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
Why Me
Kris Kristofferson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To deserve even one
Of the pleasures I've known
Tell me Lord, what did I ever do
That was worth loving You
Or the kindness You've shown
Lord help me Jesus, I've wasted it
Now that I know that I've needed you
So Help me Jesus, my soul's in Your hand
Tell me Lord, if you think there's a way
I can try to repay
All I've taken from You
Maybe Lord, I can show someone else
What I've been through myself
On my way back to You
Lord, help me Jesus, I've wasted it
So Help me Jesus, I know what I am
Now that I know that I've needed you
So help me Jesus, my soul's in Your hand
Lord, help me Jesus, I've wasted it
So Help me Jesus, I know what I am
Now that I know that I've needed you
So help me Jesus, my soul's in Your hand
Jesus, my soul's in Your hand
The lyrics of Kris Kristofferson's song "Why Me" can be interpreted as a conversation between the singer and God. The singer begins by expressing gratitude for the pleasures he has known in life, but also questioning why he is deserving of them. He wonders aloud to God, what he did that was worth loving God or experiencing the kindness that God has shown him throughout his life.
In the second verse, the singer confesses to God that he has wasted much of his life and begs for His help. He acknowledges that he knows what he is and that he needs God more than ever before. He entrusts his soul to God's care, seeking His assistance and guidance. In the final verse, the singer asks God how he can repay Him for all that he has taken from Him. He then resolves to use his own experiences to help others find their way back to God.
Overall, the lyrics of "Why Me" express themes of gratitude, humility, confession, and redemption. The song is a powerful plea for help and a declaration of faith in God's love and mercy.
Line by Line Meaning
Why me Lord, what have I ever done
I am questioning why the Lord has blessed me with such great experiences and I am feeling like I may not deserve it.
To deserve even one
I am wondering what in particular I may have done to earn such blessings.
Of the pleasures I've known
I am acknowledging that I have been privileged with many joys and happy moments in my life.
Tell me Lord, what did I ever do
I am asking the Lord to reveal to me what specific action or deed I have performed that was worthy of His love and kindness.
That was worth loving you
I am questioning if there is any particular reason or thing I have done to earn the love of the Lord.
Or the kindness you've shown.
I am perplexed as to why the Lord continues to show such benevolence towards me when I feel I may not have earned it.
Lord help me Jesus, I've wasted it so
I am reaching out to the Lord in a plea for help because I recognize that I may have squandered or misused some of the blessings He has bestowed upon me.
Help me Jesus I know what I am
I am humbling myself before the Lord and acknowledging my flaws and mistakes.
Now that I know that I've need you so
After considering my past actions and the gifts of the Lord, I realize that I cannot do it alone and I am in desperate need of the Lord's guidance and love.
Help me Jesus, my soul's in your hand.
I am entrusting my soul to the Lord in the hope that He will guide me towards a more meaningful and fulfilling existence.
Tell me Lord, if you think there's a way
I am asking the Lord if there is anything I can do or any way I can repay Him for His kindness and blessings.
I can try to repay
I am expressing a willingness to work towards repaying the Lord for all that He has given to me.
All I've taken from you
I am acknowledging that everything I have and all my blessings come from the Lord.
Maybe Lord, I can show someone else
I am hoping to share my experiences and blessings with others to help lead them on a path back towards the Lord.
What I've been through myself
I am able to relate to others because of the experiences and challenges that I have gone through in my own life.
On my way back to you.
I am acknowledging that I may have strayed from the Lord in the past, but I am now making strides to return to Him and continue seeking His guidance and love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Janusz Ladowski
✨🥀✨ Beautiful song. Singing “Jehovah” instead of “Lord” probably would be too revolutionary for many Christians. But the fact is that while you use in this song the word “Lord” you don’t mean Jesus but his Father. Jesus’ Father’s Divine Name is usually not mentioned by Christians because it creates for them confusion in the context of Trinity but also in the context of Jehovah’s Witnesses activity and teaching. And they are reasoning that we still should have in use God’s Divane Name what we can see in the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus was worshipping his Father. He was praying to Him and had full trust that he will manage thanks to Him to fulfill his will. The word “Trinity “ that doesn’t appear in the Bible took away God’s Divine Name from Sacred Scriptures: the Sacred Name which doesn’t exist only in the Hebrew Scriptures but also in the Greek Ones [New Testament]. At every place in New Testament where Jesus is reading (or make a quotation) from Scriptures we can see today as a substitution of the Divine Name “Jehovah” the word “Lord”. The word “Lord” can apply for Jesus, for his Father or even for someone who has higher position than you. At Luke 4: 16- 30 we can read as the following:
/ Do you like it ? /
16 “And he came to Nazʹa·reth,+ where he had been reared; and, according to his custom on the sabbath day, he entered into the synagogue,+ and he stood up to read. 17 So the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed him, and he opened the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “Jehovah’s* spirit+ is upon me, because he anointed* me to declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release,+ 19 to preach Jehovah’s* acceptable year.”+ 20 With that he rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were intently fixed upon him. 21 Then he started to say to them: “Today this scripture that YOU just heard* is fulfilled.”+
22 And they all began to give favorable witness about him and to marvel at the winsome words+ proceeding out of his mouth, and they were saying: “This is a son of Joseph, is it not?”+ 23 At this he said to them: “No doubt YOU will apply this illustration* to me, ‘Physician,+ cure yourself; the things+ we heard as having happened in Ca·perʹna·um+ do also here in your home territory.’”+ 24 But he said: “Truly I tell YOU that no prophet is accepted in his home territory. 25 For instance, I tell YOU in truth, There were many widows in Israel in the days of E·liʹjah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, so that a great famine fell upon all the land,+ 26 yet E·liʹjah was sent to none of those [women], but only to Zarʹe·phath*+ in the land of Siʹdon to a widow. 27 Also, there were many lepers in Israel in the time of E·liʹsha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed, but Naʹa·man the man of Syria.”+ 28 Now all those hearing these things in the synagogue became filled with anger;+ 29 and they rose up and hurried him outside the city, and they led him to the brow of the mountain* upon which their city had been built, in order to throw him down headlong.+ 30 But he went through the midst of them and continued on his way.+”
https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/bi12/books/luke/4/
drw
Praise God the Father I hope that anybody that says this message will give it a thumbs up praise God for he is good
BIG MIKE Crawford
Love this song
Elnita Horne
@BIG MIKE Crawford Ford is Jesus play Chris song
Katy Luby
I am so grateful that my soul is in His Hands. Thank you ABBA!
Fabricio JiuJitsu
Sometimes I feel like God gave up on me...
interstellar overdrive
breathe. be gentle with yourself. i know what you mean; life can be rough and downright disheartening, especially with everything going on right now. don't allow that feeling to grow; it isn't the truth. we are never alone. change the things you can that will make things better, and try not to get hung up on what you can't change; adapt. look for the things for which you are grateful, and do what you can to be of service to others- and i mean even just a smile to brighten someone else's day- and you might be surprised to find God is actually very close. i've had to remind myself of this very recently, too.
be well. 💜
L. Ryan
How beautiful, Kris asks what he himself ever did, to deserve the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are each so important to our Lord.
We don't have to be famous, beautiful, talented, successful......
Our Lord loves us equally, no matter what.
How amazing this is, let us hold onto this through our lives, let us rely on this, let us marvel at our Lord's absolute love.
Demanis Recks
I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for this song playing at the right time and the right place, and I'm sure there are plenty of other folks that can say the same thing. Thank you Sir for being a vessel of Gods mercy.
Tom Sr.
Remember footprints in the sand
Kill Em All
Footprints in the sand That’s fine quote