Sitting on the top of the world
ERIC CLAPTON &/THE CREAM Lyrics
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Gone and left me, she's gone to stay.
She's gone, but I don't worry:
I'm sitting on top of the world.
All the summer, worked all this fall.
Had to take Christmas in my overalls.
She's gone, but I don't worry:
Going down to the freight yard, gonna catch me a freight train.
Going to leave this town; worked and got to home.
She's gone, but I don't worry:
I'm sitting on top of the world.
The lyrics of "Sitting on the top of the world" talk about a person's experience with a break-up. The opening line, "One summer day, she went away", reveals that the singer's partner left them, and they believe that she is gone for good. However, the singer reveals that they aren't too worried about the break-up. They are comfortable sitting on top of the world and appear to have moved on from their heartbreak.
The song continues to describe the singer's mindset as they talk about their work in the summer and fall. They mention how they had to spend Christmas in overalls, implying a sense of hard work and dedication. The chorus repeats their lack of concern about their previous partner, stating once again that they are "sitting on top of the world".
The final verse talks about the singer's plans to leave town and catch a freight train. They have seemingly regained control over their life, and no longer need to worry about their past relationship. Overall, "Sitting on the top of the world" is a song about resilience and perseverance even when it feels like everything is falling apart.
Line by Line Meaning
One summer day, she went away;
One day in the summer, my beloved left and departed, with no plan of returning.
Gone and left me, she's gone to stay.
She left me permanently, having no intention to ever come back.
She's gone, but I don't worry:
Although she's gone and not coming back, I'm still not troubled by her departure.
I'm sitting on top of the world.
I still have joy and contentment in my life, despite the loss of my significant other.
All the summer, worked all this fall.
I stayed occupied and kept working through the summer and into the fall season.
Had to take Christmas in my overalls.
Even during Christmas time, I didn't take a break from my daily routine and continued wearing my work clothes.
Going down to the freight yard, gonna catch me a freight train.
I'm headed to the train station to catch a freight train, which will take me to my next destination.
Going to leave this town; worked and got to home.
I am departing from this town, and will only return home after working hard in the new place.
She's gone, but I don't worry:
I'm still not troubled by her departure, even though she's not coming back.
I'm sitting on top of the world.
My contentment and happiness still remain, even though my loved one is no longer with me.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHESTER SP ACCT. BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MarkZabel
Rooftop solo to One After 909. Is this the same as on the album or is it a different version? If it's the one on the album, sure. If it's another one, please provide a link and time in the song you want. As a general rule, I avoid live stuff because it's too hard to emulate making a backing track. (Note that with this one I used the actual backing track and took out most of the guitar with a notch filter ... which also makes the sound worse. And also, there's always a risk the video will be taken down.) I only ask this, because I know there are a bunch of takes, and I want to make sure I understand which one you're looking for.
As far as EVH being self-indulgent ... yes, he is/was incredibly self-indulgent! I believe the key question is, "What makes this particular thing distinct or original or interesting or melodic?" Much of what EVH did through the 1984 album had one or more of those elements. Some of them seem hackneyed today. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkXGIRaxcI) In their time, no one else knew those licks or Floyd Rose whammy tricks. Or have a listen to the solos (not the endings) of these songs: Atomic Punk (1:25 to 2:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m-DYM7JvMA and Cradle Will Rock (1:30 to 2:12): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFez84xaR6Q. You might or might not like the music, but the solos both have very memorable "hooks" and recognizable lines. You'll remember large parts of the solos if you get into the song even a little bit. Compare that with another of the solos I've mentioned - one that is considered great; Jimmy Page's solo in Heartbreaker. I remember a couple of intro lines ... the blues lick moving downward. But the flurry? Not so much. I do love his solo there, but I also think it's one that doesn't really hold up if I objectively look at it today.
Now compare to, say, Harrison's solo on Something. I'll bet you can remember every single line in his solo without listening to the song. I can. That's a great solo. But Harrison was kind of the antithesis of indulgent. Have a listen to Larry Carlton on Kid Charlemagne for another, more technical, example or Frampton's main solo of Show Me The Way on Frampton Comes Alive.
