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Me and Bobby McGee Trivia Quiz

How well do you remember the lyrics to this Kris Kristofferson song from the early '70's?

A multiple-choice quiz by agony. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
agony

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
203,779

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
3773

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

Last 3 plays: Guest 108 (5/10), Triviaballer (10/10), Joepetz (9/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. "Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting for a ______..." What were Bobby and I waiting for? Hint

Train

Bus

Plane

Godot

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. The song goes on to tell how we got out of Baton Rouge; what was it that Bobby thumbed down?
"Bobby thumbed a _______ down, just before it rained, drove us all the way to New Orleans". Hint

Volvo

Diesel

Humvee

Pickup

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. "I took my __________out of my dirty red bandanna..."
I'm not quite sure why I don't use my pockets, but, anyway, what do I keep wrapped up in that bandanna? Hint

Lunch

Switchblade

Spare change

Harpoon

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Depending on which version of the song you've heard, Bobby and I do various things while those windshield wipers slap time. What are we up to in the Janis Joplin version? Hint

I hold Bobby's hand

I hold the driver's hand

Bobby claps hands

The driver claps hands

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Driving down that road to New Orleans, we plumbed the depths of the driver's knowledge of something. What was it?
Hint

Animal husbandry

Jokes

Songs

Politics

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. "From ______________________ to the California sun, Bobby shared the secrets of my soul". Where did we start from?
Hint

The Kentucky coal mines

My old Kentucky home

The sidewalks of New York

Greenland's icy mountains

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Somewhere in California, I let Bobby slip away. Where was that?

Answer: (one word)

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. What was Bobby looking for? Hint

A miracle

An honest man

Adventure

A home

9. "Freedom's just another word for..."
Suddenly, I switch from telling the story of two young kids travelling the backroads of America, and start to give definitions. What is "freedom" another word for?

Hint

Getting out of jail

Nothing left to lose

Turning fifty-five

Having a good babysitter

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. It was always easy for me to feel good, though, when Bobby did something. What was it? Hint

Rubbed my neck

Sang the blues

Opened stuck jar lids

Removed that ground-in dirt

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Most Recent Scores

Mar 29 2024 : Guest 108: 5/10
Mar 13 2024 : Triviaballer: 10/10
Mar 13 2024 : Joepetz: 9/10
Mar 10 2024 : Guest 208: 9/10
Mar 04 2024 : JepRD: 10/10
Mar 02 2024 : Creedy: 9/10
Mar 02 2024 : Matthew_07: 6/10
Feb 26 2024 : Guest 64: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waiting for a ______..." What were Bobby and I waiting for?

Answer: Train

I wonder if the train they were waiting for was the "City of New Orleans"? Looking on my map, it would have gone right through there - starting in Illinois, changing cars in Memphis, then "through the Mississippi darkness rolling down to the sea".

2. The song goes on to tell how we got out of Baton Rouge; what was it that Bobby thumbed down? "Bobby thumbed a _______ down, just before it rained, drove us all the way to New Orleans".

Answer: Diesel

According to mapquest.com, it's about 80 miles from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Not a bad ride, especially in the rain. He was probably an independent trucker - even in those days, the big companies frowned on their drivers picking up hitchhikers.

3. "I took my __________out of my dirty red bandanna..." I'm not quite sure why I don't use my pockets, but, anyway, what do I keep wrapped up in that bandanna?

Answer: Harpoon

I was a fairly young kid when I first heard this song. Although NOW, I know that 'harpoon' is just another word for harmonica or mouth harp, at the time I had some pretty strange mental images of whale hunting in that diesel.

4. Depending on which version of the song you've heard, Bobby and I do various things while those windshield wipers slap time. What are we up to in the Janis Joplin version?

Answer: I hold Bobby's hand

In Kristofferson's original, Bobby is a girl, but Janis Joplin changed Bobby's gender. I guess, back then, it just wasn't too manly for a guy to be clapping along to the music.
In the new millennium, who knows what they'd be doing in that truck's cab - shooting at the cops who were chasing them, probably. Has anybody released a gangsta version of "Bobby McGee", I wonder?

5. Driving down that road to New Orleans, we plumbed the depths of the driver's knowledge of something. What was it?

Answer: Songs

"We sang every song that driver knew".
It should take about an hour and a half to get from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. If we estimate that the average song length was three minutes, and then build in about 10 percent leeway for arguing about the lyrics and choosing the next song, it appears that the driver knew 27 songs.

6. "From ______________________ to the California sun, Bobby shared the secrets of my soul". Where did we start from?

Answer: The Kentucky coal mines

According to the Kentucky Geological Survey, at the University of Kentucky, it was not until after 1970 that eastern Kentucky began surface mining to any great extent. For this reason, they must have come from western Kentucky, because, as any fool knows, you can't thumb down a ride from deep in a coal mine. At least, not a ride to California.

7. Somewhere in California, I let Bobby slip away. Where was that?

Answer: Salinas

Thanks to Gordon Lightfoot's mispronunciation, a generation of Canadian kids grew up calling it SaLIEnas. It's SaLEEnas, Gord.

8. What was Bobby looking for?

Answer: A home

If you're looking for a place to call home, Salinas wouldn't be a bad place to start, at least according to the Chamber of Commerce. John Steinbeck was from around here, and he thought well of it, too.

9. "Freedom's just another word for..." Suddenly, I switch from telling the story of two young kids travelling the backroads of America, and start to give definitions. What is "freedom" another word for?

Answer: Nothing left to lose

According to my Thesaurus, freedom's just another word for "emancipation", "deliverance", "immunity", and "independence". Kristofferson must have been using a different edition.

10. It was always easy for me to feel good, though, when Bobby did something. What was it?

Answer: Sang the blues

No, not that - get your mind out of the gutter!
Since Roger Miller first released it in 1970, this song has been recorded by a whole crowd of musicians, whether pop, country or blues. I know that you're all doing your Janis Joplin imitations out there in Quizzyland, though. So, c'mon, start singing at your computer now...
"La-da la-da la-da la-da la-da la-da la-da la-la
Hey, hey, hey, Bobby McGee, Lord!"

Source: Author agony

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ralzzz before going online.
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