Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson (1970) // country, blues, singer-songwriter, совесть нации

1. Blame It On The Stones

Mister marvin middle class is really in a stew
Wond'rin' what the younger generation's coming to
And the taste of his martini doesn't please his bitter tongue
Blame it on the rolling stones.

Blame it on the stones; blame it on the stones
You'll feel so much better, knowing you don't stand alone
Join the accusation; save the bleeding nation
Get it off your shoulders; blame it on the stones

Mother tells the ladies at the bridge club every day
Of the rising price of tranquilizers she must pay
And she wonders why the children never seem to stay at home
Blame it on the rolling stones.

Blame it on the stones; blame it on the stones
You'll feel so much better, knowing you don't stand alone
Join the accusation; save the bleeding nation
Get it off your shoulders; blame it on the stones

Father's at the office, nightly working all the time
Trying to make the secretary change her little mind
And it bothers him to read about so many broken homes
Blame it on those rolling stones.

Blame it on the stones; blame it on the stones
You'll feel so much better knowing you don't stand alone
Join the accusation; save the bleeding nation
Get it off your shoulders; blame it on the stones

Blame it on the stones, blame it on the stones…


2. To Beat The Devil

A couple of years back, I come across a great
And wasted friend of mine in the hallway of a recording studio
And while he was reciting some poetry to me that he'd written
I saw that he was about a step away from dyin'
And I couldn't help but wonder why
And the lines of this song occurred to me
I'm happy to say he's no longer wasted and he's got him a good woman
And I'd like to dedicate this to John and June
Who helped show me how to beat the devil

It was winter time in Nashville, down on music city row
And I was lookin' for a place to get myself out of the cold
To warm the frozen feelin' that was eatin' at my soul
Keep the chilly wind off my guitar

My thirsty wanted whiskey, my hungry needed beans
But it'd been of month of paydays since I'd heard that eagle scream
So with a stomach full of empty and a pocket full of dreams
I left my pride and stepped inside a bar

Actually, I guess you'd could call it a Tavern
Cigarette smoke to the ceiling and sawdust on the floor
Friendly shadows

I saw that there was just one old man sittin' at the bar
And in the mirror, I could see him checkin' me and my guitar
An' he turned and said, "Come up here boy, and show us what you are"
I said, "I'm dry", he bought me a beer

He nodded at my guitar and said, "It's a tough life, ain't it?"
I just looked at him, he said, "You ain't makin' any money, are you?"
I said, "You've been readin' my mail"
He just smiled and said, "Let me see that guitar
I've got something you oughta hear", then he laid it on me

"If you waste your time a-talkin' to the people who don't listen
To the things that you are sayin', who do you think's gonna hear
And if you should die explainin' how the things that they complain about
Are things they could be changin', who do you think's gonna care?"

There were other lonely singers in a world turned deaf and blind
Who were crucified for what they tried to show
And their voices have been scattered by the swirling winds of time
'Cause the truth remains that no-one wants to know

Well, the old man was a stranger, but I'd heard his song before
Back when failure had me locked out on the wrong side of the door
When no-one stood behind me but my shadow on the floor
And lonesome was more than a state of mind

You see, the devil haunts a hungry man
If you don't wanna join him, you got to beat him
I ain't sayin' I beat the devil, but I drank his beer for nothing
Then I stole his song

And you still can hear me singin' to the people who don't listen
To the things that I am sayin', prayin' someone's gonna hear
And I guess I'll die explainin' how the things that they complain about
Are things they could be changin', hopin' someone's gonna care

I was born a lonely singer, and I'm bound to die the same
But I've got to feed the hunger in my soul
And if I never have a nickle, I won't ever die ashamed
'Cause I don't believe that no-one wants to know


3. Me And Bobby Mcgee

Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headin' for the trains,
feelin' nearly faded as my jeans.
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained,
took us all the way to New Orleans.
Took my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana
and was blowin' sad while Bobby sang the blues,
With them windscreen wipers slappin' time and
Bobby clappin' hands we finally sang up every song
that driver knew.

Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose,
and nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free,
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues,
and buddy, that was good enough for me,
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee.

From the coalmines of Kentucky to the California sun,
Bobby shared the secrets of my soul,
Standin' right beside me through everythin' I done,
and every night she kept me from the cold.
The somewhere near Selinas, Lord, I let her slip away,
she was lookin' for the love I hope she'll find,
Well I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday,
holdin' Bobby's body close to mine.

Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose,
and nothin' left was all she left to me,
Feelin' good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues,
and buddy, that was good enough for me.
Good enough for me and Bobby McGee.


4. Best Of All Possible Worlds

I was runnin' through the summer rain tryin' to catch the evenin' train
And kill that old familiar pain weavin' through my tangled brain
When I tipped my bottle back I smacked into a cop I didn't see

That policeman said, "Mr. Cool if you ain't drunk then you're a fool"
I said, "If that's against the law tell me why I never saw
A man locked in that jail of yours who wasn't just as lowdown 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 morning feelin' like my head was gone
And like my thick old tongue was lickin' somethin' sick and wrong
And I told that man I'd sell my soul if somethin' wet and cold is that old cell

That kindly jailer grinned at me all eaten up with sympathy
Then bought himself another beer and came and whispered in my ear
"That booze was just a dime a bottle boy you couldn't even buy the smell"

I said, "I knew there was somethin' 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 everybody's so concerned about my health"

I said, "I won't be leavin' no more quicker than I can
'Cause I've enjoyed about this much of this as I can stand
And I don't need this town of yours more
Than I've never needed nothing else"

'Cause there's still a lotta drinks that I ain't drunk
Lots of pretty thoughts that I ain't thought oh yeah
Lord there's still so many lonely girls
In this best of all possible worlds


5. Help Me Make It Through The Night

Take the ribbon from your hair, Shake it loose and let it fall,
Lay it against upon my skin. Like the shadows on the wall.
Come and lay down by my side till the early morning light
All I'm takin' is your time. Help me make it through the night.

I don't care what's right or wrong, I won't try to understand.
Let the devil take tomorrow Lord tonight I need a friend.

Yesterday is dead and gone and tomorrow's out of sight
And it's sad to be alone. Help me make it through the night.

I don't care what's right or wrong,I won't try to understand.
Let the devil take tomorrow Lord tonight I need a friend.

Yesterday is dead and gone and tomorrow's out of sight
And it's sad to be alone. Help me make it through the night.

I don't wanna be alone. Help me make it through the night.


6. The Law Is For Protection Of The People

Billy Dalton staggered on the sidewalk
Someone said he stumbled and he fell
Six squad cars came screaming to the rescue
Hauled old Billy Dalton off to jail

'Cause the law is for protection of the people
Rules are rules and any fool can see
We don't need no drunks like Billy Dalton
Scarin' decent folks like you and me, no siree

Charlie Watson wandered like a stranger
Showing he had no means of support
Police man took one look at his pants cuffs
Hustled Charlie Watson off to court.

'Cause the law is for protection of the people
Rules are rules and any fool can see
We don't need no bums like Charlie Watson
Scarin' decent folks like you and me, no siree.

Homer Lee Hunnicut was nothing but a hippy
Walking thru this world without a care
Then one day, six strapping brave policeman
Held down Homer Lee and cut his hair

'Cause the law is for protection of the people
Rules are rules and any fool can see
We don't need no hairy headed hippies
Scarin' decent folks like you and me, no siree

So thank your lucky stars you've got protection
Walk the line, and never mind the cost
And don't wonder who them lawmen was protecting
When they nailed the Savior to the cross.

'Cause the law is for protection of the people
Rules are rules and any fool can see
We don't need no riddle speaking prophets
Scarin' decent folks like you and me, no siree.


7. Casey's Last Ride

Casey joins the hollow sound of silent people walking down
The stairway to the subway in the shadows down below;
Following their footsteps through the neon-darkened corridors
Of silent desperation, never speakin' to a soul.

The poison air he's breathin' has the dirty smell of dying
'Cause it's never seen the sunshine and it's never felt the rain.
But Casey minds the arrows and ignores the fatal echoes
Of the clickin' of the turnstiles and the rattle of his chains.

"Oh!" she said, "Casey it's been so long since I've seen you!"
"Here" she said, "just a kiss to make a body smile!"
"See" she said, "I've put on new stockings just to please you!"
"Lord!" she said, "Casey can you only stay a while?"

Casey leaves the underground and stops inside the Golden Crown
For something wet to wipe away the chill that's on his bone.
Seeing his reflection in the lives of all the lonely men
Who reach for any thing they can to keep from goin' home.

Standin' in the corner Casey drinks his pint of bitter
Never glancing in the mirror at the people passing by
Then he stumbles as he's leaving and he wonders if the reason
Is the beer that's in his belly, or the tear that's in his eye.

