In 1985, Kristofferson joined fellow country artists Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash in forming the country music supergroup The Highwaymen, and formed a key creative force in the outlaw country music movement that eschewed the Nashville music machine in favor of independent songwriting and producing. In 2004, Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. As an actor, he is known for his roles in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), Blume in Love (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), A Star Is Born (1976) (which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor), Convoy (1978), Heaven's Gate (1980) and the Blade film trilogy (1998–2004). Kristofferson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on September 28, 2024. He was 88.
Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down
Kris Kristofferson 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 for my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt
And I shaved my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day
I'd smoked my brain the night before
With cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
Cussin' at a can that he was kicking
Then I crossed the empty street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken
And it took me back to something that I'd lost
Somehow, somewhere along the way
On the Sunday morning sidewalk
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
Makes a body feel alone
And there's nothin' short of dyin'
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleeping city sidewalks
Sunday morning coming down
In the park I saw a daddy
With a laughin' little girl who he was swinging
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
And listened to the song that they were singing
Then I headed back for home
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringing
And it echoed through the canyons
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday
On the Sunday morning sidewalk
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
Makes a body feel alone
And there's nothin' short of dyin'
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin' city sidewalks
Sunday morning coming down
Kris Kristofferson's Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down is a powerful song about the disillusionment of a man struggling with the weight of his actions on the night before. Kristofferson started off by juxtaposing the peacefulness of a Sunday morning with the sharp pain of his throbbing headache, brought upon by a night of heavy drinking. He paints a vivid picture of his morning routine, not bothering to change his dirtiest shirt, shaving only a part of his face, and stumbling down the stairs to meet the day with more beer. The song then plunges deeper into his lonely and isolated state of mind as he walks through the empty streets, watching a young boy who is cursing at a can. The smell of frying chicken takes him back to something lost along the way, a happier and more satisfied time that he regrets losing sight of.
The lonely Sunday morning feeling continues as the song progresses; he watches a dad and his daughter enjoying swing rides at the park and pauses briefly to hear a church choir sing, adding to the sense of emptiness that he feels. He then concludes with the image of a ringing bell, which echoes through the canyons like the disappearing dreams of yesterday. Through soft and subtle imagery, Kristofferson highlights the disillusionment and regret felt by the singer, leaving it up to the listener to decide what caused his detachment from society and how this disconnect will shape his future.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I woke up Sunday morning
The singer has woken up early on a Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt
The singer woke up with a headache
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad
The singer had beer for breakfast and thought it tasted alright
So I had one more for dessert
The artist had an extra beer after breakfast
Then I fumbled in my closet for my clothes
The artist searched through their closet for clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt
The singer found the cleanest shirt they had, but it was still dirty
And I shaved my face and combed my hair
The singer groomed themselves by shaving and combing their hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day
The artist awkwardly walked down the stairs to start their day
I'd smoked my brain the night before
The artist had smoked a lot of cigarettes and played music the night before
With cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'
The artist had been playing guitar and singing songs as they smoked cigarettes
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
The singer lit a cigarette and watched a young child
Cussin' at a can that he was kicking
The child was cursing at and kicking a can
Then I crossed the empty street
The singer crossed a vacant street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken
The singer smelled someone cooking fried chicken, which reminded them of something from their past
And it took me back to something that I'd lost
The smell of fried chicken made the singer remember something they had lost
Somehow, somewhere along the way
The artist doesn't remember when or how they lost this thing
On the Sunday morning sidewalk
The artist is now walking on a sidewalk on a Sunday morning
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned
The singer wishes they were high on drugs
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
The singer feels a certain way on Sundays
Makes a body feel alone
Sundays make the artist feel lonely
And there's nothin' short of dyin'
The artist feels that only death is more lonesome than how they feel on Sundays
Half as lonesome as the sound
The sound of the artist's surroundings is very lonely
On the sleeping city sidewalks
The sidewalks of the city are deserted because it's so early in the morning
Sunday morning coming down
The artist is experiencing the sadness that is Sunday morning
In the park I saw a daddy
The singer sees a father in a nearby park
With a laughin' little girl who he was swinging
The father is pushing a little girl on a swing and they are both happy
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
The singer stops next to a church where a Sunday school is taking place
And listened to the song that they were singing
The artist listens to the music being sung in the church
Then I headed back for home
The artist starts heading back home
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringing
The singer hears a bell ringing in the distance, which adds to the loneliness of their day
And it echoed through the canyons
The bell's sound reverberates through the streets
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday
The sound of the bell represents the fading away of the artist's hopes and dreams
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kris Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@richardlord8126
I just heard of his passing 😢.. had to Crack a beer and listen to this.. one of the greatest songs ever.. cheers 🍻.. r.i.p. Mr Kristofferson
@alex-freeman-CFH-817
Exactly why I'm here to. Best song writer in country music. They don't make em like this anymore. RIP KRIS
@g.r.bilyeu4226
I'm smoking a bowl in his memory right now...
@randypope3451
@@g.r.bilyeu4226 same
@randypope3451
Rip KK
@zeusdarkgod7727
Same
@chrisdenney6520
I lived in this cycle for twenty two years. 11 weeks clean yesterday.
@22rcarroll
11 weeks 2 days tomorrow
@michaeljohn8905
Good for you man. I’m stuck in it right now. I’ll get there though.
@purami14
Good for you. Keep rolling. Remember, its poison.