The Story Behind the Only Song Kris Kristofferson Wrote for Lifelong Friend Jerry Lee Lewis

On October 16, 2022, Kris Kristofferson and Hank Williams Jr. accepted Jerry Lee Lewis‘ induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame on his behalf during the ceremony in Nashville. Days later, Kristofferson and his wife, Lisa, drove to Memphis, Tennessee, to hand-deliver the Country Music Hall of Fame medallion to his lifelong friend Lewis, who was too ill to attend the ceremony.

Several days after Kristofferson’s visit, Lewis passed away on October 28, 2022, at the age of 87, but the gesture marked a final moment in the duo’s longtime friendship. The two first met in 1967, and two years later, Kristofferson wrote a song for Lewis, the only one he would ever pen for him, “Once More with Feeling.”

Co-written with Shel Silverstein, “Once More With Feeling” was released on Lewis’ 1969 album She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye, and went to No. 2 on the Billboard Country chart.

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The lyrics tell the story of two lovers going through the motions to make it work, once more.

We’re just goin’ through the motions
Of the parts we’ve learned to play
Never quite together like before
But somehow, darlin’
Something good got lost along the way
And our song, it ain’t nothing special anymore

So try it one more time
With feeling, darlin’, take it from the top
Let me feel those tears a-fallin’
I don’t want to miss a single drop

Darlin’, make believe you’re makin’ me
Believe each word you say
Try it once more with feeling (once more with feeling)
And we’ll call it a day

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Along with “Once More With Feeling,” Lewis also recorded several other Kristofferson songs, including “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “For the Good Times,” “Me and Bobby McGee,” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night.” 

Throughout the decades, Kristofferson and Lewis also shared the stage, including on the 1982 TV special, 25 Years of Jerry Lee Lewis, where they performed “Help Me Make It Through The Night.” In November 2017, 50 years into their friendship, the two reunited for a performance at the Ace Theatre in Los Angeles for a duet of “Me and Bobby McGhee.”

That year, Lewis and Kristofferson also spoke about their decades-long friendship. “Kris is one of my closest friends,” said Lewis. “We’ve been friends for many years, and he’s one of the greatest songwriters that’s ever been, and not a bad entertainer either. He’s good and he’s a fine person.”

Kristofferson added, “It’s like meeting or working with Hank Williams. He’s one of my heroes, like Johnny Cash.”

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