After his initial years, EVH lost the spark of creativity that he had early on. (My opinion) Who knows why? Mega-stardom? Substance abuse? Burned out creatively? I don't know. By 1985 plenty of other players knew his tricks, so coasting on tricks and technique didn't do it for him. Plus, I think he was interested in other things musically. But to me, once Van Haggar happened his guitar became less interesting ... certainly it's all relative ... he's still light years ahead of me for instance, as well as many professional players. I don't knock him for it. Also, there's much more to guitar than soloing. EVH's riffs, especially early on, are incredible mixes of harmony, rhythm, technical skill, and creativity (both sound-wise and finger-wise).
The outtro solo here is short, which is good. It has one neat line at the end, which is good. It has easy to recognize lead-in that's part of the song, which is good. So it checks the right boxes. But looking at the body of the solo ... it's just one fast lick played over and over and over followed by a standard blues box lick. So IMHO it's not at the "great" level. It's merely a good ending. This all has to be taken with a rather large grain of salt. Clapton IS a GREAT player, and this was live, not recorded in the studio. Playing live, even the great Eric Clapton has to end the song. He can't always come up with something brilliant or original on the spot, played super-fast, and played alone without the rest of the band. It's a good ending, as I said in the video.
Hopefully that helps flesh it out a bit. And one more thing, just because I don't like it doesn't mean it detracts from greatness! I don't listen to much Brahms or Mahler ... doesn't mean it's not great music! :)
@drutgat2
Hi Mark,
Many thanks for the thoughtful reply. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts, and 'hearing' the passion with which you relate to the music - and you know that I feel the same.
Re. 'One After 909', yes, it is the 'Let It Be' album version. I feel I have to say 'Rooftop' version nowadays because there was a version from 1963 that was released in the 90s on the first set of double CDs of 'The Anthology'. And I did not say 'Let It Be' because of potential confusion with 'Let It Be Naked', issued in the early 2000s.
Re. EVH and that kind of playing - I respect him because he has influenced others, and has meant a lot to people, but, in this case I personally do not have a feeling that his playing / work has to do with greatness. To me, Julian Bream is a great, expressive guitar player, but John Williams's music leaves me cold. Technically, both are wonderful, but Williams's music does not turn me on or inspire me, so I cannot say that it is great.
Same for me with Stephane Grappelli and Yehudi Menuhin. Grappelli's playing is so lyrical and full of every kind of emotion, and his slides are so innovative, but Menuhin does not do a lot for me. Another example is Richie Blackmore - I generally do not like the note choices or the style that he plays, but I find the way he plays to be quite musical. The net result of that is that I can only listen to one or two tracks of his at a time.
Django? The jury is still out for me there, although I recognize his greatness.
And I could talk for days about the sitarists in North Indian (Hindustani) Classical Music whom I like, think are great, and so on.
People have looked at me as if I am crazy when I say that I find Dylan's 60s voice to be incredibly melodic, so even the sense of what is melodic can be very individual.
There are artists, though, in music, film, art and other fields, whose work I do not like, but whom I can call great. At the moment, I cannot define or articulate to myself what makes the difference for me, but this conversation has added to my understanding, so thank you for that.
@MarkZabel
Well now, there's clearly food for thought. I too like Bream over Williams. Bream is an artist. I've heard people really complain about Grappelli, but I don't understand it. Love his work with Barney Kessel - another one of my favorite players - as well as with Django. Great drive in Barney's play. So many good jazz players. Unfortunately for me, I find most post-swing jazz too cerebral, except for the hard bop style. I also feel exactly the same about Blackmore - oddly musical.
I'll leave the EVH discussion where it is, because I think we probably just hear him differently. I find his early play very expressive as well as technically at a different level than anybody then with a sound all his own.
