Knight was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Slaughters, Kentucky. His extended family lives in the same area of Kentucky. Knight has three brothers and a sister. When he was three years old, he asked for a plastic guitar for Christmas. At 15, he became serious and began teaching himself John Prine songs on his older brother's guitar. In an interview, Knight commented "At one point I could play probably 35-40 John Prine songs.
Knight earned a degree in agriculture from Western Kentucky University. He worked for ten years as a mine reclamation inspector and as a miner's consultant for the Kentucky Department of Surface Mining.
Knight started composing when he was 26, but didn't start performing until he was 30. He got his first record deal when he was 37.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Chris Knight among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Nothing On Me
Chris Knight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tryin′ to break up a barroom fight
Went home dug it out with my old case knife
I broke down in a blizzard on the great divide
Walked 20 miles till I caught a ride
The Trooper said "Boy it's a wonder you′re still alive"
I been hittin' the ground then I turn it around
An gettin′ back up
Now they′re layin' em off down in Kankakee
And there′s boards on the windows up and down the streets
And they're sayin′ that it's gonna get darker before the dawn
But you can bet your ass I′ll keep the lights on
Keep my babies fed and throw my dog a bone
'Cause I'ma bring it on get her done don′t run S.O.B
Times are tough
But they ain′t got nothin' on me
I got a three legged dog I call Jake
Got the won′t back down scars on his face
He tussled with a bear came in second place
He come's back home every now and then
With some brand new scars and I have to clean
You know I′m proud to call Ol' Jake my friend
′Cause he's known hard luck
He's been bruised and bucked
He′s been hittin′ the ground and he's turnin′ around
An gettin' back up
Now they′re laying 'em off down in Kankakee
And theres boards on the windows
Up and down the streets
And they′re sayin' that it's gonna get darker before the dawn
But you can bet your ass I′ll keep the lights on
Keep my babies fed and throw my dog a bone
′Cause I'ma bring it on get her done don′t run S.O.B
Times are tough but they ain't got nothin′ on me
Yeah times are tough but they ain't got nothin′ on me
The first verse of Chris Knight's Nothing On Me tells the story of a tough and gritty individual who has been through a lot. The singer describes how he was shot with a 22 bullet in his thigh one night after trying to break up a barroom fight. He then went home and dug out the bullet with his old case knife, demonstrating his resilience and willingness to handle things on his own. The second part of the verse tells how he broke down in a blizzard on the Great Divide, but managed to walk 20 miles until he caught a ride. The trooper who saw him was surprised at how tough he was to have survived such conditions. The first verse sets the tone for the song, emphasizing the singer's character and resilience.
The chorus declares that times are tough but they don’t have anything on him. He has a three-legged dog named Jake, who has also been through hard times, but they both keep getting back up. The second verse goes on to describe Jake in more detail, proudly recounting the scars he has earned in his fights with bears. The singer admires Jake's toughness and describes him as a friend. The second half of the verse is a repetition of the first, emphasizing that tough times may be coming, but the singer is prepared to keep fighting and won't let them get him down.
Overall, the song tells the story of a tough and determined individual who has faced a lot of adversity but continues to persevere. It emphasizes the importance of resilience and self-reliance in the face of tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
Caught a 22 bullet in my thight one night
Tryin′ to break up a barroom fight
Went home dug it out with my old case knife
I got shot one night while trying to stop a bar fight and I had to use my trusty knife to remove the bullet.
I broke down in a blizzard on the great divide
Walked 20 miles till I caught a ride
The Trooper said "Boy it's a wonder you′re still alive"
I broke down in the middle of a blizzard on the Great Divide and had to walk 20 miles to catch a ride. The trooper who gave me a ride was amazed that I managed to survive.
I've rode hard luck, I been bruised and bucked
I been hittin' the ground then I turn it around
An gettin′ back up
Now they′re layin' em off down in Kankakee
And there′s boards on the windows up and down the streets
And they're sayin′ that it's gonna get darker before the dawn
But you can bet your ass I′ll keep the lights on
Keep my babies fed and throw my dog a bone
'Cause I'ma bring it on get her done don′t run S.O.B
Times are tough
But they ain′t got nothin' on me
I've faced many hardships and been knocked down, but I always manage to get back up. Right now, times are tough – people are losing their jobs and things look bleak. But I won't give up. I'll keep the lights on and take care of my family and pets. Hard times may be here, but they don't have anything on me.
I got a three legged dog I call Jake
Got the won′t back down scars on his face
He tussled with a bear came in second place
He come's back home every now and then
With some brand new scars and I have to clean
You know I′m proud to call Ol' Jake my friend
′Cause he's known hard luck
He's been bruised and bucked
He′s been hittin′ the ground and he's turnin′ around
An gettin' back up
I have a three-legged dog named Jake who has scars on his face from standing up to a bear. He comes back home with new scars sometimes, but I'm proud to call him my friend. Like me, he's faced tough times and been knocked down, but he always gets back up.
