket on to keep him from the dew
When the water from the weeds has soaked the paper
He’s been puttin’ in his shoes to keep the ground from comin’ through
And his future feels as empty as the pocket in his pants
Because he’s never seen a single dream come true
That’s the way that I’ve been feelin’ since the day I started falling
From the bottle to the bottom stool by stool
Learnin’ hard to live with losin’ you

You wonder if I’m better off
With freedom now to do the things I choose
With all my times my own and
I got nothin’ left but sleepin’ time to lose
There’s no one here to carry on
If I stay out the whole night long
Or give a tankerous damn if I don’t call
I’m livin’ like I wanted to
And doin’ things I wanna do
And nothin’ means a thing to me at all

Did you ever see a down and outer waking up alone
Without a blanket on to keep him from the dew
When the water from the weeds soaked the paper
He’s been puttin’ in his shoes to keep the ground from comin’ through
And his future feels as empty as the pocket in his pants
Because he’s never seen a single dream come true
That’s the way that I’ve been feelin’ since the day I started falling
From the bottle to the bottom stool by stool
Learnin’ hard to live with losin’ you

5. "To Beat the Devil" (If you can't tell by the spoken intro, it's dedicated to Johnny and June Carter Cash)

A couple of years back, I come across a great and wasted friend of mine in the hallway of a recording studio; and while he was reciting some poetry to me that he'd written, I saw that he was about a step away from dyin' and I couldn't help but wonder why. And the lines of this song occurred to me. I'm happy to say he's no longer wasted and he's got him a good woman. And I'd like to dedicate this to John and June, who helped show me how to beat the devil.

It was winter time in Nashville, down on music city row.
And I was lookin' for a place to get myself out of the cold.
To warm the frozen feelin' that was eatin' at my soul.
Keep the chilly wind off my guitar.

My thirsty wanted whisky; my hungry needed beans,
But it'd been of month of paydays since I'd heard that eagle scream.
So with a stomach full of empty and a pocket full of dreams,
I left my pride and stepped inside a bar.

Actually, I guess you'd could call it a Tavern:
Cigarette smoke to the ceiling and sawdust on the floor;
Friendly shadows.

I saw that there was just one old man sittin' at the bar.
And in the mirror I could see him checkin' me and my guitar.
An' he turned and said: "Come up here boy, and show us what you are."
I said: "I'm dry." He bought me a beer.

He nodded at my guitar and said: "It's a tough life, ain't it?"
I just looked at him. He said: "You ain't makin' any money, are you?"
I said: "You've been readin' my mail."
He just smiled and said: "Let me see that guitar.
"I've got something you oughta hear."
Then he laid it on me:

"If you waste your time a-talkin' to the people who don't listen,
"To the things that you are sayin', who do you think's gonna hear.
"And if you should die explainin' how the things that they complain about,
"Are things they could be changin', who do you think's gonna care?"

There were other lonely singers in a world turned deaf and blind,
Who were crucified for what they tried to show.
And their voices have been scattered by the swirling winds of time.
'Cos the truth remains that no-one wants to know.

Well, the old man was a stranger, but I'd heard his song before,
Back when failure had me locked out on the wrong side of the door.
When no-one stood behind me but my shadow on the floor,
And lonesome was more than a state of mind.

You see, the devil haunts a hungry man,
If you don't wanna join him, you got to beat him.
I ain't sayin' I beat the devil, but I drank his beer for nothing.
Then I stole his song.

And you still can hear me singin' to the people who don't listen,
To the things that I am sayin', prayin' someone's gonna hear.
And I guess I'll die explaining how the things that they complain about,
Are things they could be changin', hopin' someone's gonna care.

I was born a lonely singer, and I'm bound to die the same,
But I've got to feed the hunger in my soul.
And if I never have a nickle, I won't ever die ashamed.
'Cos I don't believe that no-one wants to know.


6. "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" (This is possibly the most beautifully written love song that I have ever heard. Waylon Jennings covered it, and I'll recommend his version as well)

I have seen the morning burning golden on the mountains in the skies.
Achin' with the feelin' of the freedom of an eagle when she flies.
Turnin' on the world the way she smiled upon my soul as I lay dying.
Healin' as the colours in the sunshine and the shadows of her eyes.


Wakin' in the mornin' to the feelin' of her fingers on my skin.
Wipin' out the traces of the people and the places that I've been.
Teachin' me that yesterday was something that I never thought of trying.
Talkin' of tomorrow and the money, love and time we had to spend.

Lovin' her was easier than anything I'll ever do again.