If you want to love Django and let him pull your heart strings like Duke Ellington said he could, listen to three versions of "I'll See You In Your Dreams": 1) Frank Vignolo, 2) Bireli LaGrene, 3) Django. Then you'll appreciate Django. Lots of other great Django songs, but the recordings are bad, so it's kind of a crap shoot.
I should spend some time listening to Hindustani music. I used to listen to Ali Akbar Khan, who played the sarob I think. I grew to like that, but didn't expand it. Not that I have a surplus of time on my hands, but it would be good to get recommendations if you have them. I would appreciate that!
@rongerritse8567
Cool 😎
@MarkZabel
Thanks Ron!
@racora14
Great Mark as usual.
@MarkZabel
Thanks Rob!
@MikeX50
Hi Mark ingredients again from Columbus! Very awesome that you used to live here and probably explains why you're such a cool guitarist😁 appreciate all your time and effort into these great lessons. Question for you - what is your take on Frank Zappa? Obviously a legend but not talked about much or lessons taught. Wondering if you would ever do something like apostrophe or Cosmic debris realizing there's all kind of things going on in the song but the guitar riffs are awesome. Thanks for taking the time to help others!
@MarkZabel
LOL! Thanks!! Zappa? I don't know really. He was very unique. I never got into his music all that much, though I had a roommate who played Mudshark and Dental Floss all the time. All in all, I liked his play actually. I'll check out the songs you recommended. Two things I'll say are very positive with Zappa are: 1) He gave Steve Vai a chance to show his goods, despite knowing that his own play would be overshadowed, and 2) Anyone with the guts to re-do Stairway to Heaven's guitar solo with horns deserves a huge pat on the back!
Hey, are Stache's and The Newport still there on High Street? I saw many a concert at The Newport especially. Great 2nd tier groups or 1st tier past their prime (Joe Walsh for example).
@MikeX50
@@MarkZabel thanks for the reply mark - Zappa's apostrophe album is probably the coolest of them all with excellent guitar work. Muffin Man on a different album was also a classic. Stashes is gone but the Newport remains. And I also saw Joe Walsh there several years ago. Such a cool place...was standing just a couple feet from him. To top it a couple years ago he played July 4th at Dublin High School at their football stadium - Walsh is such an awesome dude and always talks about his childhood years in Columbus. Thanks again for all your hard work and teachings!
@drutgat2
Hey Mark. Thanks for this.
I have a question, and a request.
Question - Given what you said here about feeling that this ending is self-indulgent, and knowing that you like Van Halen a lot, I am wondering how you view Eddie's playing style in comparison to Clapton's in this piece. As you know, I am not much of a Van Halen fan (although I did listen to the songs you suggested in a previous reply to one of my comments, and another song by Van Halen that I do like), and his playing strikes me as being self-indulgent (but of course I am not doubting his influence). Can you put your finger on the difference that you experience between what is indulgent about Clapton here, and the way that EVH plays?
Also, would love you to do George's 'Rooftop' solo on 'One After 909'.
@MarkZabel
Rooftop solo to One After 909. Is this the same as on the album or is it a different version? If it's the one on the album, sure. If it's another one, please provide a link and time in the song you want. As a general rule, I avoid live stuff because it's too hard to emulate making a backing track. (Note that with this one I used the actual backing track and took out most of the guitar with a notch filter ... which also makes the sound worse. And also, there's always a risk the video will be taken down.) I only ask this, because I know there are a bunch of takes, and I want to make sure I understand which one you're looking for.
As far as EVH being self-indulgent ... yes, he is/was incredibly self-indulgent! I believe the key question is, "What makes this particular thing distinct or original or interesting or melodic?" Much of what EVH did through the 1984 album had one or more of those elements. Some of them seem hackneyed today. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkXGIRaxcI) In their time, no one else knew those licks or Floyd Rose whammy tricks. Or have a listen to the solos (not the endings) of these songs: Atomic Punk (1:25 to 2:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m-DYM7JvMA and Cradle Will Rock (1:30 to 2:12): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFez84xaR6Q. You might or might not like the music, but the solos both have very memorable "hooks" and recognizable lines. You'll remember large parts of the solos if you get into the song even a little bit. Compare that with another of the solos I've mentioned - one that is considered great; Jimmy Page's solo in Heartbreaker. I remember a couple of intro lines ... the blues lick moving downward. But the flurry? Not so much. I do love his solo there, but I also think it's one that doesn't really hold up if I objectively look at it today.
