In 1985, Kristofferson joined fellow country artists Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash in forming the country music supergroup The Highwaymen, and formed a key creative force in the outlaw country music movement that eschewed the Nashville music machine in favor of independent songwriting and producing. In 2004, Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. As an actor, he is known for his roles in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), Blume in Love (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), A Star Is Born (1976) (which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor), Convoy (1978), Heaven's Gate (1980) and the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004). Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on September 28, 2024. He was 88.
Border Lord
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we split from Minnesota in the morning
In the rain
Black as I was feeling
And the street was slick and shiny as a snake
Each of us was a-humming to a half forgotten echo
Hangin' over in the brain
Tappin' time and thinking of the time we never had the time to take
Losing to the rising cost of living high and loving hard
And leavin' every yesterday behind
Learning every bridge you cross,
Is burning down before you're off and
Running
Like the devil just in time
Breakin' any ties before they bind you
Taking any comfort you can find
Running like you're running out of time
Take it all-take it easy-till it's over-understanding
When you're headin' for the border lord
You're bound to cross the line
Good lookin' women every time you stumble
Waitin' there to catch you when you fall
Gettin' to you bad enough to let em
Keep you backin' up
Till just before your back's against the wall
Breakin' any ties before they bind you
Takin' any comfort you can findRunnin' like you're runnin' out of time
Take it all-take it easy-till it's over-understanding
When you're headin' for the border lord
You're bound to cross the line
In the opening lines of Kris Kristofferson's song "Border Lord," the lyricist sets the tone for a journey, possibly an escape, into the dark and unknown territory. The poet paints the picture of the rain-slick roads of Minnesota as they depart in the wee hours. Although nothing is specified, we can assume that the singer is accompanied by some companion(s) because they're each humming the half-forgotten echo that's been hanging in their mind. The lyrics seem to suggest that they're running from something, a feeling of defeat or a desperate situation, and heading towards something unknown on the other side of the border.
As the song goes on, the lyrics take a more explicit turn toward the potential reason behind the flight. The characters are leaving behind their past and all the memories associated with it. Although they're moving forward, the past still looms over them like a bad dream that refuses to end. Every bridge they cross, they're burning down to cut off their past entirely. The characters are breaking any ties before they bind them, taking any comfort they can find, running like they're running out of time, and heading for the "border lord," who they are inevitably bound to cross.
Line by Line Meaning
Darkness had us covered
We left Minnesota in the morning while it was still dark and raining.
When we split from Minnesota in the morning
We left Minnesota in the morning while it was still dark and raining.
Black as I was feeling
I was feeling down and out.
And the street was slick and shiny as a snake
The street was wet and reflective like a snake's skin.
Each of us was a-humming to a half forgotten echo
We were both humming to a tune we vaguely remembered.
Hangin' over in the brain
The tune was stuck in our heads.
Tappin' time and thinking of the time we never had the time to take
We were tapping our feet and reflecting on missed opportunities.
Losing to the rising cost of living high and loving hard
We were struggling to keep up with expenses while trying to live life to the fullest.
And leavin' every yesterday behind
We were leaving our past behind us.
Learning every bridge you cross,
We have learned to be cautious when crossing bridges.
Is burning down before you're off and
The bridges tend to catch fire before we cross them.
Running
We are fleeing.
Like the devil just in time
We are running as if the devil is pursuing us.
Breakin' any ties before they bind you
We are cutting ties with anyone who may hold us back.
Taking any comfort you can find
We are finding comfort wherever we can get it.
Running like you're running out of time
We are running as if time is running out.
Take it all-take it easy-till it's over-understanding
Take everything life has to offer and enjoy it until it's over, with full understanding of its temporary nature.
When you're headin' for the border lord
When we are trying to escape to the unknown.
You're bound to cross the line
We are likely to do something we never thought we would do.
Good lookin' women every time you stumble
Every time we falter or make a mistake, there are attractive women ready to take advantage of our vulnerability.
Waitin' there to catch you when you fall
The women are waiting to seduce us when we are at our lowest point.
Gettin' to you bad enough to let em
The women are getting to us to the point where we will give in to their advances.
Keep you backin' up
They keep pushing us back.
Till just before your back's against the wall
Until we are almost out of options and backed into a corner.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Donnie Fritts, Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Bruton, Terry Paul
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dave
on Jody and the Kid
Jody and the kid had a baby girl, when the kid got older. The kid then either left or died, leaving Jody to raise the new kid on his own. This is a very sad song.