Comin' close together with a feelin' that I've never known before, in my time.
She ain't ashamed to be a woman, or afraid to be a friend.
I don't know the answer to the easy way she opened every door in my mind.
But dreamin' was as easy as believin' it was never gonna end.

And lovin' her was easier than anything I'll ever do again.


7. "Why Me" (This is perhaps the finest gospel song ever written. It's not full of the typical Christian music arrogance and pretension--e.g. "I'm saved!"--but is written from a more sincere point of view. Read the lyrics and listen to Krstofferson's version if you really want to see what I mean).

Why me, Lord?
What have I ever done
To deserve even one
Of the blessings I've known?
Why me, Lord?
What did I ever do
That was worth love from you
And the kindness you've shown?

Lord, help me Jesus!
I've wasted it so.
Help me Jesus;
I know what I am.
Now that I know
That I've needed you so,
Help me Jesus,
My soul's in your hands.

Try me, Lord.
If you think there's a way.
That I can repay
What I've taken from you.
Maybe, Lord,
I can show someone else
What I've been through myself
On my way back to you.

Lord, help me Jesus.
I've wasted it so.
Help me Jesus;
I know what I am.
Now that I know
That I've needed you so,
Help me Jesus,
My soul's in your hands.

Jesus, my soul's in your hands.

8. "Jesus Was a Capricorn" (A cynical masterpiece)

Jesus was a Capricorn, he ate organic foods.
He believed in love and peace and never wore no shoes.
Long hair, beard and sandals and a funky bunch of friends.
Reckon they'd just nail him up if He come down again.

'Cos everybody's got to have somebody to look down on.
Who they can feel better than at anytime they please.
Someone doin' somethin' dirty, decent folks can frown on.
If you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me.

Get back, John!

Egg Head's cousin Red Neck's cussin' hippies for their hair.
Others laugh at straights who laugh at freaks who laugh at squares.
Some folks hate the whites who hate the blacks who hate the clan.
Most of us hate anything that we don't understand.

'Cos everybody's got to have somebody to look down on.
Who they can feel better than at anytime they please.
Someone doin' somethin' dirty, decent folks can frown on.
If you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me.

Help yourself, brother.
Help yourself, Gentlemen.
Help yourself Reverend.

9. "The Taker" (This is good advice for fathers of daughters...)

He's a giver, he'll give her
the kind of attention that she's never known
He's a helper, he'll help her
to open the doors that she can't on her own
He's a lover, he'll love her
in ways that she never has been loved before
And he's a getter, he'll get her
by gettin her into the world she's been hungerin' for

'cause he's a taker, he'll take her
to places and make her fly higher than she's ever dared to
He'll take his time before takin' advantage
takin' her easy and slow
And after he's taken the body and soul
that she gives him, he'll take her for granted
Then he'll take off and leave her
takin' all of her pride as he goes

He's a charmer, and he'll charm her
with money and manners that I never learned
He's a leader, and he'll lead her
across pretty bridges he's planning to burn
He's a talker, he'll talk her
right off of her feet, but he won't talk for long
Cause he's a doer, and he'll do her
the way that I never
And damned if he won't do her wrong
'cause he's a taker, he'll take her
to places and make her fly higher than she's ever dared to
He'll take his time before takin' advantage
takin' her easy and slow
And after he's taken the body and soul
that she gives him, he'll take her for granted
Then he'll take off and leave her
takin' all of her pride as he goes

Yes, he's a taker, he'll take her
to places and make her fly higher than she's ever dared to
He'll take his time before takin' advantage
takin' her easy and slow
And after he's taken the body and soul
that she gives him, he'll take her for granted
Then he'll take off and leave her
takin' all of her pride as he goes

10. "If You Don't Like Hank Williams" (This is what I'd like to play for those who can't appreciate music that's not on the current top 40. There's nothing special about the lyrics. It's just the sentiment.)

I dig Bobby Dylan and I dig Johnny Cash
And I think Waylon Jennings is a table thumpin' smash
And hearin' Joni Mitchell feels as good as smokin' grass
And if you don't like Hank Williams, honey, you can kiss my ass

Chorus:
'Cause I think what they've done is well worth doin'
And they're doin' it the best way that they can
You're the only one that you are screwin'
When you put down what you don't understand

I said, I dig Roger Miller, Merle Haggard; George Jones
Shotgun Willie Nelson and them rockin' Rollin' Stones
And Jerry Lee's still gotta be the coolest in the class
And if you don't like Hank Williams, honey, you can kiss my ass.

Chorus:
'Cause I think what they've done is well worth doin'
And they're doin' it the best way that they can
You're the only one that you are screwin'
When you put down what you don't understand