This song, written and performed by Kris Kristofferson, updates the Bible by showing Satan and Jesus as a cynical old man and an idealistic youth. As in the Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-10), the young folksinger (today's prophet) is tempted to give up hope of social change. He is in the wilderness ("the cold"), hungry (wanting "beans"), and (like Jesus) has a "pocket full of dreams."
Like Jesus left his worldly pride to go into the wilderness to prepare himself for God's work, the singer "left my pride and stepped inside a bar." Instead of dust, there's "sawdust" and "friendly shadows."
The old Devil puts him to the test, just like Jesus was put to the test: "Show us what you are," tempting him: "It's a tough life," and people don't listen anyway.
The world belongs to the Devil, who offered it to Jesus (Matthew 4:9). But faith belongs to the singer (today's prophet) who, though he knows the devil can't be beaten, he can be mocked. His beer and song are used for good instead of evil:
It was winter time in Nashville, down on Music City Row. And I was looking for a place to get myself out of the cold, to warm the frozen feeling that was eating at my soul and keep the chilly wind off my guitar; my thirsty wanted whiskey, my hungry needed
beans; but it'd been a month of pay days since I'd heard that eagle scream. So with a stomach full of empty and pocket full of dreams I left my pride and stepped inside a bar. Actually I guess you'd call it a tavern). Cigarette smoke to the ceiling and sawdust on the floor. Friendly shadows. I saw that there was just one old man sitting at the bar. And in the mirror I could see him checking me with my guitar. He turned and said "Come up here boy and show us what you are." I said "I'm dry" and he bought me a beer. He nodded at my guitar and said "It's a tough life ain't it?" I just looked at him and he said "You ain't making any money, are you?" I said "You've been reading my mail." He just smiled and said "Let me see that guitar: I got something you ought to hear." Then he laid it on me:
"If you waste your time a-talking to the people who don't listen to the things that you are saying, who do you think's going to hear? And if you should die explaining how the things that they complain about are things they could be changing, who do you think's going to care? There were other lonely singers in a world turned deaf and blind who were crucified for what they tried to show. And their voices have been scattered by the swirling winds of time, 'cause the truth remains that no-one wants to know!"
Well, the old man was a stranger, but I'd heard his song before―back when failure had me locked out on the wrong side of the door: when no-one stood behind me but my shadow on the floor―and lonesome was more than a state of mind. You see, the devil haunts a hungry man. If you don't want to join him, you've got to beat him. I ain't saying I beat the Devil, but I drank his beer for nothing, and then I stole his song!
And you still can hear me singing to the people who don't listen to the things that I am saying, praying someone's going to hear. And I guess I'll die explaining how the things that they complain about are things they could be changing, hoping someone's going to care. I was born a lonely singer and I'm bound to die the same, but I've got to feed the hunger in my soul. And if I never have a nickel I won't ever die of shame 'cause I don't believe that no-one wants to know!
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