Kris Kristofferson, R.I.P.

The amazingly influential songwriter (plus actor) has passed away in Maui at the age of 88.

Never met him, had not seen him live in half a century, but bought (and still have) his first vinyl album and several others after, and of course saw some of the flicks, going back to “Cisco Pike,” “Pat Garrett” (above), and “Alice, Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” One good obit here. Always on the Left, politically. Will just quote Dylan below, with a reference to the great pre-Kris songwriter Tom T. Hall, and then a few Kris song by himself and/or others.

Dylan on Kris, 2015.

Everything was all right until – until – Kristofferson came to town. Oh, they ain’t seen anybody like him. He came into town like a wildcat that he was, flew a helicopter into Johnny Cash’s backyard, not your typical songwriter. And he went for the throat. “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

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
Found my cleanest dirty shirt
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.

You can look at Nashville pre-Kris and post-Kris, because he changed everything. That one song blew ol’ Tom T. Hall’s world apart. He couldn’t see it coming. It might have sent him to the mad house. God forbid he ever heard any of my songs.

You walk into the room
With your pencil in your hand
You see somebody naked
You say, “Who is that man?”

If “Sunday Morning Coming Down” rattled Tom’s cage, sent him into the loony bin, my song surely would have made him blow his brains out, right there in the loony bin. Hopefully he didn’t hear it.

Johnny Cash & Kris, “Sunday Morning Coming Down”

Willie and Kris, “Loving Her Was Easier”

Sheryl Crow and Kris, “Me and Bobby McGee”

Kris, “For the Good Times”

Kris, an homage to John Prine, “Jesus Was a Capricorn”

Kris and Emmylou, “Pilgrim, Chapter 33”

Bonus, Al Green, “For the Good Times”