"Oh!" she said, "I suppose you seldom think about me,
"Now" she said, "now that you've a fam'ly of your own";
"Still" she said, "it's so blessed good to feel your body!"
"Lord!" she said" "Casey it's a shame to be alone!"


8. Just The Other Side Of Nowhere

I come from just the other side of nowhere
To this big time lonesome town.
They got a lot of ice and snow here,
Half as cold as all the people I've found.
Every way I try to go here seems to bring me down.
I've seen about enough to know where I belong.

I've got a mind to see the headlights shining
On that old white line between my heart and home.
Sick of spendin' Sundays wishing they were Mondays
Sittin' in a park alone.
So give my best to anyone who's left who ever done me
Any lovin' way but wrong.
Tell 'em that the pride of just the other side o nowhere's
Goin' home.

Takin' nothin' back to show there
For these dues I've paid.
But the soul I almost sold here
And the body I've been givin' away.
Fadin' from the neon nighttime glow here,
Headin' for the light of day,
Just the other side of nowhere, goin' home.

I've got a mind to see the headlights shinin'
On that old white line between my heart and home.
Sick of spendin' Sundays wishin' they were Mondays,
Sittin' in a park alone.
So give my best to anyone who's left who ever done me
Any lovin' way but wrong.
Tell them that the pride of just the other side of nowhere's
Goin' Home.
Just the other side on nowhere, goin' home


9. Darby's Castle

See the ruin on the hill where the smoke is hanging still
Like an echo of an age long forgotten;
There's a story of a home crushed beneath those blackened stones
And the roof which fell before the beams were rotten.
Cecil darby loved his wife, and he laboured all his life
To provide her with material possessions;
And he built for her a home of the finest wood and stone
And the building soon became his sole obsession.

Oh, it took three hundred days for the timbers to be raised
And the silhouette was seen for miles around;
And the gables reached as high as the eagles in the sky -
But it only took one night to bring it down,
When darby's castle tumbled to the ground.

Though they shared a common bed there was precious little said
In the moments that were set aside for sleeping:
For his busy dreams were filled with the rooms he'd yet to build
And he never heard young ellen darby weeping.
Then one night he heard a sound, as he laid his pencil down,
And he traced it to her door and turned the handle;
And the pale light of the moon through the window of the room
Split the shadows where two bodies lay entangled.

Oh, it took three hundred days for the timbers to be raised
And the silhouette was seen for miles around;
And the gables reached as high as the eagles in the sky -
But it only took one night to bring it down,
When darby's castle tumbled to the ground.


10. For The Good Times

Don't look so sad
I know it's over
But life goes on
And this old world
will Keep on turning

Let's just be glad
We had this time
To spend together
There is no need to watch the bridges
That we're burning

Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body
Close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops
Blow softly against my window
Make believe you love me
One more time
For the good times
For the good times

I'll get along
you'll find another
and I'll be here
If you should ever find
You need me

Don't say a word
About tomorrow
Or forever and ever and ever and ever
There'll be time enough for sadness
When you leave me
For the good times
For the good times

Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body
Close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops
Blow softly against my window
Make believe you love me
One more time
For the good times
For the good times

Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body
Close to mine

11. Duvalier's Dream

Duvalier was a bitter man who cursed the morning sun
That brought a new betrayal every day.

He shunned the world of mortals and the sound of human tongues
And blessed the night that chased their sight away.
A disillusioned dreamer who would never love again
Who'd tried of it and found that it was rotten.
Prefering perfect strangers to the company of friends
Because strangers are so easily forgotten.

Oh, it's hard to keep believing when you know you've been decieved.
To face a lie and dare to try again, but there's nothing like a woman
with a spell of make believe to make a new believer of a man.

Duvalier took the fickle turns of fortune in his stride
Expecting next to nothing out of life.
Till fortune found a girl who fanned a flame he thought had died
Whose burning beauty cut him like a knife.
She touched him through the senses that his mind could not control.
Then smiling stepped aside and watched him fall.
Betrayed by his own body and the hunger in his soul
Duvalier was a dreamer after all.

Oh, it's hard to keep believing when you know you've been decieved.
To face a lie and dare to try again, but there's nothing like a woman
with a spell of make believe to make a new believer of a man.


