Well, I woke up Sunday mornin'
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 canyons
Like 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


Lyrics submitted by myownprison333

Sunday Morning Coming Down Lyrics as written by Kris Kristofferson

Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Sunday Morning Coming Down song meanings
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    General Comment

    This song is Johnny Cash personified ... living life the hard way and telling it the way it is. I don't think it's about some drunk burnout, I think it's about JC and his inability to draw the line even though he so clearly sees the mess he has created around him. Best line was already pointed out ... "I'm wishing lord that I was stoned, cause there is something in a sunday that makes the body feel alone." He's so far gone that he doesn't know where to turn. Even when he turns to god he's not looking to change his life, just a way out of how he's feeling. Great song, not so great to live it though.

    tubesockson August 30, 2002   Link

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