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
Me and Bobby Gee
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A country song
Okay
One, two, three, four
One, two, three, four
Busted flat in Baton Rouge
Headin' for the train
Bobby thumbed a diesel down
Just before it rained
Took us all the way to New Orleans
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna
I was blowin' sad while Bobby sang the blues
With them windshield wipers slappin' time
And Bobby clappin' hands
We finally sang off every song that driver knew
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin' ain't worth nothin', but it's free
Feelin' good was easy, Lord when Bobby sang the blues
Feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee
From the coal mines of Kentucky
To the California sun
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Standin' right beside me, Lord, through everything I done
And every night she kept me from the cold
Then somewhere near Salinas, Lord, I let her slip away
Lookin' for the home I hope she'll find
And I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday
Holdin' Bobby's body next close to mine
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin' left is all she left for me
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues
Feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la, me and Bobby McGee
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la, me and Bobby McGee
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la, me and Bobby McGee
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la, me and Bobby McGee
The song "Me and Bobby McGee" is a classic country-rock song written by Kris Kristofferson and is one of Janis Joplin's biggest hits. The song is essentially about a vagabond who has lost everything and is wandering aimlessly with his friend Bobby McGee. The first verse introduces the main characters of the song who are stranded in Baton Rouge and looking for a ride. The singer is feeling tired and worn out and is unsure of what the future holds. However, his friend Bobby McGee remains optimistic and manages to get them a ride on a truck heading to New Orleans, where they can start afresh.
The second verse is a powerful metaphor, as the singer pulls out his harpoon, a tool used for fishing and hunting, from his bandanna. The singer represents a person with barely anything to their name, while the harpoon represents his last tool for survival. The harpoon becomes a symbol of his resilience, as he uses it to soothe himself while Bobby McGee sings the blues. The singer may be destitute, but he is still alive and able to enjoy the present moment. The chorus, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose," is a powerful reminder that when someone has nothing left to fear, they become fearless and free.
The final verse has a bittersweet tone as the singer reminisces about his time with Bobby McGee. He states that she was always with him through thick and thin, and she provided him with much-needed comfort in the cold nights. However, the singer ended up losing Bobby somewhere near Salinas and is looking for a place to call home. The final line of the song, "good enough for me and Bobby McGee," is a reminder of what can be acquired when people's desires are simple. Happiness can be found in the smallest moments, and that's what the singer found with Bobby McGee.
Line by Line Meaning
Busted flat in Baton Rouge
We were stranded in Baton Rouge with no money or means of transportation.
Headin' for the train
We were trying to catch a train to get out of Baton Rouge.
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans
We were exhausted and worn out from our travels.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down
Bobby hitchhiked and eventually caught a ride on a diesel truck.
Just before it rained
We got lucky and caught a ride just as the rain was about to start.
Took us all the way to New Orleans
The diesel truck driver took us all the way to our destination, which was New Orleans.
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna
I took out my harmonica from my dirty red bandanna and started playing music.
I was blowin' sad while Bobby sang the blues
I was playing a sad melody on my harmonica while Bobby sang a blues song.
With them windshield wipers slappin' time
The sound of the windshield wipers was rhythmic and kept time with the music we were making.
And Bobby clappin' hands
Bobby was clapping along with the music we were making.
We finally sang off every song that driver knew
We played and sang every song that the diesel truck driver knew.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Being free means that you have nothing left to lose.
Nothin' ain't worth nothin', but it's free
Things that are worthless are still available for free.
Feelin' good was easy, Lord when Bobby sang the blues
We felt good when Bobby sang the blues.
Feelin' good was good enough for me
Feeling good was all that mattered to me.
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee
Feeling good was all that mattered to both me and Bobby.
From the coal mines of Kentucky
We had traveled all the way from the coal mines of Kentucky.
To the California sun
Our travels had taken us all the way to California.
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Bobby was a close companion who knew me intimately and whom I trusted with my deepest secrets.
Standin' right beside me, Lord, through everything I done
Bobby was always there for me, supporting me, through everything I did.
And every night she kept me from the cold
Bobby provided comfort and warmth to me every night.
Then somewhere near Salinas, Lord, I let her slip away
Somewhere near Salinas, I lost Bobby and she slipped away from me.
Lookin' for the home I hope she'll find
I hope Bobby finds a good home for herself.
And I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday
I would give up everything I have in the future for just one more day with Bobby in the past.
Holdin' Bobby's body next close to mine
I miss the physical closeness of holding Bobby's body.
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Non-lyrical vocals.
La-la-la-la-la
Non-lyrical vocals.
La-la-la, me and Bobby McGee
Non-lyrical vocals referencing the title and the relationship between the artist and Bobby.
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Non-lyrical vocals.
La-la-la-la-la
Non-lyrical vocals.
La-la-la-la, me and Bobby McGee
Non-lyrical vocals referencing the title and the relationship between the singer and Bobby.
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Non-lyrical vocals.
La-la-la-la-la
Non-lyrical vocals.
La-la-la, me and Bobby McGee
Non-lyrical vocals referencing the title and the relationship between the artist and Bobby.
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Non-lyrical vocals.
La-la-la-la-la
Non-lyrical vocals.
La-la-la-la, me and Bobby McGee
Non-lyrical vocals referencing the title and the relationship between the singer and Bobby.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fred L. Foster, Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ursula Braun Waldeck
What can I say? I just love this guy. He has such a fine tuned soul and such a great talent to write those beautiful songs out of his heart. So great!
María josé Sastre
Los mejores de la mejor época """""
Por los buenos tiempos""""""""
Vern Smith
God he wrote some of the best songs!! So deep and so emotional!!
John Eldon
Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Rhodes Scholar -- the guy's got a lot on the ball
Fjordavy
Funny to think that this old country song was inspired by Fellini’s La Strada. Talk about emotional. That movie’s too hard to watch
Ruby Courey
Kris did that because he honest and wrote and played with his heart,
OIII-IOOO
but pearl sang it better
Ruby Courey
@OIII-IOOO who is Pearl? If you had said Janis Joplin I would have believed you. But, Kris wrote that song and he put his heart and soul into that song.
Dennis Lenihan
One of the best and most enduring songs Kris ever wrote.
Frank Barone
There are too many....my favourites are "Why me,Lord"..."Sunday morning coming down"...