Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945, in Lafayette, Tennessee) is an American Si… Read Full Bio ↴Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945, in Lafayette, Tennessee) is an American Singer.

Coolidge's early career was as a backing vocalist, for artists such as Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, and Leon Russell. Her performance of "Superstar" on the Cocker/Russell Mad Dogs and Englishmen album helped gain her attention. She became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her. It was during this time that she met Kris Kristofferson; the two married in 1973. With him, she recorded several duet albums which sold well, and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1974 for From the Bottle to the Bottom, and in 1976 for Lover Please.

In 1997, Coolidge was one of the founding members of Walela, a Native American music trio, that also includes Coolidge's sister Priscilla and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. The trio released albums in 1997 and 2000. Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee.

Nobody Wins
Rita Coolidge Lyrics

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Any more it doesn't matter
Who's right or wrong
We've been injuring each other
For much too long
And it's too late to try to save
What might have been
It's over
Nobody wins

Make believin' in forever
Is just a lie
And it seems a little sadder
Each time we try
'Cause it's a shame to make
The same mistakes again
And again
It's over.
Nobody wins

We've gone too far too long
Too far apart
The lovin' was easy
It's the livin' that's hard
And there's no need to stay and see
The way it ends

It's over.
Nobody wins

Overall Meaning

The song "Nobody Wins" by Rita Coolidge is a ballad that discusses the end of a relationship with a sense of sadness and acceptance. The lyrics suggest that the couple has been hurting each other for too long, that the belief in forever is a lie, and that it is too late to save what might have been. The song makes the point that sometimes it does not matter who is right or wrong because nobody wins at the end of the relationship. The lyrics convey a sense of sadness and acceptance of the situation for both parties.

The line "We've been injuring each other for much too long" shows that the relationship has been a struggle for both partners, and neither is innocent. They have both caused damage to the relationship, and it has reached a point where there is no salvaging it. The line "The lovin' was easy, it's the livin' that's hard" highlights the fact that love itself is not challenging but maintaining it over time takes effort and hard work. The singer suggests that it is time to move on and that there is no need to stay and see the way it ends.

Line by Line Meaning

Any more it doesn't matter
It no longer matters

Who's right or wrong
Who was right or wrong is irrelevant

We've been injuring each other
We have been hurting each other

For much too long
For a lengthy time

And it's too late to try to save
There's no point in trying to rescue

What might have been
What could have been

It's over
It has ended

Nobody wins
Neither of us is victorious

Make believin' in forever
Pretending to stay together forever

Is just a lie
It's an illusion

And it seems a little sadder
Each time we attempt it, it becomes more depressing