Now compare to, say, Harrison's solo on Something. I'll bet you can remember every single line in his solo without listening to the song. I can. That's a great solo. But Harrison was kind of the antithesis of indulgent. Have a listen to Larry Carlton on Kid Charlemagne for another, more technical, example or Frampton's main solo of Show Me The Way on Frampton Comes Alive.
After his initial years, EVH lost the spark of creativity that he had early on. (My opinion) Who knows why? Mega-stardom? Substance abuse? Burned out creatively? I don't know. By 1985 plenty of other players knew his tricks, so coasting on tricks and technique didn't do it for him. Plus, I think he was interested in other things musically. But to me, once Van Haggar happened his guitar became less interesting ... certainly it's all relative ... he's still light years ahead of me for instance, as well as many professional players. I don't knock him for it. Also, there's much more to guitar than soloing. EVH's riffs, especially early on, are incredible mixes of harmony, rhythm, technical skill, and creativity (both sound-wise and finger-wise).
The outtro solo here is short, which is good. It has one neat line at the end, which is good. It has easy to recognize lead-in that's part of the song, which is good. So it checks the right boxes. But looking at the body of the solo ... it's just one fast lick played over and over and over followed by a standard blues box lick. So IMHO it's not at the "great" level. It's merely a good ending. This all has to be taken with a rather large grain of salt. Clapton IS a GREAT player, and this was live, not recorded in the studio. Playing live, even the great Eric Clapton has to end the song. He can't always come up with something brilliant or original on the spot, played super-fast, and played alone without the rest of the band. It's a good ending, as I said in the video.
Hopefully that helps flesh it out a bit. And one more thing, just because I don't like it doesn't mean it detracts from greatness! I don't listen to much Brahms or Mahler ... doesn't mean it's not great music! :)
@drutgat2
Hi Mark,
Many thanks for the thoughtful reply. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts, and 'hearing' the passion with which you relate to the music - and you know that I feel the same.
Re. 'One After 909', yes, it is the 'Let It Be' album version. I feel I have to say 'Rooftop' version nowadays because there was a version from 1963 that was released in the 90s on the first set of double CDs of 'The Anthology'. And I did not say 'Let It Be' because of potential confusion with 'Let It Be Naked', issued in the early 2000s.
Re. EVH and that kind of playing - I respect him because he has influenced others, and has meant a lot to people, but, in this case I personally do not have a feeling that his playing / work has to do with greatness. To me, Julian Bream is a great, expressive guitar player, but John Williams's music leaves me cold. Technically, both are wonderful, but Williams's music does not turn me on or inspire me, so I cannot say that it is great.
Same for me with Stephane Grappelli and Yehudi Menuhin. Grappelli's playing is so lyrical and full of every kind of emotion, and his slides are so innovative, but Menuhin does not do a lot for me. Another example is Richie Blackmore - I generally do not like the note choices or the style that he plays, but I find the way he plays to be quite musical. The net result of that is that I can only listen to one or two tracks of his at a time.
Django? The jury is still out for me there, although I recognize his greatness.
And I could talk for days about the sitarists in North Indian (Hindustani) Classical Music whom I like, think are great, and so on.
People have looked at me as if I am crazy when I say that I find Dylan's 60s voice to be incredibly melodic, so even the sense of what is melodic can be very individual.
There are artists, though, in music, film, art and other fields, whose work I do not like, but whom I can call great. At the moment, I cannot define or articulate to myself what makes the difference for me, but this conversation has added to my understanding, so thank you for that.