CINXE.COM

<html xmlns:vcom xmlns:vtcom> <head> <title>Kris Kristofferson (1936–2024) Tribute List : Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus</title> <meta name="description" content ="An online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore using an interactive map. It's a tool for people who think visually. The most fun you've ever had with words. The Visual Thesaurus was built using Thinkmap, a data visualization technology." /> <meta name="author" content ="Thinkmap, Inc." /> <meta name="robots" content="noarchive" /> <meta name="GOOGLEBOT" content="NOODP,NOARCHIVE" /> <link href="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/css/base-9v1thl.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" > <link href="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/css/subpage-130ykl9.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" > <link href="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/css/print-dao9t3.css" rel="stylesheet" media="print" type="text/css" > <script src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/js/module-1ypv52v.js" type="text/javascript" ></script> <script>Module.use(['base','vtcom/vtloader/vtloader']);</script> <link href="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/favicon-dos9ku.ico" rel="shortcut icon" > <style type="text/css"> @font-face { font-family: din-regular; src: url("/fonts/DINWeb.eot"); } @font-face { font-family: din-regular; src: url("/fonts/DINWeb.woff") format("woff"); } @font-face { font-family: din-medium; src: url("/fonts/DINWeb-Medium.eot"); } @font-face { font-family: din-medium; src: url("/fonts/DINWeb-Medium.woff") format("woff"); } @font-face { font-family: din-bold; src: url("/fonts/DINWeb-Bold.eot"); } @font-face { font-family: din-bold; src: url("/fonts/DINWeb-Bold.woff") format("woff"); } </style> </head> <body class="subpage narrow leftnav "> <div id="rootContainer"> <div id="root"> <div id="vtsContainer"></div> <div id="pageHeader"> <div id="headerBar" class="png"> <a href="/"><img src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/images/common/header/logo-icon-4n9afg.png" width="40" id="vtLogoIcon" class="png" height="40" ></a> <a href="/"><img src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/images/common/header/logo-npghhk.png" width="202" alt="Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus" id="vtLogo" class="png" height="38" ></a> </div> <div id="headerSpacer"></div> <div id="navTop"><ul> <li class=""><a href="/">HOME</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/howitworks/">HOW IT WORKS</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/store/">SUBSCRIBE</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/praise/">PRAISE</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/sales/">INSTITUTIONAL SALES</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/educators/">EDUCATORS</a></li> <li class="last "><a href="/support/">SUPPORT</a></li> </ul><div class="clearer"></div></div> </div> <div id="pageBody"><table id="mainTable" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td id="leftContent"> </td> <td id="centerContent"><div id="pageContent"> <div class="wordlist view" id="wordlist" wordlistid="9582207" wordCount="20"> <div class="header"> <h2 class="webfont sectionname">WORD LISTS</h2> <h1 id="wordlistTitle">Kris Kristofferson (1936–2024) Tribute List</h1> <div class="date">October 2, 2024 </div> <div class="author"><span class="profileLink"><a href="/profiles/B0O97M2G11KL4B" target="_top">By Vocabulary.com</a><span class="location"> (NY)</span><span class="badges"><a href="#" target="_top" title="Visual Thesaurus Moderator" class="badge moderator" ><img src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/images/profiles/mod-badge-sm-1ybaci7.gif" alt="Visual Thesaurus Moderator" class="badge" ></a></span></span></div> <div class="description">Kris Kristofferson was a pioneering figure in American country music in the 1970s. He had been a Rhodes scholar, an Army Ranger helicopter pilot, a Golden Gloves boxer, and was a William Blake poetry aficionado, before he became a legendary songwriter and singer. His songwriting credits include "Me and Bobby McGee," "Help Me Make It Through the Night," and "For the Good Times." Kristofferson toured with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings as country music's supergroup "Highwaymen" (1985–1995). Also a successful A-list movie actor, he starred in dozens of films, including the <i>Blade</i> film trilogy and <i>A Star Is Born</i> — for which he earned a Golden Globe Best Actor Award. Other honors include the Country Music Hall of Fame (2004) and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2014). This tribute highlights Kristofferson's artistic contributions through biographical information, song lyrics, and film lines.