I can see her lyin' back in her satin dress
In a room where you do what you don't confess
Sundown, you'd better take care
If I find you've been creepin' 'round my back stairs
Sundown, you'd better take care
If I find you've been creepin' 'round my back stairs

She's been lookin' like a queen in a sailor's dream
And she don't always say what she really means
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain

I can picture every move that a man could make
Getting lost in her lovin' is your first mistake
Sundown, you'd better take care
If I find you've been creepin' 'round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin' again

I can see her lookin' fast in her faded jeans
She's a hard lovin' woman, got me feelin' mean
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain
Sundown, you'd better take care
If I'd find you've been creepin' 'round my back stairs
Sundown, you'd better take care
If I find you've been creepin' 'round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin' again


Lyrics submitted by grouping, edited by damnteuton, razajac, radiotoast

Sundown Lyrics as written by Gordon Lightfoot

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Sundown song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

42 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is about obsessive projection and drinking. Knowing that Lightfoot had a problem with alcohol and a fling with a groupie, it makes it easier to see what's going on here. The author claimed he was home writing while he imagined the girl (presumably Cathy) was out partying and possibly with someone else. Sundown is the time when day ends and night begins. Drinking time. As an alcoholic he tells "sundown" to not try to tempt him. He is weak and obsessive as he can't get "her" off his mind and imagines she is doing that thing he wishes he could do. Drink. Drinking leads to inhibition which leads to sexual abandon.

    "I get feeling better when I'm feeling no pain" simply means that if he drinks enough, he will not feel the pain of the hurt he is projecting and imagining... Which may or not be happening... But he numbs himself to feel better.

    AMused42on April 10, 2024   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.