If it’s true that a good country song consists of “three chords and the truth,” then Kris Kristofferson knew the formula. This example was written when he was working as a helicopter pilot servicing offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Roger Miller first recorded it, then Kris released it on an album, but it was Janis Joplin’s cover that brought it to national attention. It was actually released posthumously and became Janis’s only top 10 hit. Here’s my take on “Me and Bobby McGee.”