Me and Bobby McGee Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin' for a train
When I was feelin' near as faded as my jeans
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained
That rode us all the way in to New Orleans

I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana
I was playin' soft while Bobby sang the blues, yeah

Windshield wipers slappin' time, I was holdin' Bobby's hand in mine
We sang every song that driver knew

[Chorus]
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', don't mean nothin', honey, if it ain't free, no no
Yeah, feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know feelin' good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee

[Verse 2]
From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun
Yeah, Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done
Yeah, Bobby baby kept me from the cold
One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away
He's lookin' for that home, and I hope he finds it
But I'd trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday
To be holdin' Bobby's body next to mine
[Chorus]
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
Nothin', and that's all that Bobby left me
Well feelin' good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
Hey feelin' good was good enough for me, mhm
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee

[Bridge]
La da da la da da da, la da da da da da da
La da da la la la la na Bobby McGee yeah
La da la da la da, la na na na da
La la la la la Bobby McGee yeah
La da da la la la la la la la la la, la na na la na na la la
Hey now Bobby lo no Bobby McGee yeah
Lo la lo la la lo la la
Lo la la lo la la lo la la lo la la lo la la
Hey an’ a Bobby lo no Bobby McGee yeah

Lord, I called him my lover, called him my man
I said I called him my lover, did the best I can, come on
And a Bobby no, and a Bobby McGee yeah
Lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo
Hey hey hey Bobby McGee lo

(Hey hey, woo)

[Outro]
Lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo lo la ah ah
Hey hey hey Bobby McGee yeah

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About

Genius Annotation

The song’s title came from producer and Monument Records founder Fred Foster. When Foster proposed the title, Kristofferson heard “McGee” when, in actuality, [Foster] had said “McKee” (Bobby McKee was the secretary of someone who worked in the same building as Foster).

Written by Kris Kristofferson but originally performed by Roger Miller.

In coming up with a concept for the song, a scene from the film La Strada came to Kristofferson’s mind. “I thought of … a scene where Anthony Quinn is going around on this motorcycle and Giulietta Masina is the feeble-minded girl with him, playing the trombone.”

Later on in the film, Quinn hears a woman singing the melody that little girl used to play and finds out that [the girl] has died. That night, [Quinn] goes to a bar and gets in a fight. Drunk, he ends up howling at the stars on a beach.

“To me, that was the feeling at the end of ‘Bobby McGee.’ The two-edged sword that freedom is. He was free when he left the girl, but it destroyed him. That’s where the line ‘Freedom’s just another name for nothing left to lose’ came from.”

Source: Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Janis Joplin say about "Me and Bobby McGee"?
Genius Answer

Per Pianist Richard Bell

Joplin’s version was “just the tip of the iceberg, showing a whole untapped source of Texas, country and blues that she had at her fingertips.

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