Meaning of lyrics in SUNDOWN

[MaryO]

Hi everyone...lately, the song SUNDOWN has found some real meaning to me as some of the lyrics echo my sentiments exactly...but I am still in the dark about what/who Sundown is...What does the line , "Sundown you better take care if I find you bin creepin round my backstairs" actually mean???? Am I dense??? Wait, don't answer that....Any help or personal interpretations (even of the whole song) would be greatly appreciated...

Cheers and thanks in advance!!

Tyler

[thayes]

Hi everyone...lately, the song SUNDOWN has found some real meaning to me as some of the lyrics echo my sentiments exactly...but I am still in the dark about what/who Sundown is...What does the line , "Sundown you better take care if I find you bin creepin round my backstairs" actually mean???? Am I dense??? Wait, don't answer that....Any help or personal interpretations (even of the whole song) would be greatly appreciated...

Cheers and thanks in advance!!

Tyler

Tyler,
I am hopeful that the lyrics of Sundown do not have too much of an echo of your exact sentiments because that would mean your facing some real heartache. Sundown is a song about infidelity and the pain that goes
with unreturned love. I think the lyric about "bin creeping round my back stair"
is just a play on words about sneaking around on someone and of course- What happens
at Sundown?............It gets very dark, much like the end to many relationships. I think Gord did an excellent job with this song and it's one of my personal favorites.
Hope I could help.

[Brian 57]

"backstairs" is the area of a mansion that guests to the house don't see-- it is the utilitarian, everyday service passages limited to the household staff who maintain the residence and serve the family. It is an area to be kept away from view-- the place where the dirty laundry is kept until laundered and fit to be seen by the public, where pantries are stocked an outdated provisions discarded. It's where the keeping up of appearances is done. If someone goes "creeping 'round" in that area, they could learn more about the homeowner than they were expected to, and see behind the facade of propriety.

In Sundown, the metaphor of "my backstairs" is brilliant. Two words that describe the entire package of items from skeletons in the closet to our deepest heart's desire that we all hide away and won't reveal to someone if we're only physically attracted to them.

As of today, this song has new meaning to me.

As of today, this song has new meaning to me.

[thayes]

Thanks for the helps guys...and unfortunately it is some heartache involved here...thing is...listening to the pain that comes through in Sundown has a healing effect...lets me know that other people hve gone through the similar times....not to fear though, I'll get by!!!

Cheers,

Tyler

[Oma]

Sorry about the heartache...hope things are looking up for you soon.

Tyler,
Some other songs that you may want to give another listen are NOW AND THEN and THE CIRCLE IS SMALL. These are two more of my favorites dealing with rocky relationships.
NOW AND THEN is awesome to me because Gord
made a song about a stormy relationship but
continues to make referance to the happy times they experienced.

"Let us just pretend awhile, think about the good times now and then"

If your not able to connect with either of these songs...........I suggest you break out
The Electric Light Orchesta's (Jeff Lynn)
with EVIL WOMAN. Guaranteed to make you feel better.
Good Luck.

titan

[thayes]

EVIL WOMAN!!! haahhah...too funny, I think keep it in mind....

Thanks guys,

Tyler

quote:Originally posted by thayes:
Hi everyone...lately, the song SUNDOWN has found some real meaning to me as some of the lyrics echo my sentiments exactly...but I am still in the dark about what/who Sundown is...What does the line , "Sundown you better take care if I find you bin creepin round my backstairs" actually mean???? Am I dense??? Wait, don't answer that....Any help or personal interpretations (even of the whole song) would be greatly appreciated...

Cheers and thanks in advance!!

Tyler

"A song about infidelity. Lenny Waronker, a producer and former Warner Bros. Records president, and all of us at the studio realized that when we laid it down that it would be the single. There's nothing like unrequited love with a touch of infidelity to capture people's imaginations. In the whole time I've been recording, I've never had the sense that a song was going to click the way it did with this one. I lived out in the country when I was writing that album, and each night there was a beautiful sunset to the west of the barn, and that imagery made it into the song. The cover of the album was taken at the farm, where I'm sitting on a bale of hay. The farmhouse was a very good workroom; I have fond memories of working there."

