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
Same Old Song
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Working steady in a good time band
Pickin' every single little lick I could
Just to please the man
Harlan sang the lead for half
And we split up the rest
Hangin' on through the heavy times
And hopin' for the best
And I can't recall the names of all
Them places that we played in
All them squirrely party girls
And pills we used to pop
Hardly ever sleepin' in
Those cheap motels we stayed in
Hopin' we could take it 'til we'd make it to the top
[Chorus:]
And them nights, get a little bit brighter
And them bars just a little bit better
And the sweet, just a little bit sweeter
But them blues, well it's still the same old song
Now we're stars and shining on
Them prime time T.V. shows
Every stranger knows our name
And every little where we go
Findin' out the bottom ain't so different
From the top
Just a few more friends that you'll be losin'
When you drop
And I've left some of my soul on
Every sweaty sheet that I could sleep on
Gettin' just as close to any body as I could
I don't regret a single bed I've laid my body down on
Ever since the first I had
The worst I had was good
[Chorus]
Kris Kristofferson's song Same Old Song tells the story of a young man who plays in a band with Harlan, and the ups and downs they face on their journey to becoming famous musicians. The lyrics describe how they played in various places for squirrely party girls and used pills to keep awake, all while hoping to make it to the top. The chorus explains how success has brought them to prime time TV shows, where people know their name, but despite the fame, the blues remain the same old song.
The song's lyrics evoke nostalgia and reflect on the journey to success. The singer reminisces about the early days of his career, living in cheap motels, and trying to make it big. He talks about the sacrifices he made, both physically and emotionally, to get where he is today. He also acknowledges that despite his success, the core themes of his music, such as the blues, remain unchanged.
This song offers a glimpse into the sacrifices people make to achieve their dreams. It highlights how success often comes with a cost, and that cost is often personal. The lines "I’ve left some of my soul on every sweaty sheet that I could sleep on" and "I don't regret a single bed I've laid my body down on" show that the singer has paid a price, but it's a price he is willing to pay to pursue his passion.
Line by Line Meaning
I was just a young man
When I started out in my career, I was a young man
Working steady in a good time band
I used to work regularly in a band that provided entertainment and good memories for people
Pickin' every single little lick I could
I used to play every little tune that I knew in order to please my audience
Just to please the man
I did everything I could to make my listeners happy and satisfied
Harlan sang the lead for half
Harlan and I performed equally in our musical shows
And we split up the rest
We shared everything else equally
Hangin' on through the heavy times
We persevered through the difficult times in our career
And hopin' for the best
We hoped that things would turn out for the best
And I can't recall the names of all
I can barely remember the names of all the places we performed in
Them places that we played in
The places where we performed our music
All them squirrely party girls
I remember all the women who used to come to our shows and party with us
And pills we used to pop
I recollect the drugs that we used to take at our shows
Hardly ever sleepin' in
We scarcely slept at night
Those cheap motels we stayed in
We stayed in low-cost motels during our travels
Hopin' we could take it 'til we'd make it to the top
We hoped that we could endure the difficult times until we achieved success
[Chorus:]
Chorus
And them nights, get a little bit brighter
Our performances became more engaging
And them bars just a little bit better
The venues we played at improved
And the sweet, just a little bit sweeter
The things we enjoyed became just a little more enjoyable
But them blues, well it's still the same old song
Nevertheless, we were still experiencing the same sadness that we always had
Now we're stars and shining on
Currently, we have achieved fame and are very successful
Them prime time T.V. shows
We have even appeared on prime time TV shows
Every stranger knows our name
We are so famous that even strangers know who we are
And every little where we go
People know us wherever we go
Findin' out the bottom ain't so different
We discovered that being at the bottom and at the top is not that different
From the top
From being at the top
Just a few more friends that you'll be losin'
As one becomes more famous, they will inevitably lose some friends
When you drop
If you falter in your career, you will lose more friends
And I've left some of my soul on
I've invested a significant amount of energy and emotion in
Every sweaty sheet that I could sleep on
The beds where I've slept during my travels
Gettin' just as close to any body as I could
I tried to form close relationships with as many people as possible throughout my career
I don't regret a single bed I've laid my body down on
I regret nothing about the journey I've taken to reach where I am now
Ever since the first I had
Starting from the very first one I slept on
The worst I had was good
Even the worst bed I've slept on was good because it brought me closer to my dreams
[Chorus]
Chorus
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind