Sunday Morning Coming Down is a Kris Kristofferson song about waking on a Sunday to a hangover and the search for meaning after a night of drinking and drifting - a raw, lonely meditation on life’s quiet disappointments. It was first recorded by Ray Stevens in 1969 for the album Have a Little Talk with Myself - released as a single that year and reaching the US country and Hot 100 charts. The tune found its greatest fame with Johnny Cash’s 1970 live version from The Johnny Cash Show, recorded at the Ryman Auditorium as part of the Ride This Train segment - Cash’s performance topped the country charts and earned the CMA Song of the Year. Cash’s rendition is noted for a spoken monologue about hobos and the Great Depression and for his decision not to alter the line about wishing he was stoned on live television. Rolling Stone has ranked the song among its all time greats, placing it at No 476 on the 2021 Top 500 list and at No 96 on the 2024 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time - Kris Kristofferson has said the song helped launch his career and open doors for him.