Now they′re laying 'em off down in Kankakee
And theres boards on the windows
Up and down the streets
And they′re sayin' that it's gonna get darker before the dawn
But you can bet your ass I′ll keep the lights on
Keep my babies fed and throw my dog a bone
′Cause I'ma bring it on get her done don′t run S.O.B
Times are tough but they ain't got nothin′ on me
Yeah times are tough but they ain't got nothin′ on me
Again, times are tough and people are losing their jobs. The city is boarded up and things don't look good. But I won't give up. I'll keep taking care of my family and pets and I won't run away from anything. Times may be tough, but they don't have anything on me.
Writer(s): Wiseman Craig Michael, Knight Christopher David
Contributed by Thomas W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jade Jones
I caught a .22 bullet
In the thigh one night
Trying to break up
A barroom fight
Went home, dug it out
With my ol' buck knife
Rode down in a blizzard
On the great divide
Walked twenty miles
'Til I caught a ride
Trooper said, "Boy
It's a wonder you're still alive"
I've rode hard luck
I've been bruised and bucked
I've been hitting the ground
And turning around
And getting back up
And they're laying 'em off
Down at Kankakee
And there's boards
On the windows up
And down the street
And they're saying that
It's gonna get darker
Before the dawn
But you can bet your ass
I'll keep the lights on
Keep my babies fed
And throw my dog a bone
'Cause I'm a bring it on
Git 'er done, don't run S.O.B.
Times are tough but
They ain't got nothing on me
I got a three legged dog I call Jake
Got the won't back down
Scars on his face
He tussled with a bear
And he came in second place
He comes back home
Every now and then
With some brand new scars
That I have to mend
And I know I'm proud
To call ol' Jake my friend
'Cause he's rode hard luck
He's been bruised and bucked
He's been hitting the ground
And turning around
And getting back up
And now they're laying 'em off
Down at Kankakee
And there's boards
On the windows up
And down the street
And they're saying that
It's gonna get darker
Before the dawn
But you can bet your ass
I'll keep the lights on
Keep my babies fed
And throw my dog a bone
'Cause I'm a bring it on
Git 'er done don't run S.O.B.
Times are tough but
They ain't got nothing on me
nadir Hmr
I caught a .22 bullet inn the thigh one night
Trying to break up a barroom fight
Went home, cut it out with my ol' Case knife
Broke down in a blizzard on the great divide
Walked twenty miles 'til I caught a ride
Trooper said, "Boy it's a wonder you're still alive"
I've rode hard luck
I've been bruised and bucked
I've been hitting the ground
And turning around
And getting back up
And they're laying 'em off down at Kankakee
And there's boards on the windows up and down the street
And they're saying that it's gonna get darker before the dawn
But you can bet your ass I'll keep the lights on
Keep my babies fed and throw my dog a bone
Cause I'm a bring it on, git 'er done, don't run S.O.B
Times are tough
But they ain't got nothing on me
I got a three-legged dog I call Jake
Got the won't back down scars on his face
He tussled with a bear and he came in second place
He comes back home every now and then
With some brand new scars that I have to mend
You know I'm proud to call ol' Jake my friend
Cause he's rode hard luck
He's been bruised and bucked
He's been hitting the ground
And turning around
And getting back up
And now they're laying 'em off down at Kankakee
And there's boards on the windows up and down the street
And they're saying that it's gonna get darker before the dawn
But you can bet your ass I'll keep the lights on
Keep my babies fed and throw my dog a bone
Cause I'm a bring it on, git 'er done, don't run S.O.B
Times are tough
But they ain't got nothing on me
VeritasSeek
"In order to pay off your current balance using minimum payments alone it would take: 32 years."
My credit card statement this month.
ENOUGH. IS ENOUGH.
I've been chewed up and spit out too many damn times in my short 23 years. Things are going to change. I am going to get BETTER at life. I am not going to lose anymore.
I've shed a lot of tears with this song in the backround. This is real. This is country, or at least what it should be.
EDIT: In the two years since this comment, I’ve finally found a dream worth pursuing, got married to an incredible woman, and as of yesterday, completely paid off the aforementioned credit card as well as about 10k in other debts. No matter what’s going on in your life, you can handle it, and it’s going to get better. I promise.
Jeff Ring
Chris knight has so many good songs - incredible song writer and he plays small venues and bars. That’s awesome , better than that crap they play on the radio
Gregory Fortenberry
Chris is the best song writer we have for this generation. You can write that shit down, cause I ain’t backing down
cavepoet
Amen
Jaime Rodriguez
One of the best song writers of all time
iceberg1966
Such a great song!!!!
Robert West
Man I'min awe of this man's talent .To me it's a spiritual experience to hear his material .He speaks of our common humanity.
Ceezer
Another Chris Knight fan checking in! It's folks like Chris Knight, Hayes Carll and Ryan Bingham that retain my faith in the Country music industry.
Corey Koehler
I was a believer a few seconds after I put Trailer II in my cd player and then I saw him live and that was it. Has to be one of the most underrated songwriters out there.
Daniel Brown
This is a great song. Heard it on Waco 100 online. When I have a rough day in the Army, I have to listen to this song for my next day at work.
Thank you for posting.
Austin Mcgehee
Where you stationed?