“Sunday Morning” is the opening song to The Velvet Underground's debut albu… Read Full Bio ↴“Sunday Morning” is the opening song to The Velvet Underground's debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. The song describes the feeling of staying up all Saturday night into Sunday morning. Aptly, Reed & Cale wrote the song after one of those nights at 6 AM on a Sunday morning.

As Cale remembered in a 2006 interview with Uncut:

"Lou and I had been up all night on crank, as usual, so we decided to visit one of his old Syracuse college pals. Unfortunately, this guy’s upper-middle-class wife didn’t appreciate visits from old college pals high on amphetamines, at 3am, who wanted to play music. He had a guitar which Lou picked up and the evening inspired him to write the song."

The most polished song on the album, “Sunday Morning” was released as a single in December 1966. MGM/Verve spent little, if any effort to promote it and it sunk, unnoticed, on release. However, it grew in popularity through radio play by DJs like John Peel and Dick Summer, sowing the seeds for the Velvets' cult following.

The band made a live version of the song for their last concert with Lou, on the album Live at Max’s Kansas City, where Reed introduces the song with: “This is a song about when you’ve done something so sad and you wake up the next day and you remember it. Not to sound grim or anything… just, once in a while, you have one of those days.”

This can bring another meaning to the song. A song of regret and, maybe, of a new dawn that would represent forgiveness (“[…]always some around you who will call. It’s nothing at all”).

Sunday Morning
The Velvet Underground Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sunday morning
Brings the dawn in
It's just a restless feeling
By my side

Early dawning
Sunday morning
It's just the wasted years

So close behind

Watch out, the world's behind you
There's always someone around you
Who will call
It's nothing at all

Sunday morning
And I'm falling
I've got a feeling
I don't want to know

Early dawning
Sunday morning
It's all the streets you've crossed
Not so long ago

Watch out, the world's behind you
There's always someone around you
Who will call
It's nothing at all

Watch out, the world's behind you
There's always someone around you
Who will call
It's nothing at all

Sunday morning
Sunday morning
Sunday morning
Sunday morning

Overall Meaning

The Velvet Underground's song Sunday Morning is a melancholic yet introspective piece that reflects on the passing of time and the hindsight that one gains in their later years. The song starts by describing the dawn breaking on a Sunday morning and the restless feelings that accompany it. This could be interpreted as the singer's realization that the weekend is coming to a close, and they must face the realities of the approaching new week. It could also be interpreted as a more profound understanding of the fleeting nature of time, as the sun rises once again and brings a new day.

The next verse speaks of wasted years that are close behind, indicating that the singer is reflecting on their past and the choices they have made. The repetition of the phrase "it's nothing at all" suggests that these regrets and reflections may not matter in the grand scheme of things. The chorus warns to "Watch out, the world's behind you", implying that the past shapes the present and influences the future. The sense of nostalgia and longing that permeates the song culminates in the final verse, where the singer admits to falling and having a feeling they don't want to know. This could be a sense of regret, perhaps for not being able to change the past, or a fear of the unknown future.

In conclusion, Sunday Morning is a timeless song that captures the essential human experience of reflecting on the past, facing the present, and looking towards the future. The lyrics are beautifully crafted and open to interpretation, making the song endlessly fascinating and relatable.

Line by Line Meaning

Sunday morning
The day of the week that marks the start of a new day.

Brings the dawn in
The sun rises early in the morning.

It's just a restless feeling
A feeling of uneasiness or anxiety.

By my side
Next to me.

Early dawning
The beginning of the day when the sun is just rising.

Sunday morning
The day of the week that marks the start of a new day.

It's just the wasted years
Time lost or spent in a way that feels unproductive or meaningless.

So close behind
Just in the past, but still affecting the present.

Watch out, the world's behind you
Be aware of your surroundings and the potential dangers or challenges that may be lurking.

There's always someone around you
You are never truly alone, there is always someone nearby.

Who will call
Someone may try to get your attention or communicate with you.

It's nothing at all
It may not be important, just a passing moment or interaction.

Sunday morning
The day of the week that marks the start of a new day.

And I'm falling
Experiencing a decline or struggle.

I've got a feeling
An intuition or sense that something is not right.

I don't want to know
A desire to avoid confronting a difficult truth or reality.

It's all the streets you've crossed
The paths and choices you have made in life that have led you to where you are now.

Not so long ago
Relatively recent, but still in the past.