Kristofferson is basically known for five songs. they are amazing songs, and he wrote them all around the same time.

Sunday Morning Coming Down
Help Me Make It Through the Night
Why Me Lord
Me and Bobbie McGee
For the Good Times

He also had them for several years and played them for several artists, producers and publishers. They were all turned down.
He had a publishing deal with Buckhorn music, while he did janitor work with Tootsie Bess at Tootsie's Orchiad lounge, CBS records and other area locations. He also did acting and many other things at that time, including serve in the National guard reserve (he was a captain and turned down a job to teach at West Point) He also was VERY much into illegal substances as was prett much everyone else at that time, Willie, Tompall Glassier, David Allen Coe and others. It was the 60's and 70's.

The Helicopter incident came out of that. He and a friend did "borrow a copter" from the Armory and landed it on Cash's yard, stepped out and played "Sunday Morning Coming Down." that is where it all started but that song had been turned down before also.

A friend of mine was hired to go through back catalogue a few years later and his main job was to go through Kris's songs. says, "Everybody knows Kris for those five songs. And they were great. But Kris wrote some DOGS. You could tell when he was writing for his contract and when he was hungover. There were a LOT of those songs."

The point is that everyone is not perfect, you always write more crap than anything else, mediocrity is out there all the time. We are all just trying to rise above it.

MAB