It is claimed it took him ten years to write the song, and it was on the back of a hotel slip. The suggestion for the title came from producer, and Monument Records founder, Fred Foster who phoned him at a hotel and said, "I've got a song title for you . I'll give you the title , but you have to write the song." Ten years later, Mr Kristofferson wrote the song.
Me and Bobby Mcgee
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 ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fred L. Foster, Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Jimmypoolza
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headin' for the trains,
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained,
Took us all the way to New Orleans.
Took my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana
And was blowin' sad while Bobby sang the blues,
With them windshield wipers slappin' time and
Bobby clappin' hands we finally sang up every song
That driver knew.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose,
And nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free,
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues,
And buddy, that was good enough for me,
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.
From the coalmines of Kentucky to the California sun,
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul,
Standin' right beside me through everythin' I done,
And every night she kept me from the cold.
Then somewhere near Salinas, Lord, I let her slip away,
She was lookin' for the love I hope she'll find,
Well I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday,
Holdin' Bobby's body close to mine.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose,
And nothin' left was all she left to me,
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues,
And buddy, that was good enough for me.
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee.
@svnnx3216
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train
And I's feelin' near as faded as my jeans
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained
It rode us all the way to New Orleans
I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna
I was playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues, yeah
Windshield wipers slappin' time, I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine
We sang every song that driver knew
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin' hon' if it ain't free, no no
And, feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know, feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee
From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun
There Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done
Yeah, Bobby baby kept me from the cold
One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away
He's lookin' for that home, and I hope he finds it
But, I'd trade all of my tomorrows, for a single yesterday
To be holdin' Bobby's body next to mine
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', that's all that Bobby left me, yeah
But, feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
Hey, feelin' good was good enough for me, mm-hmm
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee
@hotwelder21
It's unsaid in the age of the internet, but the best part is discovering your parents music and loving it because it's still able to be applicable to our lives now.
@MrDoud65
๐
@cristinabumbac151
The parents still like this music!lol
@stevenkoehler6018
Good attitude!
@conalmc07
Yes, yes, yes ! I couldnโt agree more
@mdinunzio7610
yeah you grow up and can appreciate not just the talent but the meanings behind the songs
@iansaunders6983
"Freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose" is another great line. Kris Kristoferson's lyrics are so poetic and true and meaningful. He is one of the very best song writers.
@infoline100
One of the great lines in music history.
@MaoNica
this song is written by Janis Joplin
@iansaunders6983
@@MaoNica No it was written by Kris Kristofferson most definately. Janice did a really good cover of it shortly before she died but did not write it. Kristofferson wrote it and I think Roger Miller was the first to record it in 1969.