Story Behind The Song

I always disliked Sundays when I was a kid, because it meant I had to go to school the next day (unless it was summer), and early on in my childhood it also meant that I had to go to church ? yuck! Sunday was also the day that my family spent visiting various friends and relatives, most of whom smoked heavily, never opened the drapes (let alone the windows), had a lot of guns because they were always getting ready to go hunting for something, and they were always watching old movies unless of course there was a bowling tournament on TV. It always seemed to me that the woman of the house was dress up (polyester) because she had just been to church, and the man was in a white t-shirt (always too small his entire belly) because he hadn?t been out of his easy chair (except to get a can of beer) all morning long. The women in these relationships had such a strong faith in ?god? that they couldn?t see just how sad their story was, and how vile the man of their dreams had become. They never even thought of looking for a way out. As far as the ?wife-beating? goes, I just sort of put that in the song, because even though I don?t recall actually seeing any bruises, that doesn?t mean they didn?t exist under those ?Sunday go to meetin?? clothes. In my story the woman does find a way to get out, but it probably wasn?t the best way out. Unfortunately she just didn?t see any other option, because killing ?him? would?ve just meant she would go to live in a different ?prison,? and a divorce was completely out of the question. Maybe a murder-suicide would?ve been the best choice for both of them, but she just loved the man too much to hurt him? John

Song Description

I?ve met these people ? always a smoke filled living room, something on a TV that is blaring way too loud, hunting guns, bowling trophies, and dirty little secretes?

Lyrics

sunday

a cigarette burns in the back of a room
where a dead woman watches tv
most of her life the ignorant wife
of a john wayne fan

it's later than morning he still isn?t home
hasn?t called her to say why
she says to herself
it?s better this way
i wouldn?t want him to lie

she gets up on sunday to get down with god
and pray for the man in her bed
he has a shot to shovel his nerves
and kill off the ache in his head

he only hits her when nothing else works
it only hurts if she cries
she shuts herself in
as he passes out
night after night after night

she gets up on sunday to get down with god
and pray for that man in her bed
he has a shot with his aspirin and eggs
to kill off the ache

it?s a wide white circle
a heavy hand becomes the burning tree
i am forgiven
but your guiding light is only blinding me

a cigarette swallows up life in a room
where a dead woman watches. . .
rerun the day
rerun the day

she gets up on sunday to get down with god
and pay for that man in her bed
she takes a shot from his hunting gun
to kill off the ache in her head
put a big hole
in her head


lyrics ©2003 john martin