Crucial Track for June 16, 2026

"Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" by Kris Kristofferson

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We lost a giant when we lost Kris Kristofferson. "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" is one of my favorites from him. The word play - "my cleanest dirty shirt" - and the sadness in it are incredible. The idea is simple. A man wakes up and walks around town on a Sunday morning. He sees a kid kicking a can, listens to a song being sung at a church. But the story that's told, and what it evokes, is hard to match. It was recorded by Ray Stevens, was a number one hit for Johnny Cash, but I prefer the man himself singing it. And there's nothin' short of dyin', half as lonesome as the sound On the sleepin' city side walks, Sunday mornin' comin' down