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This is how I'll tell it
Oh, but it's long.
One Sunday Morning
Oh, one son is gone.
Against the weather dawning
Over the sea
My father said what I had become
No one should be.
Outside I look lived in
Like the bones in a shrine
How am I forgiven?
Oh, I'll give it time.
This I learned without warning
Holding my brow
In time we thought I would kill him
Oh, but I didn't know how.
I said it's your God I don't believe in
No, your Bible can't be true
Knocked down by the long lie
He cried I fear what waits for you.
I can hear those bells
Spoken and gone.
I feel relief I feel well
Now he knows he was wrong.
Ring 'em cold for my father
Frozen underground
Jesus I wouldn't bother
He belongs to me now.
Something sad keeps moving
So I wandered around.
I fell in love with the burden
Holding me down.
Bless my mind, I miss
Being told how to live.
What I learned without knowing
How much more I owe than I can give.
This is how I tell it
Oh, but it's long.
One Sunday morning
One son is gone.
Oh, but it's long.
One Sunday Morning
Oh, one son is gone.
Against the weather dawning
Over the sea
My father said what I had become
No one should be.
Outside I look lived in
Like the bones in a shrine
How am I forgiven?
Oh, I'll give it time.
This I learned without warning
Holding my brow
In time we thought I would kill him
Oh, but I didn't know how.
I said it's your God I don't believe in
No, your Bible can't be true
Knocked down by the long lie
He cried I fear what waits for you.
I can hear those bells
Spoken and gone.
I feel relief I feel well
Now he knows he was wrong.
Ring 'em cold for my father
Frozen underground
Jesus I wouldn't bother
He belongs to me now.
Something sad keeps moving
So I wandered around.
I fell in love with the burden
Holding me down.
Bless my mind, I miss
Being told how to live.
What I learned without knowing
How much more I owe than I can give.
This is how I tell it
Oh, but it's long.
One Sunday morning
One son is gone.
Lyrics submitted by rrstrick
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It's about a son who lost a father who was overbearing and critical and he hated the added pressure of the harsh father. The son is then a bit happy that his father is gone and he no longer has to deal with his judgements and criticisms, then he feels guilty, then he regrets not appreciating his father's love and guidance, no matter how harsh it is.
"Bless my mind I miss being told how to live. What I learned without knowing how much more I owe than I can give"
For a guy who lives a life that might not be approved by his parents...this song just hits like a rock.
I like your interpretation; you put into words why this song resonates with so many people, even though it is a specific story about a religious father and the conflict w/ his non-religious son. It hits home for anyone who did not live up to their parent's expectations or chose a different path in life that their parents couldn't understand or accept. Breaks my heart, too.
Rhonda
From an interview with Jane Smiley on Galleycat (MediaBristo.com): Smiley says, “Apparently my partner was chatting to Jeff Tweedy about some religious thoughts. I don’t quite understand the song, but those who’ve heard it seem to really like it, especially the music. I do think that it is really funny that someone as
square (and old) as myself would end up in the title of a song in an alt-rock group’s album.”
From Chicago Mag.com: “Now he’s [the dead father] going to know he was wrong and that there is an only loving God,” Tweedy explains.
This is how I'll tell it
Oh, but it's long
One Sunday Morning
Oh, when the sun is gone
("I'll" sounds like just "I" at the end though)
I hear the first line of the second stanza as: "Against silhouetted dawning" but I could have that wrong. I'm fairly certain though that "How am I forgiven?" should be "How will I forgive him?".
Great song, and a very different type of songwriting than we usually see from Jeff.
Tweedy said in and interview that the song was about meeting Jane Smiley's boyfriend at a dinner and having a poignant conversation in which the boyfriend spoke about his overly religious father who condemned him for the way he lives his life and the son's relief when his father died.
I love the way he write songs with beautiful tension. The juxtaposition of dark and light. Exploring the human spirit in the most honest and raw yet tender way. For me this is in the same camp as She's a Jar and Via Chicago.
Q: There’s a song on the new album called “One Sunday Morning (Song for Jane Smiley’s Boyfriend). Smiley’s from Webster Groves—do you know her?
A. (from Tweedy): I don’t know her very well, but I have met her and her boyfriend, and I’m a little nervous about that song now because I’m hoping that it will be taken in good spirits. Having met her only once, though, I will say that I know her better than I know her work even. It’s really more about the meeting of her boyfriend, and I had a really poignant moment over dinner with him one time, so I thought it was cool to reflect that in the song. Even though now I’m really sad that I’m going to have to skirt around this for the next year.