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
The Pilgrim: Chapter 33
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wearin' yesterday's misfortunes like a smile
Once he had a future full of money, love, and dreams,
Which he spent like they was goin' outta style
And he keeps right on a'changin' for the better or the worse,
Searchin' for a shrine he's never found
Never knowin' if believin' is a blessin' or a curse,
Or if the goin' up was worth the comin' down
He's a poet, he's a picker
He's a prophet, he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
He has tasted good and evil in your bedrooms and your bars,
And he's traded in tomorrow for today
Runnin' from his devils, lord, and reachin' for the stars,
And losin' all he's loved along the way
But if this world keeps right on turnin' for the better or the worse,
And all he ever gets is older and around
>from the rockin' of the cradle to the rollin' of the hearse,
The goin' up was worth the comin' down
He's a poet, he's a picker
He's a prophet, he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
There's a lotta wrong directions on that lonely way back home.
The Pilgrim: Chapter 33 by Kris Kristofferson is a song that includes powerful lyrics about a man who is wasted on the sidewalk with his yesterday's misfortunes. The song is a story about a man who once had a bright future with all the joys of the world but wasted it all like it was going out of style. He continues searching for something that he has never found and keeps on changing, not knowing if believing is a blessing or a curse or even if the going up was worth the coming down.
The lyrics of the song describe a man who is a poet, picker, prophet, pusher, pilgrim, and preacher. He is a walking contradiction, a mix of truth and fiction, taking every wrong direction on his lonely way back home. This story depicts a person who has tasted both good and evil and has traded in tomorrow for today, running from his demons and trying to reach for the stars but losing everything he ever loved along the way. The song ends with the realization that there are plenty of wrong directions on the lonely road back home.
Line by Line Meaning
See him wasted on the sidewalk in his jacket and his jeans,
Wearin' yesterday's misfortunes like a smile
He appears downtrodden and disheveled, with a smile that belies the struggles he carries with him from the past.
Once he had a future full of money, love, and dreams,
Which he spent like they was goin' outta style
He used to have a bright future, but he lived recklessly and spent everything he had like he would never run out.
And he keeps right on a'changin' for the better or the worse,
Searchin' for a shrine he's never found
Never knowin' if believin' is a blessin' or a curse,
Or if the goin' up was worth the comin' down
He continues to change and evolve, not knowing whether this is for the better or worse. He searches for something significant but has yet to find it, wondering if his belief in himself and in life is worth all the hardships he endures.
He's a poet, he's a picker
He's a prophet, he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
He embodies many different roles and aspects of life, but is also a troublemaker when he's under the influence. He is complex and multidimensional, struggling to find his way back to his true self amidst all these contradictions.
He has tasted good and evil in your bedrooms and your bars,
And he's traded in tomorrow for today
Runnin' from his devils, lord, and reachin' for the stars,
And losin' all he's loved along the way
He has experienced both pleasure and pain, indulging in some of life's vices and foregoing his future for immediate gratification. He tries to escape his own demons and chase his dreams, but in doing so, he has lost many things and people he held dear.
But if this world keeps right on turnin' for the better or the worse,
And all he ever gets is older and around
>from the rockin' of the cradle to the rollin' of the hearse,
The goin' up was worth the comin' down
Despite all the challenges he's faced, if the world keeps spinning and he simply keeps living, he can find comfort in the knowledge that his ups and downs were all part of the journey.
There's a lotta wrong directions on that lonely way back home.
There is no one specific path or direction that is right or leads to happiness, but many that may lead the wayward traveler back to where he belongs.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@smokinjz
See him wasted on the sidewalk in his jacket and his jeans,
Wearin' yesterday's misfortunes like a smile--
Once he had a future full of money, love, and dreams,
Which he spent like they was goin' outta style--
And he keeps right on a'changin' for the better or the worse,
Searchin' for a shrine he's never found--
Never knowin' if believin' is a blessin' or a curse,
Or if the goin' up was worth the comin' down--
He's a poet, he's a picker--
He's a prophet, he's a pusher--
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned--
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
He has tasted good and evil in your bedrooms and your bars,
And he's traded in tomorrow for today--
Runnin' from his devils, lord, and reachin' for the stars,
And losin' all he's loved along the way--
But if this world keeps right on turnin' for the better or the worse,
And all he ever gets is older and around--
>from the rockin' of the cradle to the rollin' of the hearse,
The goin' up was worth the comin' down--
He's a poet, he's a picker--
He's a prophet, he's a pusher--
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned--
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
There's a lotta wrong directions on that lonely way back home.
@MrSirDrew
Lyrics
See him wasted on the sidewalk in his jacket and his jeans,
Wearin' yesterday's misfortunes like a smile
Once he had a future full of money, love, and dreams,
Which he spent like they was goin' outta style
And he keeps right on a'changin' for the better or the worse,
Searchin' for a shrine he's never found
Never knowin' if believin' is a blessin' or a curse,
Or if the goin' up was worth the comin' down
He's a poet, he's a picker
He's a prophet, he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
He has tasted good and evil in your bedrooms and your bars,
And he's traded in tomorrow for today
Runnin' from his devils, lord, and reachin' for the stars,
And losin' all he's loved along the way
But if this world keeps right on turnin' for the better or the worse,
And all he ever gets is older and around
>from the rockin' of the cradle to the rollin' of the hearse,
The goin' up was worth the comin' down
He's a poet, he's a picker
He's a prophet, he's a pusher
He's a pilgrim and a preacher, and a problem when he's stoned
He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,
Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home.
There's a lotta wrong directions on that lonely way back home.
@JoeySinko
"I'm no pusher, I never have pushed." Travis B.
@j.clementec.m.1558
"No no, just the part about the walking contradiction"
-Betsy
@Guywhoselifeisshit
@@j.clementec.m.1558 i am not theonly onw who is here after taxi driver lol
@comanchedase
You beat me for about 10 years
@JoeySinko
@@comanchedase 😝
@comanchedase
@@JoeySinko hehehe I got to get organizized
@nanagaga2001
"he's a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction" one of my all time favourite lines in any song
@brianyoung3
Amen, aren't we all
@qsprimalaccuracy9709
Taxi Driver
@NoticerOfficial
From the rockin of the cradle
to the rollin of the hearse…
the going up was worth the coming down.