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
Somebody Nobody Knows
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And smiling at nothing at all
And she stares now and then at the eyes of the men
In the mirror that hangs on the wall
She's waiting for someone and knowing there's no one
Who cares if she comes or she goes
Just a soul in the shadows the world never sees
She's somebody nobody knows
Someone no one's ever known
Crying where no one can hear
Somebody's dying alone
In a city where nobody cares
Down in the gutter an old man has fallen
Like somebody the world threw away
And the late crowd was leaving, and nobody even
Took the time to look down where he lay
The old man was crying and helplessly trying
To wipe off the stain from his clothes
Just a soul in the shadows that life left behind
He's somebody nobody knows
Chorus:
Someone no one's ever known
Crying where no one can hear
Somebody's dying alone
In a city where nobody cares
Kris Kristofferson's song Somebody Nobody Knows sheds light on the loneliness and isolation experienced by people in society who go unnoticed and uncared for. The lyrics describe two characters in different scenarios, both suffering in silence with no one to turn to. In the first verse, a young girl sits alone in a bathroom, smiling at nothing, feeling invisible in a world that doesn't care whether she comes or goes. She looks at the mirror, hoping to see the eyes of someone who will acknowledge her existence, but finds none. Similarly, in the second verse, an old man falls in the gutter, crying and trying to wipe off a stain from his clothes while the world goes about its business without noticing him.
The theme of the song is universal, relevant to people from all walks of life who have experienced a sense of disconnection or invisibility in society. The lyrics suggest that despite the modern world's technological advancements and interconnectedness, people often still struggle with isolation and loneliness. The chorus captures the tragedy of someone dying alone, crying where no one can hear, and being nobody's concern. Kristofferson's simple yet powerful lyrics highlight the need for individuals to empathize and connect with others, especially those who go unnoticed.
Line by Line Meaning
Alone in a bathroom a young girl is sitting
In a bathroom, a young girl is alone and feeling isolated
And smiling at nothing at all
She has put up a fake smile despite feeling lonely and sad
And she stares now and then at the eyes of the men
She occasionally looks at herself in the mirror
In the mirror that hangs on the wall
A mirror is present on the wall
She's waiting for someone and knowing there's no one
She's waiting for someone to care about her, but knows that there's no one who will
Who cares if she comes or she goes
She feels as though no one would notice if she was there or not
Just a soul in the shadows the world never sees
She feels as though she's invisible and that the world doesn't acknowledge her
She's somebody nobody knows
She's feeling completely alone and unknown
Down in the gutter an old man has fallen
An old man has fallen in the gutter
Like somebody the world threw away
He feels as though the world has discarded him
And the late crowd was leaving, and nobody even
The late crowd is leaving without noticing the old man
Took the time to look down where he lay
No one cared enough to look down at him on the ground
The old man was crying and helplessly trying
He's crying and trying to get up
To wipe off the stain from his clothes
He's trying to clean off the dirt on his clothes
Just a soul in the shadows that life left behind
He's feeling forgotten and left behind by life
He's somebody nobody knows
He's feeling alone and unknown
Chorus: Someone no one's ever known
The chorus emphasizes the feeling of being alone and unknown
Crying where no one can hear
The characters are crying in places where no one can hear their pain
Somebody's dying alone
The characters feel as though they are dying emotionally and are doing so without any support
In a city where nobody cares
The setting is a city where no one seems to care about the people living in it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind