While the 87-year-old Brownsville, Texas-born songwriter, performer, and actor Kris Kristofferson is retired today from public life, that doesn’t mean his legacy and legend are any less significant. Indeed, even the country star Willie Nelson spoke out about Kristofferson and his impact during his 2023 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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Said Nelson, speaking on Kristofferson’s deserving resume of also being inducted into the Hall, “Now that Johnny [Cash] and I have been inducted, I want to give a plug for Waylon [Jennings], who played with Buddy Holly, and Kris [Kristofferson], who sang so many hits, to be inducted too.”
Well, to aid in that effort, we wanted to dive into three songs that Kristofferson wrote for some big-name artists, songs he helped turn into classics. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
1. “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends,” Bobby Bare
Written by Kris Kristofferson
This song, which Bobby Bare recorded for his 1971 record, Where Have All the Seasons Gone, was later cut by Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge for their LP Natural Act. But it was Bare who sang the acoustic- and piano-driven ballad with his country croon first. Giving it a nonchalant, almost meandering feel, Bare sings the heartfelt poetic tune, offering,
This may be our last good night together
We may never pass this way again
Just let me enjoy it till it’s over or forever
Please don’t tell me how the story ends
See the way our shadows come together
Softer than your fingers on my skin
Someday these may be all we remember, of each other
Please don’t tell me how the story ends
2. “Good Morning John,” Waylon Jennings
Written by Kris Kristofferson
“Good Morning John” appeared on country star Waylon Jennings’ 1985 album Turn the Page, a record that celebrated a new chapter in his life that included his sobriety. The song is a tribute to Jennings’ and Kristofferson’s mutual friend Johnny Cash. The lyrics, which could also be directed at Jennings, are about survival through the dark times of life. On this third track from the upbeat record, Jennings sings,
Good morning, John:
Ain’t it great to see your future shining brighter
Than the naked light of day?
You made it, John:
But I confess there was a time we two have thought
That you might let it slip away
I love you, John
In the cold and holy darkness
You were always shining brighter than a star
God bless you, John
For the love and joy you’ve given
As the living inspiration that you are
3. “They Killed Him,” Johnny Cash
Written by Kris Kristofferson
Speaking of Johnny Cash, Kristofferson wrote this song for his own 1986 album, Repossessed. But it was Cash who cut the track first, in 1984 as one of his final tracks for Columbia Records. Since then, even the great Bard Bob Dylan recorded the song, for his 1986 album, Knocked Out Loaded. As far as the subject matter, the track is a tribute to fallen heroes like Martin Luther King Jr., Jesus, Gandhi, JFK and Robert Kennedy. On it, Cash sings,
There was a man named Mahatma Ghandi
He would not bow down, he would not fight
He knew the deal was down and dirty
And nothing wrong could make it right away
But he knew his duty, and the price he had to pay
Just another holy man who tried to make a stand
My god, they killed him!
Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
Thanks for this article. Now that Kris Kristofferson has retired (and clearly, from his appearance at Willie’s birthday concerts, he has grown quite frail), it would be terrible if his incredible contributions to country music were overlooked or forgotten. You showed videos of three songs; there were dozens more you could have shown. Kris changed the face of country music. He HAS been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, thank God, but has never been honored by the Kennedy Center, which is a complete travesty, or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is also a travesty, since Kris and his fabulous band, the Borderlords, could rock with the best of them. the writer of “Me and Bobby McGee” not in the R&R Hall of Fame? Come on, people. Wake up.