12. Sunday Morning Coming Down

Well I woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad so I had one more for desert
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes and found my cleanest dirty shirt
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day

I'd smoke my brain the night before on cigarettes and songs that I've been pickin'
And I lit my first and watched the small kid cussin' at the can that he's kickin'
Then I crossed the empty street and caught
The Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken

And it took me back to something that I'd lost somehow somewhere along the way
On the Sunday morning sidewalk wishing Lord that I was stoned
Cause there's something in a Sunday makes a body feel alone
There ain't nothing sure to dying half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleepin' city sidewalk Sunday morning coming down

In the park I saw a daddy with the laughin' little girl that he was swingin'
And I stopped beside a Sunday school and listened to the song that they were singin'
Then I headed down the street and somewhere far away a lonesome bell was ringin'
And it echoed through the canyons like the disappearing dreams of yesterday
On the Sunday morning sidewalk...
On the Sunday morning sidewalk...

13. The Junkie And The Juicehead, Minus Me

I was a stumble bummin' down the neon Music City sidewalks
With the Junkie and the Juicehead who had problems of their own
Stuck with luck it kept me standin' just a step away from starvin'
And the talent that I swore I'd show before I'd go back home

Ninety days I looked the army makin' neither love nor money
And my only set of clothes was gettin' closer to the bone
And the Junkie placed an order with the Prophet on the corner
And he told him of the soul that he'd been sellin' for a song

He said my future was my fortune but I let it slip away
Slowly smokin' myself broke on eighty cigarettes a day
Findin' out that crime ain't all there is that doesn't pay
And writin' words that no one's gonna see but did you said it who said it

I can read my fortune in the bottom of a glass
And I can see it's time for me to make my last request
Won't you fill my grave with whiskey when I'm laid away to rest
So the boys can say I drank myself to dead

Well I drank the whole thing over puttin' one and two together
And it added up to more of what I didn't want to be
I ain't blamin' Music City but it's only gonna see me
One more day and the wake up and the time it takes to leave

Cause I got a dirty picture of what could have been my future
In a Prophet pushin' day dreams on a corner for a fee
And the wino lookin' lonely at a bottle gettin' empty
And a hungry lookin' junkie huntin' tea in sympathy

And I bet that junkie's laughin' after the life he threw away
Slowly smokin' himself broke on eighty cigarettes a day
Pleadin' down the Prophet to a price that he can pay
And writin' words that no one's gonna see but did you said it who said it

Every empty bottle is my private crystal ball
And starin' into the future findin' nothin' there at all
Which is what I'll miss tomorrow when the neon shadows fall
On the Junkie and the Juicehead minus me


14. Shadows Of Her Mind

I met her sadly in the slowly falling rain
Crying softly in her loneliness and pain
Knowing no one needin' someone bad as me
And she told me as I held her trembling hand
Walking slowly how she'd never known a man
Living lonely in her cottage by the sea.

When the morning came her tears had changed to laughter
And before the night her heart beat close to mine
And I thought as she lay sleeping bout the secrets she was keeping
Hidden somewhere in the silence of the shadows of her mind.

In the morning as I wakened with the dawn
Without warning I could feel that she was gone
Leaving nothing but her silence next to me
And lonely footprints that I followed in the sand
Walking slowly for I knew where they would end
Disappearing in the silence of the sea.

And I sometimes hear the echoe of her laughter
As I search for what I know I'll never find
For the answer I was seeking was the secrets she's still keeping
Hidden somewhere in the silence of the shadows of her mind.

Hidden somewhere in the silence of the shadows of her mind...


15. The Lady's Not For Sale

She longed to be a lady,
When she was just a child;
But where the grass was greener, Lord
She done her growin' wild.
Then she tried to spread her tender wings,
And never left the ground;
So she turned to dreams at sweet sixteen
And woke up coming down.

But she tries in her way climbing higher,
And she dies each time she fails;
So give her a home, or leave her alone;
The lady's not for sale.

She ain't ashamed to show her soul,
So she'll sell it for a song.
But free don't mean she's easy
Or right for going wrong.
So let her be the lady, Lord,
She wants so bad to be;
And let her win the gentle man
That she was born to please.

'Cause she tries in her way climbing higher,
And she dies each time she fails;
So give her a home, or leave her alone;
The lady's not for sale.


16. Come Sundown

I heard the front door closing softly,
As I wakened from my sleep;
With the last touch of her kips, Lord,
Like a whisper on my cheek;

And I cursed the sun for risin',
'Cause the worst, Lord, was yet to come;
'Cause this morning, she's just leavin',
But, come sundown, she'll be gone.

See the lipstick on the pillow
That I placed beneath her head;
And the soft sheets still feel warm, Lord,
Where she lay upon my bed;

And it hurts to know it's over,
For the hurt, Lord, has just begun.
'Cause this morning, she's just leavin',
But, come sundown, she'll be gone