So I was driving to Little Rock this past Saturday, taking a friend of mine to pick up a car. I was hungover as hell, and on the way back, driving by myself and kind of freaking out about the long drive ahead of me, I fell in love with this Johnny Cash song. I sang it at karaoke last night, even though I didn't really remember the tune. The lyrics are phenomenal. I must have this song.
Sunday Morning Coming Down - Johnny Cash
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 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 picking.
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
Playing with a can that he was kicking.
Then I walked across the street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone frying chicken.
And Lord, it took me back to something that I'd lost
Somewhere, somehow along the way.
On a Sunday morning sidewalk, I'm wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothing short a' dying
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
And Sunday morning coming down.
In the park I saw a daddy
With a laughing little girl that he was swinging.
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
And listened to the songs they were singing.
Then I headed down the street,
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringing,
And it echoed through the canyon
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday.
On a Sunday morning sidewalk,
I'm wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cause there's something in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothing short a' dying
That's half as lonesome as the sound
Of the sleeping city sidewalk
And Sunday morning coming down.
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6 comments:
That sounds like depressing karaoke. Exceptional song (written by exceptional Kris Kristofferson), but depressing karoake.
I didn't realize Kris Kristofferson wrote that. Depressing karaoke is good sometimes.
Yeah, depending on your level of geekiness, it's a pretty interesting story about how he pitched that song to Johnny Cash.
KK was still working as a janitor at Columbia in Nashville when he wrote this song, and he delivered it to JC by flying a helicopter onto JC's yard and handing it to him.
The song caused alot of controversy, based on its somber lyrics, when JC performed it on his TV show.
In that instance, the depressing signing was good.
(I had to google for the above story; I don't carry that much info in my head.)
That is an interesting story. How did a janitor have access to a helicopter? What kind of controversy? Weird. I guess I'll google it myself. Thanks for the info.
Kris Kristofferson is a pretty interesting guy. He's a Rhodes scholar, was a helicopter pilot in the armed forces, became a professor, but then decided "I want to write music" and moved to Nashville. He broke into the business by sweeping up at Columbia Records in Nashville.
You'll have to google the rest. He's a really good writer. His movies stink.
That's my favorite Johnny Cash song. I was listening to it on my iPod this morning.
Kris Kristofferson has written a lot of my favorite songs, especially Me and Bobby McGee.
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