[shustad]

Thinking of the song 'Sundown' here today, huh?
Reminds me of three weeks ago when I'm in a Limited Too store with my clothes crazy 12 year old daughter waiting for her to come out of the dressing room when what did I hear? - but the opening chords of 'Sundown' coming over their speaker/music system in the store!
I thought it sounded different though, maybe a live version I hadn't heard before I thought(?). But no! - it then turned out to be a cover by some newer rap/singing group! The words were the same, but half were "sung" in rap, and the beat was a bit off, but the song was still quite recognizable otherwise.
When oh when did GL sell the rights to that group to record THIS version I wonder!
Has anyone else heard, or heard of this version of 'Sundown'?, or know more about the circumstanses of this re-make?

I think this re-make news needs it's own thread. Otherwise, It could be missed by the person with the goods on this one.
Hmmmmmmm..........A Sundown rap? what's the world coming to?

[vlmagee]

It's undoubtedly Elwood. He actually wrote new verses, so he is partially the songwriter. That got his record ruled "not Canadian content" in Canada (for purposes of radio play), so it backfired. He had hoped for the extra radio play in Canada that being a Canadian record could get him.

In general, anyone can record another songwriter's song. The writer gets royalties for every record sold. Although many (most) Lightfoot fans would not fall in love with Elwood's recording, the fact that a rapper would choose the song and make it a hit with a new generation is really a positive thing. And, who knows, a few of the new "fans" might want to hear the original.

And, for good measure, they actually do get to hear 10 or 12 seconds of the original music. That's Gord's 12 string intro they sampled at the start of the song.

------------------
Valerie Magee

Visit my GL web site at gordonlightfoot.com and Cathy Cowette's site at cathycowette.com

[Lee]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by thayes:
...but I am still in the dark about what/who Sundown is...What does the line , "Sundown you better take care if I find you bin creepin round my backstairs" actually mean???? Tyler
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hey Tyler...check out the thread I started awhile back:
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001109.html

...or type the name Elwood in the search engine on this site & you will find the thread with the link to the Elwood video.



[This message has been edited by ColoradoSue (edited September 02, 2003).]

[Borderstone]

Well Sue,if you remember the '60s song,"Here Comes The Night",you know that's not necessarily a positive thing. When Gord talks about Sundown like a person,he's referring to a woman who keeps playing with his emotions. The song is about still loving this person after she's played around. She's basically a downer to him despite his feelings. That's my take on it. Later!

------------------
Borderstone - "Little 'Ol Message Maker Me!"

Speaking of rap, in the song 'In My Fashion' when Gord quits singing and starts talking really low it sounds the teeniest tiniest bit like rap.(Is this the only song he does this?)

[Iron]

DMD3,...
Don't even go there....
Iron..

[Borderstone]

Yes,it's the only one. I wouldn't even begin to call it a "rap". : For that time it's more of a spoken interlude,with attitude! Later!

------------------
Borderstone - "Little 'Ol Message Maker Me!"

[Auburn Annie]

Re: the spoken bit in "In My Fashion" I always thought of it as a tip of the hat to Dylan (without the mumble.) The SHADOWS album was 1982, so if it was meant as rap, it was awfully cutting edge.

But what does
"Sometimes I think it's a sin when I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin' again" & "Sometimes I think it's ashame when I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain" mean?
I think I might know what it means but hopefully I am wrong.

[Brian 57]

When I hear those lyrics, I travel back to sitting on a bar stool getting comfortably numb. I'm glad I'm not drinking anymore, and also not down in the dumps. People talk about drinking to forget, but the next day you remember-- and with a hangover on top of it. Kind of like bailing water INTO a sinking boat. There's the sin and the shame.

[vlmagee]

Yes, that's exactly what he meant. And he makes no secret of the fact that he had a drinking problem; and that he finally quit, cold turkey, in 1982. As you see from his lyrics many years earlier (look back even further, in fact), he was well aware of the problem but it took him many years to combat it. However, sadly, there are many people who don't have the strength to ever quit; Gord deserves a lot of credit for having left that behind.

------------------
Valerie Magee

Visit my GL web site at gordonlightfoot.com and Cathy Cowette's site at cathycowette.com

[BILLW]

AMEN to that Val......

Bill

Hopefully he's quit smoking to.