My Gen X Playlist: Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning – Cowboy Junkies

Here is my list of everyday things: coffee, family/friends, music, sunshine, blueberry scones

There is something about the Cowboy Junkies. Maybe it’s the sound of alternative folk rock, their lyrics or the tone of Margo Timmons’ ethereal voice. I’m just a fan. I was thinking about sunshine songs and was reacquainted with Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning. I used to listen to this and (surprise) once again had no idea what the song was about until now.

Released in 1990, “Sun Comes Up, It’s Tuesday Morning” by Cowboy Junkies tells the story of a woman trying to get through the week without her partner. It’s that kind of breakup song.

In the lyrics, we discover how the narrator, a woman, misses her ex. She remembers what it was like when she and her lover were still together. She misses the sound of splashing water in the bathroom and the kisses when she was asleep.

The song uses Tuesday as a stabilizer, a way for the speaker to ground herself when she forgets she’s alone in her bed. Eventually, Tuesday helps her move on, and she realizes she enjoys the extra bed space.

– hellomusictheory

I loved the way Margo’s vocals meander throughout the song. It didn’t even dawn on me until now the absence of a chorus. Who says there is a perfect formula for everything? I listened to it again, now with an understanding of the meaning behind the song and following along with the lyrics, I’m drawn to the song even more. I just love this line:

Telephone’s ringing, but I don’t answer it
’cause everybody knows that good news always sleeps till noon

Getting through something is never easy. Time doesn’t stop, nor do the normal aspects of everyday life. Sometimes you have to meander through the day in order to move forward. There isn’t always a chorus to lean on along the way. Trudging through a whole lot of nothing in between the first line:

Sun comes up, it’s Tuesday morning

and the last:

I just gotta tell you that I kinda like this extra few feet in my bed

But you just gotta make it to the end of day to realize you’re gonna be alright. And trust me, you will.

P.S. By a stroke of luck, this song nearly hits all five on my list. The only stretch is the blueberry scone. I’ll throw that in the breakfast category, check the box and call it a day.

Sun comes up, it's Tuesday morning
hits me straight in the eye
guess you forgot to close the blind last night
Oh, that's right, I forgot, it was me

I sure do miss the smell of black coffee in the morning,
the sound of water splashing all over the bathroom,
the kiss that you would give me even though I was sleeping,
but I kind of like the feel of this extra few feet in my bed
Telephone's ringing, but I don't answer it
'cause everybody knows that good news always sleeps till noon

Guess it's tea and toast for breakfast again
maybe I'll add a little T.V. too
No milk! God, how I hate that
Guess I'll go to the corner, get breakfast from Jenny
She's got a black eye this morning, `Jen how'd ya get it?'
she says, `Last night, Bobby got a little bit out of hand'

Lunchtime. I start to dial your number
then I remember so I reach for something to smoke
and anyways I'd rather listen to Coltrane
than go through all that shit again

There's something about an afternoon spent doing nothing
Just listening to records and watching the sun falling
Thinking of things that don't have to add up to something
and this spell won't be broken
by the sound of keys scraping in the lock

Maybe tonight it's a movie
with plenty of room for elbows and knees
a bag of popcorn all to myself,
black and white with a strong female lead
and if I don't like it, no debate, I'll leave

Here comes that feeling that I'd forgotten
how strange these streets feel
when you're alone on them
Each pair of eyes just filled with suggestion
So I lower my head, make a beeline for home
Seething inside

Funny, I'd never noticed
the sound the streetcars make as they pass my window
Which reminds me that I forgot to close the blind again
Yeah, sure I'll admit there are times when I miss you
Especially like now when I need someone to hold me
but there are some things that can never be forgiven
and I just gotta tell you
that I kinda like this extra few feet in my bed