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 Blade (1998).
Kristofferson has said that he would like the first three lines of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on the Wire" on his tombstone:
Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Love Don
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
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Like we've never met before
Nothing's left between us
But the space between us
Love don't live here anymore
Faded photographs; dusty dreams
Lyin' scattered on the floor
To the years behind us
Love don't live here anymore
Never sharin' nothin'
We don't care
I got nothin' close to nothin' you'd care to hear
Nail the shutters down; pull the shades
Hang a sign upon the door
There's no use pretending
There's no happy ending
Love don't live here anymore.
The lyrics of the song "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge explores the disappointment and heartbreak that often follows the end of a relationship. The song portrays two people who were once in love and now find themselves as perfect strangers sitting face to face, with nothing left between them except for the empty space that had once been filled with their love. The faded photographs and dreams lying scattered on the floor represent the memories and hopes that are now mere shadows of their past love.
The song describes how the couple has nothing left to share with each other, and they don't even care anymore. They are both numb to the pain of the breakup and have accepted that their love has died. The line "I got nothin' close to nothin' you'd care to hear" shows that their communication has broken down to the point where they have nothing left to say. The song ends with the couple shutting out the world and accepting that their love has ended. They hang a sign on the door, signifying that love no longer lives in their hearts or in their home.
Overall, the song's lyrics convey the feeling of desolation that often accompanies the end of a relationship, where both people have given up and moved on, and there's nothing left to salvage.
Line by Line Meaning
Perfect strangers sitting down face to face
Two people who used to know each other very well now find themselves in a situation where they are completely unfamiliar to one another.
Like we've never met before
It feels like they are meeting for the first time, free from any historical context or shared experiences.
Nothing's left between us
Whatever they shared in the past is now gone.
But the space between us
What remains is the physical distance between them, which is symbolic of the emotional distance they feel.
Love don't live here anymore
Their love has disappeared, and there is nothing left to bring it back.
Faded photographs; dusty dreams
Memories of the past that are no longer clear, and therefore don't have the same impact they once did.
Lyin' scattered on the floor
The remnants of their past lives are now just scattered remnants, meaningless and insignificant.
Nothing's here to bind us
There is nothing remaining that ties them together, no common interests or mutual shared experiences.
To the years behind us
The things that happened in the past are simply that, memories of things they did which no longer matter.
Love don't live here anymore
The love that they used to share in the past is no longer present in their lives, it has disappeared.
Never sharin' nothin'
There is no longer any reason for them to share anything with each other, no common ground or interests.
We don't care
Whatever their relationship was in the past, it is now so distant and insignificant that neither person seems to care much about it anymore.
I got nothin' close to nothin' you'd care to hear
There is nothing that either person could say that would be of interest to the other. They have grown too far apart and have nothing in common.
Nail the shutters down; pull the shades
Eliminate the outside light and close off the possibility of anything new entering their lives.
Hang a sign upon the door
Announce to the world that they are not willing to open up again to new relationships.
There's no use pretending
It is better to be honest and true about what is happening than to live in a fantasy world.
There's no happy ending
Given what has occurred, there is no possibility of these two people ever coming together again in a loving relationship.
Love don't live here anymore.
Love has left and there is nothing left to bring it back.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind