1) The Highwaymen was an Am… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists sharing this name;
1) The Highwaymen was an American country music supergroup, composed of four of the genre's biggest artists, known for their pioneering influence on the outlaw country subgenre: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. Active between 1985 and 1995, the group recorded three major label albums as The Highwaymen: two on Columbia Records and one for Liberty Records. Their Columbia works produced three chart singles, including the number one "Highwayman" in 1985.
Between 1996 and 1999, Nelson, Kristofferson, Cash, and Jennings also provided the voice and dramatization for the Louis L'Amour Collection, a four-CD box set of seven Louis L'Amour stories published by the HighBridge Company, although the four were not credited as "The Highwaymen" in this work.
Besides the four formal members of the group, only one other vocal recording artist appeared on a Highwaymen recording: Johnny Rodriguez, who provided Spanish vocal on "Deportee", a Woody Guthrie composition, from "Highwayman".
The four original members starred in a movie together: the 1986 film Stagecoach.
2) The Highwaymen were a collegiate folk group from the 1960s who had a significant impact on the folk scene of that time and remain famous for the song "Michael" and "Cotton Fields." Formed in 1958 while the band members were at college, the group broke up in 1964 after releasing eight albums and ten singles. They reunited in 1987, minus Chan Daniels (who died in 1975), for a concert for their 25th college reunion. Between then and 2009, the band has performed ten to twelve concerts a year. Today, two of the original five members (Steve Butts and Steve Trott) are still alive, with Dave Fisher dying on May 7, 2010, Gil Robbins (father of actor Tim Robbins) dying on April 5, 2011, and Bob Burnett dying on December 8, 2011.
Best of All Possible World
The Highwaymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And kill the old familiar pain weavin' through my tangled brain
When I tipped my bottle back and smacked into a cop I didn't see
That police man said, "Mister Cool, if you ain't drunk, then you're a fool."
I said, "If that's against the law, then tell me why I never saw
A man locked in that jail of yours who wasn't neither black or poor as me?"
Well, that was when someone turned out the lights
And I wound up in jail to spend the night
In this best of all possible worlds.
Well, I woke up next mornin' feelin' like my head was gone
And like my thick old tongue was lickin' something sick and wrong
And I told that man I'd sell my soul for something wet and cold as that old cell.
That kindly jailer grinned at me, all eaten up with sympathy
Then poured himself another beer and came and whispered in my ear,
"If booze was just a dime a bottle boy, you couldn't even buy the smell"
I said, "I knew there was something I liked about this town."
But it takes more than that to bring me down, down, down.
'Cause there's still a lot of wine and lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds
Well, they finally came and told me they was a gonna set me free
And I'd be leavin' town if I knew what was good for me
I said, "It's nice to learn that ev'rybody's so concerned about my health."
(They were obsessed with it)
I said, "I won't be leavin' no more quicker than I can
'Cause I've enjoyed about as much of this as I can stand
And I don't need this town of yours more than I never needed nothin' else."
'Cause there's still a lot of drinks that I ain't drunk
And lots of pretty thoughts that I ain't thunk
And lord there's still so many lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds.
The lyrics of The Highwaymen's song Best of All Possible World tell the story of a man trying to escape his troubles through drinking and getting into trouble with the law. The singer is on his way to catch a train, looking to escape his pain, when he accidentally smacks into a cop. The cop accuses him of being drunk, but the singer challenges him, asking why he's being arrested when he's not black or poor. He ends up spending the night in jail, dreaming of wine and women โ the "best of all possible worlds."
The next morning he wakes up feeling terrible and asks for a drink, but the jailer tells him even if he had the money he wouldn't be able to buy it. When the authorities finally release him, he decides to stay in town, enjoying the drinks and company of the "lonely girls" still waiting for him. The singer seems resigned to his fate but refuses to give up, reflecting on the endless possibilities of life and the endless pleasures still waiting for him.
The lyrics of this song can be read as a commentary on the cyclical nature of addiction and the loneliness that often accompanies it. The singer is unable to avoid his troubles and instead tries to drink his way out of them. He is resigned to his fate, but still holds onto the hope that there is a better world out there waiting for him.
Line by Line Meaning
I was runnin' through the summer rain, try'n' to catch that evenin' train
I was trying to catch the evening train while running through summer rain.
And kill the old familiar pain weavin' through my tangled brain
I was trying to forget the pain that was causing me agony.
When I tipped my bottle back and smacked into a cop I didn't see
Unknowingly, I hit a police officer with my bottle.
That police man said, "Mister Cool, if you ain't drunk, then you're a fool."
The cop called me a fool for not being drunk.
I said, "If that's against the law, then tell me why I never saw a man locked in that jail of yours who wasn't neither black or poor as me?"
I confronted the police for targeting people of color and the economically underprivileged.
Well, that was when someone turned out the lights And I wound up in jail to spend the night And dream of all the wine and lonely girls In this best of all possible worlds.
As punishment, I was put in jail for the night where I thought of wine and girls to escape my reality.
Well, I woke up next mornin' feelin' like my head was gone And like my thick old tongue was lickin' something sick and wrong
The next morning, I woke up feeling lost and ill.
And I told that man I'd sell my soul for something wet and cold as that old cell.
I was desperate for something to drink besides the disgusting water in jail.
That kindly jailer grinned at me, all eaten up with sympathy Then poured himself another beer and came and whispered in my ear, "If booze was just a dime a bottle boy, you couldn't even buy the smell"
The jailer cruelly taunted me with beer, telling me I can't even afford the smell of it if it was that cheap.
I said, "I knew there was something I liked about this town." But it takes more than that to bring me down, down, down. 'Cause there's still a lot of wine and lonely girls In this best of all possible worlds
Despite being mistreated, I still found some enjoyment in the town, and there were still many things left for me to explore and experience.
Well, they finally came and told me they was a gonna set me free And I'd be leavin' town if I knew what was good for me
After being released from jail, they warned me to leave town for my own good.
I said, "It's nice to learn that ev'rybody's so concerned about my health." (They were obsessed with it) I said, "I won't be leavin' no more quicker than I can 'Cause I've enjoyed about as much of this as I can stand And I don't need this town of yours more than I never needed nothin' else."
I sarcastically thanked them for caring about my well-being and decided to leave the town as soon as possible, as I had enough of it.
'Cause there's still a lot of drinks that I ain't drunk And lots of pretty thoughts that I ain't thunk And lord there's still so many lonely girls In this best of all possible worlds.
Despite everything, there are still many drinks to try, new thoughts to think, and girls to meet in this world.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KRISTOFFER KRISTOFFERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@23Josilee
Lead Guitar - Reggie Young;
Harmonica - Micky Rafael;
Steel Guitar - Robby Turner;
Elec. Keyboard/Organ - Bobby Emmons;
Piano/Vocals - Danny Timms;
Bass - Mike Leech;
Drums - Gene Crismans;
Keyboards/Vocals - Bobby Woods;
Rhythm Guitar - J.R. Cobb.
@Verycreativeusername_
I was runnin' through the summer rain, try'n' to catch that evenin' train
And kill the old familiar pain weavin' through my tangled brain
When I tipped my bottle back and smacked into a cop I didn't see
That police man said, "Mister Cool, if you ain't drunk, then you're a
fool."
I said, "If that's against the law, then tell me why I never saw
A man locked in that jail of yours who wasn't neither black or poor as
me?"
Well, that was when someone turned out the lights
And I wound up in jail to spend the night
And dream of all the wine and lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds.
Well, I woke up next mornin' feelin' like my head was gone
And like my thick old tongue was lickin' something sick and wrong
And I told that man I'd sell my soul for something wet and cold as that
old cell.
That kindly jailer grinned at me, all eaten up with sympathy
Then poured himself another beer and came and whispered in my ear,
"If booze was just a dime a bottle boy, you couldn't even buy the smell"
I said, "I knew there was something I liked about this town."
But it takes more than that to bring me down, down, down.
'Cause there's still a lot of wine and lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds
Well, they finally came and told me they was a gonna set me free
And I'd be leavin' town if I knew what was good for me
I said, "It's nice to learn that ev'rybody's so concerned about my
health."
(They were obsessed with it)
I said, "I won't be leavin' no more quicker than I can
'Cause I've enjoyed about as much of this as I can stand
And I don't need this town of yours more than I never needed nothin'
else."
'Cause there's still a lot of drinks that I ain't drunk
And lots of pretty thoughts that I ain't thunk
And lord there's still so many lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds.
@michalk.sikorski882
I was runnin' through the summer rain, try'n' to catch that evenin' train
And kill the old familiar pain weavin' through my tangled brain
When I tipped my bottle back and smacked into a cop I didn't see
That police man said, "Mister Cool, if you ain't drunk, then you're a
fool."
I said, "If that's against the law, then tell me why I never saw
A man locked in that jail of yours who wasn't neither black or poor as
me?"
Well, that was when someone turned out the lights
And I wound up in jail to spend the night
And dream of all the wine and lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds.
Well, I woke up next mornin' feelin' like my head was gone
And like my thick old tongue was lickin' something sick and wrong
And I told that man I'd sell my soul for something wet and cold as that
old cell.
That kindly jailer grinned at me, all eaten up with sympathy
Then poured himself another beer and came and whispered in my ear,
"If booze was just a dime a bottle boy, you couldn't even buy the smell"
I said, "I knew there was something I liked about this town."
But it takes more than that to bring me down, down, down.
'Cause there's still a lot of wine and lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds
Well, they finally came and told me they was a gonna set me free
And I'd be leavin' town if I knew what was good for me
I said, "It's nice to learn that ev'rybody's so concerned about my
health."
(They were obsessed with it)
I said, "I won't be leavin' no more quicker than I can
'Cause I've enjoyed about as much of this as I can stand
And I don't need this town of yours more than I never needed nothin'
else."
'Cause there's still a lot of drinks that I ain't drunk
And lots of pretty thoughts that I ain't thunk
And lord there's still so many lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds.
@keeganmurphy1
Be honest, you canโt pick your favourite once youโve heard them all
๐๐๐
@kerrybennett4236
It's hard at that time all we're my best
@user-ii4fi5mc9k
My favorite is Lovin Her Was Easier that Willie and Kris nail down. But, you're right, every song is perfect.
@MCoconut97
i could agree but also yes, every song could be the best one@@user-ii4fi5mc9k
@susanburnt3313
Going into 2022 soon and this is the best concert ever..Love this period of country music. No glitter- no spangles..just honest great music and vocals.
Not to mention the great respect for each other...
@karolaloose515
A๐ธ๐คand no playback...never!
@tillstark2368
Pure Lust und totales zusammen Spiel aller Akteure.... besser geht es nicht. Auch in 2022 noch aktuell!!
@tillstark2368
@Karola Loose Pure Kรผnstler ๐๐
@rosemarymurphy9241
Simply the best ever.
@jossip1171
I totally agree