Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot

Artist: Gordon Lightfoot
Song: Sundown
Year: 1974
Album: Sundown

"Sundown" came out two years before I was born. It is a song that has been around me ever since I can remember. It was (and still is) one of my dad's favorite songs. He would blast this in the house and blast in in the garage and blast it in his car. When he was younger, he would blast it on the headphones to the point where everyone around him could clearly make out each word. These were the old school headphones that cupped completely over the ear and was supposed to keep the sound from leaking out. Yeah, it was that loud.

Gordon has had his fair share of misfortune in his life and I think that this song is somewhat of a precursor to all that. Ironically, this was written about the woman who caused the most pain in Gordon's life. She would also cause a great deal of pain in my life and countless others. Her name was Cathy Smith. Eight years after this song was released, she would inject John Belushi with a fatal dose of speedballs (which is a mixture of cocaine and heroin) while he was passed out.

While the song deals with Lightfoot's affair with Smith, the song takes on a more sinister tone in the wake of the Belushi death. This is still one of my favorite Gordon Lightfoot songs, but if I am in a certain mood, it can be one of the worst because of the association.

"Sundown" is a very easygoing type of song. The lyrics seem to juxtapose the vibe of the song. That unbalanced combination lends a sense of urgency and importance to the song. It plays the balance just right to succeed as a song. You can feel a hopeful pain to the song.

Lyrics:
I can see her lyin' back in her satin dress
In a room where ya do what ya don't confess
Sundown ya better take care
If I find you been creepin' 'round my back stairs
Sundown ya better take care
If I find you been creepin' 'round my back stairs
She's been lookin' like a queen in a sailor's dream
And she don't always say what she really means
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain

I can picture every move that a man could make
Getting lost in her lovin' is your first mistake
Sundown ya better take care
If I find you been creepin' 'round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin again

I can see her lookin' fast in her faded jeans
She's a hard lovin' woman, got me feelin' mean
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain
Sundown ya better take care
If I find you been creepin' 'round my back stairs
Sundown ya better take care
If I find you been creepin' 'round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin' again