Feeling Mortal

Album: Feeling Mortal (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track of the twenty-first album by Kris Kristofferson finds the 76-year-old Country Hall of Famer singing of getting old. He told CMT News: "It's amazing. We don't think about dying or anything, although all of us end up there. I guess when you get to be 76 years old, you start thinking about the shortness of the time left, but amazingly I do without regret. (laughs)"
  • The song finds Kristofferson singing to the Lord: "God Almighty, here I am. Am I where I ought to be. I've begun to soon descend like the sun into the sea." He told CMT News: "It's not like a prayer, but it's talking straight to the Man."
  • The Feeling Mortal album finds Kristofferson examining hard-won grace as well as offering heartfelt thanks for a life well-lived, but is primarily about getting old. "I was doing songs that made sense to me at this end of the line," he told UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph with a dry chuckle. "I'm definitely feeling mortal, and just about all of them have an autobiographical element. It's that end of the race and you can't help but think about it. But I've got so many things to be grateful for. This is the best part of my life."

Comments: 1

  • Kathi J Lewis from Pensacola Beach, FlHe just gets more amazing with each song!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.