Meaning of Every Time the Sun Comes Up (Alternate Version)

by Sharon Van Etten · 2024

The song “Every Time the Sun Comes Up (Alternate Version)” by Sharon Van Etten is about grappling with personal flaws, vulnerability, and the repetitive challenges of daily life, expressing a wry acceptance of imperfection and the trouble that seems to follow with each new day.

This song has been Shazamed over 27,236 times. As of this writing, Every Time the Sun Comes Up (Alternate Version) is ranked 137

Every Time the Sun Comes Up (Alternate Version)’ by Sharon Van Etten is a song that mixes humor, sadness, and honesty about feeling out of place. We’re going to break down the lyrics and see what the song is really trying to tell us. ⬇️

️ The mood of the song floats between dreamy and awkward, like waking up in yesterday’s clothes with the sun shining a little too brightly. Sharon’s voice carries an almost sleepy confessional, creating a world where mistakes and small triumphs blur together.

The chorus, repeating “Every time the sun comes up, I’m in trouble,” feels like a mantra for anyone who’s ever felt exposed by daylight—those moments when reality crashes the party. It’s both funny and gutting, because who hasn’t woken up to consequences or regrets? We hear her laugh at herself, but beneath the surface, there’s a raw ache—a sense that trouble always finds its way back as soon as the light hits.

In the verses, Sharon tosses out odd, intimate details: “People say I’m a one hit wonder / But what happens when I have two?” and the unforgettable “I washed your dishes / But I shit in your bathroom.” These lines are playful yet loaded, hinting at the messiness of being human, how we try to do right but inevitably mess up, sometimes hilariously, sometimes painfully—she’s both self-deprecating and fiercely honest, letting us in on the joke and the wound at the same time.

The song’s narrative stumbles through broken glasses and half-hearted apologies, where covering up our flaws feels just as important as confessing them (“We broke your glasses / But covered our asses”). There’s a sly wink in lines like “Take time silently / Feel real room, high five,” as if she’s inviting us to celebrate tiny victories amid the chaos and admit, maybe, that pretending is part of surviving.

☀️ Sharon Van Etten’s real magic here is making us laugh, cringe, and sigh in recognition—reminding us that every new day brings a fresh set of troubles, and yet, somehow, we keep showing up for the sunrise anyway.

Writer(s) of Every Time the Sun Comes Up (Alternate Version):