KRIS KRISTOFFERSON WROTE “HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT” WHILE WORKING AS A HELICOPTER PILOT — AND THE STORY BEHIND IT IS AS REMARKABLE AS THE SONG ITSELF
Long before Kris Kristofferson became one of Nashville’s most respected songwriters, he was flying helicopters over the Gulf of Mexico, trying to make a living while pursuing his musical dreams. One of his most celebrated compositions, “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” took shape during those difficult years. According to accounts of its creation, Kristofferson worked on the song while stationed at an offshore oil platform, roughly 50 miles into the Gulf.
FROM MILITARY OFFICER TO STRUGGLING SONGWRITER
Born in Brownsville, Texas, in 1936, Kristofferson followed an unconventional path into country music. A Rhodes Scholar who studied at Oxford University, he later served as an Army helicopter pilot before leaving the military to pursue songwriting in Nashville.
His decision came at a considerable personal cost. Rather than following a secure military career, Kristofferson took jobs that allowed him to remain close to the music business, including working as a janitor at Columbia Recording Studios. He also flew helicopters to offshore oil installations in the Gulf of Mexico, earning a living while continuing to write songs he hoped established artists might someday record.
THE LONELY HOURS BEHIND A COUNTRY CLASSIC
The story of “Help Me Make It Through the Night” remains one of country music’s most fascinating songwriting accounts. Kristofferson worked on the composition during his offshore helicopter-piloting years, with the solitude of the Gulf providing an unusual setting for such an intimate song. Another important influence came from Frank Sinatra, whose remarks about living in the moment helped inspire its central sentiment.
Rather than writing a conventional love song about lifelong devotion, Kristofferson explored something more immediate: the human need for companionship during a lonely night. The lyrics were unusually direct for mainstream country music at the time, expressing vulnerability and desire without elaborate promises or grand declarations.
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Lyrics
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Take the ribbon from your hairShake it loose and let it fallLayin’ soft upon my skinLike the shadows on the wallCome and lay down by my sideTill the early mornin’ lightAll I’m takin’ is your timeHelp me make it through the nightI don’t care who’s right or wrongI don’t try to understandLet the devil take tomorrow‘Cause tonight I need a friendYesterday is dead and goneAnd tomorrow’s out of sightAnd it’s sad to be aloneHelp me make it through the nightI don’t care who’s right or wrongI don’t try to understandLet the devil take tomorrowFor tonight I need a friendYesterday is dead and goneAnd tomorrow’s out of sightAnd it’s sad to be aloneHelp me make it through the nightI don’t want to be aloneHelp me make it through the night