Kris Kristofferson – Why Me

Good morning to everyone on this fine Sunday morning! This was a song that I heard on my mom’s country stations along with the AM pop stations that my sister listened to. It crossed genres and was a massive hit.

It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and Canada’s Country Charts, #16 on the Billboard 100, and #19 on Canada’s RPM Charts in 1973.

Kristofferson is an incredible songwriter but he gave up a lot to be one. He is very intelligent and he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.

Kristofferson came from a military family. Both of his grandfathers were military men, his dad was a general in the Air Force, and his brother was in the Navy. Kris himself had made a name for himself in the armed forces, achieving the rank of captain and being offered a teaching position at West Point.

Instead, he moved to Nashville and ended up working odd jobs to support his disabled son while trying to break into the music business. When his mother found out about the music business she wrote a letter to him that he was an embarrassment to the family and he was disowned. Someone showed the letter to Johnny Cash, who believed in Kristofferson, and Cash told him ‘Always nice to get a letter from home, isn’t it, Kris?’

I feel lazy doing this but Kristofferson tells the story of the song better than I can. He went to church with country music artist Connie Smith and this happened.

Kris Kristofferson: “The night before we’d been down in Cookeville with a bunch of people, doing a benefit for Dottie West’s High School band or something and then Connie took me over to church the next day to Jimmie Snow’s church. And I had a profound religious experience during the session, something that never had happened to me before. And ‘Why Me’ came out of it.

Everybody was kneeling down and Jimmie said something like if anybody’s lost, please raise their hand. And I was kneeling there. I don’t go to church a lot and the notion of raising my hand was out of the question and I thought, ‘I can’t imagine who’s doing this.’ And all of a sudden I felt my hand going up and I was hoping nobody else was looking because everybody had their head bent over praying.

And then he said, ‘If anybody is ready to accept Jesus, come down to the front of the church.’ I thought that would never happen and I found myself getting up and walking down with all these people and going down there. And I don’t really know what he said to me. He said something to me like, ‘Are you ready to accept Jesus Christ in your life?’ And I said: ‘I don’t know.’ I didn’t know what I was doing there. And he put me down, said, ‘Kneel down here.’ I can’t even remember what he was saying but, whatever it was, was such a release for me that I found myself weeping in public and I felt this forgiveness that I didn’t know I even needed.”

Why Me

Why me Lord, what have I ever done
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
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

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

Unknown's avatar

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

24 thoughts on “Kris Kristofferson – Why Me”

  5. Wow! This back story and the song are incredibly powerful, even if you’re not a religious person. My Kris Kristofferson light bulb finally came on a few years ago when I heard “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”.

    BTW, that song has an incredible back story as well, including Kristofferson flying and landing a helicopter in Johnny Cash’s front yard with a tape of the song, which he wanted Cash to record. The Man in Black did, and so did many others.

    If you’re curious, I did a related post about the song and March 2020:

    Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Maybe his best song next to Sunday Morning Coming Down. I bought this album twenty years ago at an estate sale, paid a buck for it. Not long ago, I ran across it in my collection, so I cleaned the vinyl, added a new plastic cover sleeve and then gave it a spin. This song is on it as well as many other great ones. It’s clear that Kris had recently given his life to Jesus from the songs he wrote for this album. If you own it, keep it close, it’s not in print anymore.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. This is one that- Gawd forgive me- I put in the Sunday morning Hangover basket- it fits as a ‘never again’ song, perhap[s after a long boozy Saturday night. Kris is a top top top songwriter.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  8. It’s definitely a hymn that could be sung in any church. I’ve sung this in the depths of despair before and it helped. We are, all of us, unworthy wretches, and it is grace that shields and protects us to where we go on. This song is divinely inspired. Think of Kris, such a talented individual, being so moved to get real with God. Reminds me of some of Eric Clapton’s “come to Jesus” songs.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Yes it is a special song…totally genuine.
      I’ve said this in the comments…but never did I think Kris was a stupid guy…but a Rhodes Scholar??? That is impressive but sad about his family.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

Leave a comment