July 26, 2009 — Years ago the singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson wrote and recorded the song Sunday Morning Coming Down. It's about someone, and with apologies to the female gender, I'll just say its a man that is down on his luck and probably into doing some heavy duty drinking. He wakes up on a Sunday morning with no way to hold his head that doesn't hurt and he pops a beer for breakfast and has one more for dessert. The song goes on to tell about putting on a clean dirty shirt and then going for a walk on a Sunday Morning Sidewalk. This down-and-outer then encounters some sights and smells that bring back many memories and yet a feeling of loneliness. The sights are such of a Daddy playing with his daughter in a park and a kid cussin' at a can that he is kickin'. He stops by a Sunday school and listens to the song the people are singing. The smell is of someone frying chicken. It all takes him back to somethin' he'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way.
He then hears the sound of a bell ringing in the distance. I believe Kristofferson implied this to be a church bell. For this person, the bell echoes through the canyons and the disappearing dreams of yesterday.
This song has been covered by many artist, but probably most popularly by Johnny Cash and/or Ray Price. It has riveting lyrics (which with apology to Kristofferson) I have sort of paraphrased here and it has a haunting melody.
What this song means for me is that I can let myself get lost in life very easily. I can wake up every morning and have my head hurt because I fried it the night before. I can complain and moan about the physical aches and pains I have. Or, I can take a walk on that Sunday Morning Sidewalk and take in all the sights, smells, and sounds and enjoy every minute of it. I can find redemption on that Sunday Morning Sidewalk and my memories can be good and my dreams fulfilled. It's what really matters!
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