Sunday Morning Coming Down
Johnny Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad
So I had one more for dessert
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day
I'd smoked my mind the night before
With cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
Playin' with a can that he was kickin'
Then I walked across the street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone's fryin' chicken
And Lord, it took me back to somethin' that I'd lost
Somewhere, somehow along the way
On a Sunday mornin' sidewalk
I'm wishin', Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's somethin' in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone
And there's nothin' short a' dyin'
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleepin' city sidewalk
And Sunday mornin' comin' down
In the park I saw a daddy
With a laughin' little girl that he was swingin'
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
And listened to the songs they were singin'
Then I headed down the street
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'
And it echoed through the canyonsLike the disappearin' dreams of yesterday
On a Sunday mornin' sidewalk
I'm wishin', Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's somethin' in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone
And there's nothin' short a' dyin'
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleepin' city sidewalk
And Sunday mornin' comin' down
The song "Sunday Morning Coming Down" by Johnny Cash is a melancholic reflection of a lonely Sunday morning. The singer wakes up with a hangover, feeling lost and alone. He had beer for breakfast and cigarettes to smoke, which didn't help with the throbbing headache. The only solace he finds is in the sound of a child playing with a can, the smell of someone frying chicken and the songs coming from a Sunday school. These sounds evoke a feeling of nostalgia as he recalls a time in his life when he was happier.
The song speaks to people's emotions and their experiences. It paints a picture of a society detached from itself, where people have lost touch with their neighbors and their community. In the end, the singer wishes he was high on something to escape these feelings of loneliness.
"Sunday Morning Coming Down" is not just a song about a lonely Sunday morning. It's also a social commentary on how society isolates individuals from each other, making them feel alone and disconnected. It's a reminder that we need to stay connected with each other to feel happy and fulfilled.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I woke up Sunday mornin'
I woke up on a Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt
My head was hurting so bad that I couldn't find a comfortable position
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad
The beer I had for breakfast was not that bad
So I had one more for dessert
So I drank one more beer after breakfast as if it was a dessert
Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes
I searched through my clothes in my closet clumsily
And found my cleanest dirty shirt
I found the least dirty shirt to wear
Then I washed my face and combed my hair
I washed my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day
I went down the stairs unsteadily to start the day
I'd smoked my mind the night before
I had smoked a lot of cigarettes and played music the previous night
With cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'
I had been playing songs with my guitar and smoking cigarettes
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
However, I lit my first cigarette and watched a small child
Playin' with a can that he was kickin'
The kid was playing with a can he was kicking
Then I walked across the street
I crossed the street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone's fryin' chicken
I smelled the Sunday chicken cooking
And Lord, it took me back to somethin' that I'd lost
It made me remember something I had lost before
Somewhere, somehow along the way
At some point in my past
On a Sunday mornin' sidewalk
On a Sunday morning sidewalk
I'm wishin', Lord, that I was stoned
I wish that I was high
'Cause there's somethin' in a Sunday
Because there's something about Sundays
That makes a body feel alone
That makes a person feel lonely
And there's nothin' short a' dyin'
There's nothing that can make you feel more lonely
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Than the sound of
Of the sleepin' city sidewalk
The silent city streets in the morning
And Sunday mornin' comin' down
And the feeling of loneliness that comes with a Sunday morning
In the park I saw a daddy
In the park, I saw a father
With a laughin' little girl that he was swingin'
He was swinging his laughing daughter
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
I stopped by a Sunday school
And listened to the songs they were singin'
And I listened to the songs they were singing
Then I headed down the street
Then I walked down the street
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'
I heard a lonely bell ringing in the distance
And it echoed through the canyons
The sound of the bell reverberated through the canyons
Like the disappearin' dreams of yesterday
Like the dreams I had a long time ago that seem to have disappeared
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anarchistponcho8689
And the last line of the first verse, too.
Then I walked across the street,
And caught the Sunday smell
Of someone frying chicken.
And, Lord, it took me back
To something
That I lost somehow,
Somewhere along the way.
@JDsHouseofHobbies
I came back because this is one of my favorite Cash songs. The man who wrote it, Kris Kristofferson, passed away today. RIP, Kris.
@tammylandis5979
My father passed 10 years ago, this is "his song". I can't hear it without having a little cry.
@om92555
Written by Kris Kristofferson. RIP.
@docsaxton8673
Same here.
@tonypoole9013
❤❤
@GeraldZwicke
Kris R.I.P. You were Profound 2:53 2:55 2:59
@dominicconnor3437
His songs give me flashbacks of that sad portion of my life. I still remember that sidewalk.
@jaywall6305
I used to listen to this when I was trying to get sober. It helped me a lot 13 years now 💪 R.I.P. Johnny Cash✝️
@jkajje2945
GOOD luck
@pammahowald9779
💪👊