</div> </div> <div id="viewSelector" class="viewSelector" ><img src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/images/wordlists/thumbview-icon-1otq1ub.gif" id="defaultViewSelector" class="view selected" ><img src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/images/wordlists/galleryview-icon-mibshl.gif" id="thumbViewSelector" class="view" ><img src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/images/wordlists/listview-icon-drr6yp.gif" id="listViewSelector" class="view" ></div> <div class="pageContainer"> <div id="pagerTop"></div> <div id="pages"> <div class="page" id="page0" > <div class="entry" id="entry0" lang="en" word="canyon" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=0&word=canyon">canyon</a> <div class="example">Then I headed back for home <br> And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin' <br> And it echoed through the <strong>canyons</strong> <br> Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday <br> – Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry1" lang="en" word="freedom" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=1&word=freedom">freedom</a> <div class="example"><strong>Freedom's</strong> just another word for nothin' left to lose <br> – Me and Bobby McGee</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry2" lang="en" word="make it" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=2&word=make it">make it</a> <div class="example">And it's sad to be alone <br> Help me <strong>make it</strong> through the night <br> – Help Me <strong>Make It</strong> Through the Night</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry3" lang="en" word="silhouette" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=3&word=silhouette">silhouette</a> <div class="example">Oh it took three hundred days <br> For the timber to be raised <br> And the <strong>silhouette</strong> was seen for miles around <br> – Darby's Castle</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry4" lang="en" word="whisper" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=4&word=whisper">whisper</a> <div class="example">Hear the <strong>whisper</strong> of the rain drops <br> Blowing soft against the window <br> And make believe you love me <br> One more time <br> For the good times <br> – For the Good Times</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry5" lang="en" word="deserve" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=5&word=deserve">deserve</a> <div class="example">Why me Lord what have I ever done <br> To <strong>deserve</strong> even one of the pleasures I've known <br> – Why Me</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry6" lang="en" word="comfort" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=6&word=comfort">comfort</a> <div class="example">But I've been too long in the wind <br> And too long in the rain <br> Takin' any <strong>comfort</strong> that I can <br> Yes, I'm looking back and longing for <br> The freedom of my chains <br> – Loving Arms</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry7" lang="en" word="abide" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=7&word=abide">abide</a> <div class="example">I was a sailor <br> I was born upon the tide <br> And with the sea I did <strong>abide</strong> <br> – Highwayman</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry8" lang="en" word="fiction" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=8&word=fiction">fiction</a> <div class="example">He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly <strong>fiction</strong> <br> Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home <br> – The Pilgrim, Chapter 33</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry9" lang="en" word="photograph" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=9&word=photograph">photograph</a> <div class="example">Look at that old <strong>photograph</strong> <br> Is it really you <br> Smiling like a baby full of dreams <br> – This Old Road</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry10" lang="en" word="soul" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=10&word=soul">soul</a> <div class="example">Love will make you crazy <br> But your <strong>soul</strong> will keep you sane <br> – Closer to the Bone</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry11" lang="en" word="eternity" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=11&word=eternity">eternity</a> <div class="example">And I thank my lucky stars <br> From here to <strong>eternity</strong> <br> For the artist that you are <br> And the man you made of me <br> – Feeling Mortal</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry12" lang="en" word="destiny" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=12&word=destiny">destiny</a> <div class="example">Hawk: [Talking to Georgia] When you get older you think about dying...and not dying in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe