Sunday Morning Coming Down
Lynn Anderson Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I woke up Sunday morning
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 through 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
That I've been pickin'
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
Cussin' at a can that he was kickin

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
That makes a body feel alone
And there's nothing short of dying
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleeping city sidewalk
Sunday morning coming down

In the park I saw a daddy
With a laughing little girl
He was swingin
And I stopped beside the 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 thru the canyon like
The disappearing dreams of yesterday

On the sunday morning sidewalk
Wishing lord that I was stoned
Cause therels something in a sunday
That makes a body feel alone
And there's nothing short of dying
Half as lonesome as the sound




On the sleeping city sidewalk
Sunday morning coming down

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lynn Anderson's song‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’ describe an emotional journey of feeling lost, isolated, and disconnected on a Sunday morning. The lyrics start with the singer describing how he woke up on a Sunday morning feeling miserable and hungover with the taste of beer in his mouth. As he takes a walk, he sees a kid kicking a can and starts reminiscing about his past memories. The smell of fried chicken takes him back to his childhood memory of a comforting home environment. The singer also observes other people and envies the happiness that they have in their lives. The lyrics mention a dad swinging his daughter and the Sunday school song, which makes the singer feel more isolated and lonesome. The sound of a lonely bell ringing in the distance echoes like the disappearing dreams of yesterday. The lyrics end with the singer still feeling alone and disconnected from the rest of the city on a Sunday morning.


The song portrays the struggles of dealing with addiction and isolation, trying to find happiness and meaningful connections. The lyrics create a vivid image of a cityscape and reflect on the significance of the Sunday morning quietness. The song has a melancholic and reflective tone that resonates with many people's feelings of loneliness and isolation on Sunday mornings.


Line by Line Meaning

Well I woke up Sunday morning
I woke up on a Sunday morning


With no way to hold my head
I had a headache


That didn't hurt
My headache had gone away


And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't Bad so I had one more for dessert
I had beer for breakfast and it wasn't that bad, so I had another one as dessert


Then I fumbled through my closet For my clothes
I looked for my clothes in my closet


And found my cleanest dirty shirt
I found the cleanest dirty shirt I had


And I shaved my face And combed my hair And stumbled down the stairs To meet the day
I shaved my face, combed my hair, and stumbled down the stairs to start my day


I'd smoked my brain the night before With cigarettes and songs That I've been pickin'
I smoked too many cigarettes and played music the night before


But I lit my first and watched a small kid Cussin' at a can that he was kickin
I smoked another cigarette and saw a child swear while kicking a can


Then I crossed the empty street and Caught the sunday smell Of someone fryin chicken
I crossed the empty street and smelled someone cooking chicken on a Sunday


And it took me back to something That I'd lost somehow Somewhere along the way
The smell of chicken reminded me of something I had lost


On the sunday morning sidewalk Wishing lord that I was stoned Cause there's something in a sunday That makes a body feel alone
I walked on the sidewalk on a Sunday and wished I was high because Sundays can make you feel lonely


And there's nothing short of dying Half as lonesome as the sound On the sleeping city sidewalk Sunday morning coming down
There is nothing as lonely as the sound of the sleeping city on a Sunday morning except dying


In the park I saw a daddy With a laughing little girl He was swingin
I saw a father in the park swinging with his happy daughter


And I stopped beside the Sunday school And listened to the song That they were singing
I stopped near the Sunday school and listened to the song they were singing


Then I headed back for home And somewhere far away A lonely bell was ringing And it echoed thru the canyon like The disappearing dreams of yesterday
I went back home, and I heard a lonely bell tolling somewhere. It echoed through the canyon like my dreams of yesterday fading away


On the sunday morning sidewalk Wishing lord that I was stoned Cause therels something in a sunday That makes a body feel alone
I walked on the sidewalk on a Sunday and wished I was high because Sundays can make you feel lonely


And there's nothing short of dying Half as lonesome as the sound On the sleeping city sidewalk Sunday morning coming down
There is nothing as lonely as the sound of the sleeping city on a Sunday morning except dying




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kris Kristofferson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Vanilla C

I love this song
This Sunday morning
I had a beer left over from
Last night
Now I'm ready for another
Cold one I just have to wait till
Noon ( Since it's Sunday morning)
My Mom passed away from
Stage 4 CANCER
THAT Doesn't help



Vanilla C

This is so true in the past
In the morning the beer
That I had for breakfast
Wasn't bad so I had one
FOR DESERT .
Hec if I be honest it's
9:00am and I'm having
A COLD one right now
And I'll probably have
One for desert .



Naomi McClarrinon

Love Lynn Anderson's version
Well I woke up Sunday morning,
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 through my closet for my clothes,
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
An' I shaved my face and combed my hair,
An' stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.

I'd smoked my brain the night before,
On 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,
'n caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken.
And it took me back to somethin',
That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way.

On the Sunday morning sidewalk,
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cos 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 mornin' comin' down.

In the park I saw a daddy,
With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'.
And I stopped beside a Sunday school,
And listened to the song they were singin'.
Then I headed back for home,
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'.
And it echoed through the canyons,
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday.

On the Sunday morning sidewalk,
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cos 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 mornin' comin' down.



All comments from YouTube:

wareidav

I keep coming back to this absolutely stunning version of this classic.. She was so beautiful in an out... With a serious gift a that voice. WONDERFUL

bagaay1

Love the way Lynn Anderson sings this ....

kenneth thomas

Love this.. reminds me of my younger days on a hang over sunday morning.

Diane Smith

This will always take me back to my Mom & Dads music, how I love it.. I had no idea at the time it would become my music as well.

Laurie Richards

Yes I love her version of this song --

Okee Konokee

One of the few female artists covering this song and, arguably, the best version - period.

Mark Spencer

One of the most underrated country music artists of all time. In most era"s would have been in the top 5 she definitely was my favorite of the 70s

clapolla

Dude, you must be from another planet. Anybody who knows anything about 70s & 80s country music knows Lynn Anderson was at the top during that era. Every list I just googled has her in the No.1 or No.2 spot for the decade, along with Loretta Lynn & Tammy Wynette.

Sylvia Carpenter

So true

Okee Konokee

@Mark Spencer What?? Not sure what list you looked at, but I just Googled - Top 10 Female country singers of the 1970s - and the first three lists I looked at - she's listed in the #1 spot on 2 of them, and #2 on the 3rd list. There's no disputing she was a major star during the '70s. I wasn't even a country fan and, as a kid, I remember seeing her all over shows (talk, variety, etc.) that I rarely saw country acts. Just read her Wikipedia page and, with references, it states she was country music's first mainstream female SUPERSTAR - and one of the most highly awarded of her era. I wasn't even into country music growing up, but I remember seeing her on shows I watched, as I said. Her Wiki page (with references) says she was also the first to appear on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1970 and the first to headline/sellout MSG in NYC, in 1974. Even in the first paragraph, there's a quote from the Pres. of CMHF stating she brought major visibility to the genre of country b/c of her mainstream success. Lastly, the first paragraph (w/ref.) states she was the #13 musical act of the 1970s - across all genres - and the highest-ranking country singer not yet in the CMHF. I think the reason for that is the same as it was for Dottie West, Tanya Tucker, etc. They, unfairly, put a lot of weight on the personal lives of the female artists (vs. the males). According to Wiki, she had some DUI offenses in later life which they likely take into consideration. Dottie West started in the early '60s and didn't get inducted until 2019. Tanya still not in. Lynn will prob go in soon since they recently had a longrunning exhibit on her career. I read that's often a precursor to induction. Just some friendly FYI.

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