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
Rainbow Road
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All my life I've had hard working hands
But I sang my song as I carried my load
'Cause I had a dream about rainbow
Rainbow road
Then one day a man came along
Heard me playing and singing my songs
Sent me on my way down rainbow
Rainbow road
Then one night a man with a knife
Pushed me 'til I had to take his life
Fast as falling all my friends were gone
That old judge traded me a sentence for a song
Now I'm living with this ball and chain
I had to wear a number before they ever heard my name
And like the dream I'm growing old
But we still sing about rainbow
Rainbow road
Rainbow road, Rainbow road [Repeat x 2]
Kris Kristofferson's "Rainbow Road" depicts the journey of a poor man who has always had to work hard to get by. Despite this, he always had a dream of living a better life, a dream that he associated with a “rainbow road”. Eventually, his music caught the attention of a man who listened to him playing and singing his songs, and this man paid off all his debts and helped him pursue his dream. However, the song takes a tragic turn when the man is forced to take someone’s life in self-defense and is sentenced to prison, where he lives with a ball and chain. Yet, the dream of the rainbow road remains with him, and he sings about it even as he grows old.
The song offers a poignant message about the pursuit of dreams and how they can still persist even when things take a more difficult turn. The song has been interpreted in various ways, some seeing it as a reflection of Kristofferson’s personal journey in making it as a musician, while others see it as a broader allegory of the hope and resilience of the human spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born a dirt poor man
I was born with a poor family and have been used to working hard all my life
All my life I've had hard working hands
I have been used to working hard all my life
But I sang my song as I carried my load
In spite of this, I kept singing my song while carrying my load
'Cause I had a dream about rainbow
I persevered because I had a dream about reaching my goal
Rainbow road
My goal of reaching the Rainbow road
Then one day a man came along
One day, someone saw me singing and playing my songs
Heard me playing and singing my songs
He recognized my talent and listened to me performing
He bought me clothes and paid up every debt I owed
He helped me by buying me clothes and paying my debts
Sent me on my way down rainbow
He sent me off in the direction of my goal
Rainbow road
My goal of reaching the Rainbow road
Then one night a man with a knife
One night, someone attacked me with a knife
Pushed me 'til I had to take his life
In self-defense, I had to take his life
Fast as falling all my friends were gone
After that incident, all my friends disappeared fast
That old judge traded me a sentence for a song
The judge gave me a lesser punishment in exchange for writing a song
Now I'm living with this ball and chain
I'm now serving my sentence in prison
I had to wear a number before they ever heard my name
Before being recognized, I was just a number among the inmates
And like the dream I'm growing old
As time passes, my dream is becoming more distant
But we still sing about Rainbow
But we still talk and sing about the Rainbow road
Rainbow road, Rainbow road [Repeat x 2]
The Rainbow road that we still sing about and aspire to reach
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DONNIE FRITTS, DAN PENN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lennycohenfan
Love Kris. And love Steve Goodman's rendition of this song. Miss you, Steve!
Marcia Hess
First Donnie Fritts(RIP) Dan Penn collaboration at my first Kfis Kristofferson concert, Dec 1972 NYC Philharmonic Hall. ❤️
Scott Tanner
do it like kristopherson would do, White lightning across the sky
ZnXii
i can dig it