I'll go across the river when it's my time. Follow my <strong>destiny</strong>. <br> – Trouble in Mind</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry13" lang="en" word="withstand" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=13&word=withstand">withstand</a> <div class="example">Whistler: Blade's mother was attacked by a vampire while she was pregnant. She died, but he lived. Unfortunately, he'd undergone certain genetic changes. He can <strong>withstand</strong> garlic, silver, even sunlight. And he's got their strength. This time tomorrow, all those wounds of his will be healed. <br> – Blade</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry14" lang="en" word="optimist" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=14&word=optimist">optimist</a> <div class="example">Bronson: You're...an <strong>optimist</strong>. What in the world makes you think I'm gonna' deliver the money myself? <br> – Payback</div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry15" lang="en" word="scholar" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=15&word=scholar">scholar</a> <div class="example">Kristofferson's resume is perhaps the strangest of any country star's. He was a Rhodes <strong>scholar</strong> at Oxford, where he studied the poetry of William Blake, and a Golden Gloves boxer. He served as an army helicopter pilot in Germany and then as a janitor cleaning up after Bob Dylan's Nashville sessions while he tried to break into the music business. <br> – <a href="https://time.com/7026837/kris-kristofferson-country-music-legacy/" rel="nofollow">Time</a></div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry16" lang="en" word="charisma" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=16&word=charisma">charisma</a> <div class="example">Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough <strong>charisma</strong> who became a country music superstar and an A-list Hollywood actor, has died. <br> – <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kris-kristofferson-dead-47becf20fecd41aba66840af2e1275db" rel="nofollow">AP News</a></div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry17" lang="en" word="intricate" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=17&word=intricate">intricate</a> <div class="example">Kristofferson, who could recite William Blake from memory, wove <strong>intricate</strong> folk music lyrics about loneliness and tender romance into popular country music. <br> – <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kris-kristofferson-dead-47becf20fecd41aba66840af2e1275db" rel="nofollow">AP News</a></div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry18" lang="en" word="collaboration" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=18&word=collaboration">collaboration</a> <div class="example">Kristofferson's other music career <strong>collaborations</strong> include the 1982 double album "The Winning Hand" with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Brenda Lee, as well as performing with Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings as the Highwaymen. <br> – <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/30/entertainment/barbra-streisand-kris-kristofferson/index.html" rel="nofollow">CNN</a></div> </div> <div class="entry" id="entry19" lang="en" word="brilliance" > <a class="word" href="/?lang=en&wl=9582207&idx=19&word=brilliance">brilliance</a> <div class="example">But Kristofferson's individualism, contrarianism, and dogged <strong>brilliance</strong> not only made him a star, but helped kick down genre walls, lighting a path for outlaw country and many other rebels to find a home in both country music's edges and its mainstream over the past half-century. <br> – <a href="https://time.com/7026837/kris-kristofferson-country-music-legacy/" rel="nofollow">Time</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="pagerBottom"></div> </div> <div class="listContainer"> <div class="words" id="listOfWords" ></div> </div> </div> <div class="hr"><hr/></div> <script> Module.after(['vtcom/wordlists/manager'], function(){ DOM.whenReady(function() { new modules.vtcom.wordlists.manager.WordList(0,50); }); }); </script> </div></td> <td id="rightContent"><script> Module.after(['jquery', 'element','animation'], function(){ var Event = modules.base.Event; var Element = modules.element.Element; var Animation = modules.animation.Animation; DOM.whenReady(function() { var updateFavoriteElms = Element.getElementsByClassName("updateFavoriteWordlist"); for (var i = 0; i < updateFavoriteElms.length; i++) { new UpdateFavoriteWordlist(updateFavoriteElms[i]); } function UpdateFavoriteWordlist(elm) { var processing = false; var favorite = (elm.getAttribute("favorite") == "true"); var wordlistid = elm.getAttribute("wordlistid"); if (wordlistid != null) { var elements = {}; elements.button = Element.construct(['a', {'href':'javascript:void(0)'}]); var setInitState = function() { elements.button.className = (!favorite) ? "addfavorite" : "deletefavorite"; elements.button.innerHTML = (!favorite) ? "Add to Favorite Word Lists" : "Remove from Favorite Word Lists"; } var setProcessingState = function() { elements.button.innerHTML = (!favorite) ? "Adding Favorite Word List..." : "Removing Favorite Word List..."; } var setCompletedState = function() { elements.button.innerHTML = (favorite) ? "Favorite Word List added" : "Favorite Word List removed"; } var actionCompleted= new Animation(elements.button, { 'backgroundColor':{'from':'#ffffff', 'to':'#ffffaa'} }, 1, Animation.EaseOut); var fadeOut = new Animation(elements.button, { 'backgroundColor':{'from':'#ffffaa', 'to':'#ffffff'} }, 1, Animation.EaseIn); actionCompleted.append(fadeOut,5000); Event.addListener(fadeOut, 'stop', function() { setInitState(); processing = false; }); var handleButtonClick = function() { if (!window.loginData || !window.loginData.hasProfile) { if (confirm('You must be signed in to add to your favorites. Would you like to sign in now?')) { loginData.signIn(); } return false; } if (processing) { return false; } processing = true; setProcessingState(); jQuery.post((!favorite) ? "/wordlists/addfavorite.json" : "/wordlists/deletefavorite.json", {'wordlistid':wordlistid}, function(response) { if (response.result == true) { favorite = !favorite; actionCompleted.start(); setCompletedState(); } }); return false; } setInitState(); elements.button.onclick = handleButtonClick; elm.appendChild(elements.button); } } }); }); </script> <div class="modules"> <div class="module actions"> <h3 class="webfont related">Word List Actions:</h3> <div class="updateFavoriteWordlist" favorite="" wordlistid="9582207"></div> <a class="create" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="createWordlist(false)">Create a new Word List</a> </div> </div></td> </tr> </table></div> <div id="pageFooter"> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thinkmap.com" class="thinkmapButton" ><img src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/images/common/thinkmapfooter-ceqlbg.gif" width="95" height="35" ></a> <div class="bottomNav"> <a href="/aboutus/">About Us</a> <a href="/affiliates/">Become an Affiliate</a> <a href="/licensing/">Technology Licensing</a> <a href="/contributors/">Contributors</a> <a href="/support/contactus/">Contact Us</a> <span class="copyright">Copyright ©1998-2024 Thinkmap, Inc. All Rights Reserved.</span> <a target="_blank" href="/terms/">Terms of Use</a> </div> </div> <div id="loginContainer" class="signin" ><script>var loginData = { 'isSubdomain':false, 'validUser':false, 'signOut': function() { document.location.href='/auth/logout'; return false; }, 'signIn': function(success) { if (window.LoginControl) { window.scroll(0,0);LoginControl.open(); } else { if (!success) success = document.location.pathname+document.location.search+document.location.hash; document.location.href='/login/?success='+escape(success); } return false; } }; function createWordlist(isBee) { var href='/wordlists/newfull'; var type ="word list"; if (isBee) { href+='?bee=true'; type="spelling bee" } if (loginData.hasProfile) { document.location.href=href; } else { var message='You must be signed in to create a '+type+'. Would you like to sign in now?'; if (loginData.hasLogin) { message ='Your subscription and/or login does not support creating '+type+'s. Would you like to sign in as a different user?'; } if (confirm(message)) { loginData.signIn(href); } } return false; } </script> <div class="panel" id="loginPanel1"> <div id="loginPanel1Message">Already a Subscriber?</div> <a href="/login" id="loginPanel1Link" title="sign in here" ><img src="//d1r3b8xpnlyvar.cloudfront.net/images/login/signinbutton-1n4hitm.gif" alt="Sign In" id="loginPanel1Button" ></a> </div> <script>Module.use('vtcom/login/login');</script> <div id="loginBg" class="png"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearer"></div> <script> Module.after(['base', 'vtcom/vtloader/vtloader'], function(){ try { DOM.whenReady(function(){ VisualThesaurus.instance = new VisualThesaurus(false,true); top.VisualThesaurus = VisualThesaurus; if (window.launchvt) VisualThesaurus.instance.params.launch="true"; }); } catch (e) {} }); </script> <script>Module.use('vtcom/vtloader/vtembed');</script> <script>Module.after(['jquery'], function(){ jQuery(function($){ setInterval( function() { jQuery.post('/keepalive.json', {}) .done(function(res) { if (!res) document.location.href = '/'; }) .fail(function(){}); }, 1 * 60 * 1000 ); }); });</script> <script src="https://ssl.google-analytics.com/ga.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script> var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-154986-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); </script> </body> </html>