About the song
Willie Nelson’s rendition of Loving Her Was Easier is a testament to his unmatched ability to inhabit a song with raw sincerity and emotional depth. Originally penned and recorded by Kris Kristofferson in 1971, the song has long been regarded as one of Kristofferson’s most poetic and tender compositions. Yet, when Willie Nelson lends his unmistakable voice to it, something remarkable happens—the song transforms, taking on a new life that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Nelson, with his weathered vocals and effortless phrasing, has always possessed a rare gift for storytelling through song. His interpretation of Loving Her Was Easier strips away any excess and delivers the song in its purest form—one of unfiltered devotion and quiet heartbreak. While Kristofferson’s version carries a slightly hushed, almost introspective quality, Nelson’s take is more expansive, floating along with an easygoing grace that only he can achieve. His voice, warm and unvarnished, feels as though it has lived every word of the song, turning it from mere lyrics into an intimate confession.
At its core, Loving Her Was Easier is a song about love in its simplest and most profound form—the kind that asks for nothing in return, the kind that exists in stolen moments and gentle gestures. The lyrics, brimming with Kristofferson’s signature poeticism, capture the essence of being completely at peace in another’s presence:
“I have seen the morning burning golden on the mountain in the skies
Achin’ with the feeling of the freedom of an eagle when she flies”
These opening lines set the tone immediately—there’s a weightlessness to the love being described, a sense of absolute freedom found in the embrace of another. Nelson delivers these lines with a quiet reverence, allowing the words to settle gently, as if savoring each syllable. His phrasing is unhurried, almost conversational, drawing the listener into the story as if he were recounting it from a rocking chair on a quiet Texas evening.
Musically, Nelson’s version is understated, leaning into the song’s natural fluidity. The arrangement is spare, allowing his voice to take center stage, with subtle guitar work that feels as though it’s being played in the next room—a soft, unobtrusive accompaniment to a late-night reminiscence. There is no need for embellishment here; the song’s beauty lies in its simplicity.
Perhaps what makes Loving Her Was Easier so affecting is its quiet acceptance of impermanence. Love, in all its fleeting beauty, is cherished in the moment, even as the song acknowledges that it may not last forever. There’s no desperation, no clinging to what was—just gratitude for what has been. This is something Nelson understands deeply, and it’s why his version feels so lived-in. His delivery is not weighed down by regret but rather filled with a bittersweet acceptance, a knowing sigh rather than a lament.
Willie Nelson has spent his career breathing new life into the American songbook, taking familiar songs and making them feel as though they were written just for him. Loving Her Was Easier is no exception. In his hands, it becomes more than a love song—it becomes a meditation on love itself, on the fleeting yet eternal nature of human connection. It is a song that lingers long after the last note fades, like the memory of a love that was never meant to last but will never truly be forgotten.
Video
Lyrics
Kris, I wanna do another one of your songs
That you’ll help me out with, will ya?
I have seen the morning burning golden
On the mountain in the skies
Aching with the feeling
And the freedom of an eagle when she flies
Turning all my world away
She smiled upon my soul as I lay dying
Healing as the colors in the sunshine
And the shadows of her eyes
Waking in the morning to the feeling
Of her fingers on my skin
Wiping out the traces of the people
And the places that I’ve been
Teaching me that yesterday was something
That I never thought of trying
Talking of tomorrow and the money
Love and time we had to spend
Loving her was easier
Than anything I’ll ever do again
I was close together with a feeling
That I’ve never known, before in my time
You’re not ashamed to be a woman
She’s not afraid to be a friend
I don’t know the answers to the easy way
She’s opened every door in my mind
And dreaming is as easy
As believing that it’s never gonna end
Loving her was easier
Than anything I’ll ever do again
Coming close together with a feeling
That I’ve never known, before in my time
She’s not ashamed to be a woman
She’s not afraid to be a friend
I don’t know the answers to the easy way
She’s opened every door in my mind
Dreaming is as easy
As believing that it’s never gonna end
Loving her was easier
Than anything I’ll ever do again
Loving her was easier
Than anything I’ll ever do again
Thank you all very much
