And certainly, the rest of my life was an exciting thing.”[4] By 1975, the outlaw country movement exploded with the release of Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger, as well as with a string of successful LPs by Waylon Jennings, including the seminal album Honky Tonk Heroes.

Although Kristofferson helped as much as any artist to sow the seeds of this new genre, which offered deeper, realistic lyrics rooted in pure country with a rock and roll attitude, Who’s to Bless and Who’s to Blame continued his commercial decline that had started with 1974’s Spooky Lady Sideshow.

[5] As Streissguth writes: Despite shrinking sales and blistering reviews, he doggedly pursued his vision, exploring street life in verse and indulging his love of sprawling ballads that featured a colorful cast of characters embroiled in classic narrative conflict.

"Silver (The Hunger)" from 1975’s Who’s to Bless and Who’s to Blame, seemed inspired by William Blake’s poetry or a Thomas Hardy novel, portraying in eight minutes a caddish buccaneer who confronts the awakening sensibilities of his naïve lover.

[5] Two songs, "Don’t Cuss the Fiddle" and "The Year 2003 Minus 25", would appear on Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson’s 1978 duet album, the latter foreshadowing Kristofferson’s increasing political awareness and activism in the coming decade.