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
When I Loved Her
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she wasn't good at conversation when we were alone
But she had a way of making me believe that I belonged
And it felt like coming home, when I found her
She seemed to be so proud of me just walking holding hands
And she didn't think that money was the measure of a man
And we seemed to fit together when I held her in my arms
Chorus:
'cause she brightened up the day like the early morning sun
And she made what I was doin' seem worth while
It's the closest thing to living that I guess I've ever known
And it made me want to smile, when I loved her.
I know some of us were born to cast our fortunes to the winds
And I guess I'm bound to travel down a road that never ends
But I know I'll never look upon the likes of her again
And I'll never understand why I lost her
[Chorus:]
'cause she brightened up the day like the early morning sun
And she made what I was doin' seem worth while
It's the closest thing to living that I guess I've ever known
And it made me want to smile, when I loved her.
Kris Kristofferson's song "When I Loved Her" tells the story of a man who has lost someone special to him, and reflects on what made her so important to him. In the first verse, he describes how she didn't have the same physical beauty or conversational skills as some of the other women he had known, but she had a way of making him feel like he belonged. This feeling of being at home with her was something he had never experienced before, and he cherished it deeply. He goes on to describe the simple pleasures they shared - walking hand in hand, enjoying each other's company, and feeling a sense of warmth and comfort in each other's arms.
The chorus of the song reinforces how much this woman meant to the singer. She brightened up his days like the morning sun, and made him feel like what he was doing was worth something. In fact, being with her was the closest thing to truly living that he had ever known. The final verse acknowledges that some people are meant to wander throughout their lives and never quite find what they are looking for. Despite this, the singer knows that he will never meet someone like this woman again, and he is left wondering why he lost her.
Overall, "When I Loved Her" is a touching tribute to the power of love and the importance of cherishing the people who make our lives better. It reminds us that sometimes the most valuable things in life are the simple pleasures we share with the people we care about.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, she didn't look as pretty as some others I have known
Although her appearance was not as stunning as some other women I've been with, it didn't matter much to me.
And she wasn't good at conversation when we were alone
She was not the most chatty or witty when it was just the two of us, but it didn't affect our relationship.
But she had a way of making me believe that I belonged
Despite her lack of physical beauty and conversational skills, she had a magical way of making me feel loved and wanted.
And it felt like coming home, when I found her
Being near her was comforting and brought me a warm sense of familiarity.
She seemed to be so proud of me just walking holding hands
She appeared to beam with pride when we held hands or walked next to each other.
And she didn't think that money was the measure of a man
Money was not a major factor in her view of a man's worth.
And we seemed to fit together when I held her in my arms
Being close to her physically was satisfying and felt right.
And it left me feelin' warm, when I loved her.
Being with her made me feel content and happy.
Chorus:
'cause she brightened up the day like the early morning sun
She was like a ray of sunshine, bringing light to my life.
And she made what I was doin' seem worth while
Anything I accomplished, even small victories, seemed more meaningful and important because of her.
It's the closest thing to living that I guess I've ever known
Being with her felt like the most alive and vibrant experience I've had.
And it made me want to smile, when I loved her.
Loving her brought me pure joy and happiness.
I know some of us were born to cast our fortunes to the winds
Some of us are meant to live freely and take risks in life.
And I guess I'm bound to travel down a road that never ends
Perhaps I am destined to continue on an endless path.
But I know I'll never look upon the likes of her again
I know I will never find someone like her again.
And I'll never understand why I lost her
I will always wonder why I was not able to keep her by my side.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KRISTOFFER KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
secondhandsmoke10
Whenever Arthur leaves Mary Linton, I always turn the in-game music off and have Arthur ride off somewhere aimlessly with the cinematic camera on with this song playing in the background, imagining how difficult it must be for Arthur to process meeting with and parting with her after such a long absence.
It’s an emotional, tender experience…
until, inevitably, Arthur’s horse decides to run into something…
Melody Fisher
This song never fails to touch my heart....of course that's no surprise as it was written by the BEST!
rollie courtney
In early 1971 my brother had won a call-in contest on a local radio station for a free album. For some reason he couldn't make it so he called me to go down and pick it up. When I got there they had a stack of albums to choose from, I didn't recognize any of the artists so I picked this one because I liked the cover photo. And it turned out to be one of the best albums I ever had. That's how I discovered Kris Kristofferson. My brother never got the album back.
tamuir1
What a voice - this is my favourite kris song
Beatriz NANOTILLA
Didn’t know this song! Kk is an excellent poet, that we already knew, but this is so well written that ...gosh!
Ouida Sullivan
Absolutely love this album & Kris. He’s one of the very best.
Brett.S
One of my favorite Kristofferson songs, thanks for the upload.
Foggy
One of my favorite songs since 1977, which I played on my guitar in Spain to keep me company. I wish I were like her to somebody.
cripzrus
Cynthia Faverty Awww Cynth............love will come your way. Great song to dream with.
Marial Iglesias
My favorite singer of my youth...as ever..His songs never fail to tag at my heart..I named my first son Kristoffer from Kristofferson.. :-)
Irish Rose
beautiful song, takes me back to the days with my late husband, we loved his music