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 the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004). Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on September 28, 2024. He was 88.
Stagger Mountain Tragedy
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And leavin' was the first mistake I made;
But I hungered for the shadows in the valley down below
And the girl that danced the tune the devil played.
Her smile was like the blindin' light of sunshine on the snow
And the flashin' of her hair was black as sin.
And her body set the smokes of hell a-boilin' in my skull
When the fiddle of the devil made her spin.Morning sunshine [sunshine] high on the mountain,
Where the air is pure and cold;
But there's darkness in the shadows
In the canyons of my soul.
The lantern cast a shadow like a demon on the wall
And the naked sweat was breathin' on her skin;
Then the room was spinning closer as her clothes began to fall
And the eagle started screamin' in my brain;
Then I saw the laughin' dagger and I heard the devil scream
And her bleeding heart was beating in my hand.
Then the darkness blew away and I was standin' by a tree
With a hanging rope a-danglin' from a limb.
Morning sunshine [sunshine] high on the mountain,
Where the air is pure and cold;
But there's darkness in the shadows
In the canyons of my soul.
Kris Kristofferson's Stagger Mountain Tragedy is a dark ballad that tells the story of a man who was born and raised on Stagger Mountain. He leaves the mountain searching for something more and ends up falling in love with a girl who is ultimately his downfall. The song is a tragic tale of love, desire, and death.
The man in the song was drawn to the shadows in the valley below and the girl who danced to the devil's tune. He describes her smile as blinding and her hair as black as sin, and her body stirring up the smokes of hell in his skull. The devil's fiddle playing made her spin, and the man was rendered helpless in her presence. The imagery in this stanza is vivid and sets the tone for the rest of the song.
The rest of the song plays out like a nightmare. The man and the girl engage in a sexual encounter that is described as demonic, with the lantern casting a shadow like a demon on the wall. The scene is chaotic, with the room spinning and the eagle screaming in the man's brain. The girl dies, and the man is left holding her beating heart in his hand. The song ends with the man standing by a tree with a hanging rope dangling from a limb, alone and haunted by his actions. Overall, the song is a commentary on the destructive nature of desire and how it can lead to ruin.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born on Stagger Mountain in the sunshine and the snow
I was born on a mountain named Stagger, where both sunshine and snow were present.
And leavin' was the first mistake I made;
My first mistake was leaving the mountain.
But I hungered for the shadows in the valley down below
I yearned for the darkness present in the valley below.
And the girl that danced the tune the devil played.
I was drawn to a girl who danced to the tune of the devil.
Her smile was like the blindin' light of sunshine on the snow
Her smile was as blindingly bright as the sunlight reflecting off the snow.
And the flashin' of her hair was black as sin.
Her hair was jet black and sinful in appearance.
And her body set the smokes of hell a-boilin' in my skull
Her presence and appearance caused my mind to boil with passion and desire.
When the fiddle of the devil made her spin.
When she danced to the devil's fiddle, I was captivated by her movements.
Morning sunshine [sunshine] high on the mountain,
The morning brought sunshine to the mountain peak.
Where the air is pure and cold;
The air was clean and cold on the mountain top.
But there's darkness in the shadows
Despite the light, there was still darkness present in the shadows.
In the canyons of my soul.
This darkness was a part of my own soul.
The lantern cast a shadow like a demon on the wall
The lantern's shadow appeared to be a demon on the wall.
And the naked sweat was breathin' on her skin;
Both she and I were sweating close together, with our skin touching.
Then the room was spinning closer as her clothes began to fall
As her clothes came off, the room seemed to be spinning closer and closer to us.
And the eagle started screamin' in my brain;
My mind was filled with a deafening scream, like that of an eagle crying out.
Then I saw the laughin' dagger
I saw a dagger, and it seemed to be laughing at me.
and I heard the devil scream
I heard the devil's voice screaming at me.
And her bleeding heart was beating in my hand.
I was holding her heart, which was beating and bleeding in my hand.
Then the darkness blew away and I was standin' by a tree
Suddenly, the darkness disappeared and I found myself standing next to a tree.
With a hanging rope a-danglin' from a limb.
A hanging rope was suspended from a tree branch nearby.
Morning sunshine [sunshine] high on the mountain,
The sun had risen, and there was sunshine on the mountain.
Where the air is pure and cold;
The air was still pure and cold on the mountain top.
But there's darkness in the shadows
Again, despite the light, darkness was present in the shadows.
In the canyons of my soul.
This darkness existed within my own soul.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dave
on Jody and the Kid
Jody and the kid had a baby girl, when the kid got older. The kid then either left or died, leaving Jody to raise the new kid on his own. This is a very sad song.