Sufjan Stevens

[fox69]

"The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts"

"The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts"


Trouble falls in my home
Troubled man, troubled stone
turn a mountain of lies
turn a card for my life
Man of Steel, Man of Heart
Tame our ways, if we start
To devise something more
Something half ways

Only a steel man came to recover
If he had run from gold, carry over
We celebrate our sense of each other
We have a lot to give one another

I took a bus to the lake
Saw the monument face
Yellow tides, golden eyes
Red and white, red and wise
Raise the flag, summer home
Parted hair, part unknown
If I knew what I read
I'll send it half ways

Only a real man can be a lover
If he had hands to lend us all over
We celebrate our sense of each other
We have a lot to give one another

Took my bags, Illinois
Dreamt the lake took my boy
Man of Steel, Man of Heart
Turn your ear to my part
There are things you have said
Raise the boat, and raise the dead
If you take us away
Still we can say:

Only a steel man can be a lover
If he had hands to tremble all over
We celebrate our sense of each other
We have a lot to give one another

Only a steel man can be a lover
If he had hands to tremble all over
We celebrate our sense of each other
We have a lot to give one another

 

[fox69]

"The Midnight Clear"

"The Midnight Clear"


It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious sign of old
Enraptured secret sign of fear
In brave disguises

Old shoes and thirty feet
The prophet's sign of prophecy
I resign to petty things
Like angels bending on their knees

Do you delight, do you delight, in me
I laughed about it
Come to me now, come to now, and bring
That rapture's moment
I wasn't changed, I wasn't changed, one bit
Though you may doubt it
I don't suppose, I don't suppose, you'd care
To ask about it

The dead of winter takes a grip
And moves around us
All night our labors clap and kiss
Like working mothers

Old wounds and thirty feet
The clock it sounds of properties
I resign to glorious things
Like angels bending on their knees

Do you delight, do you delight, in me
I laughed about it
Come to me now, come to now, and bring
That rapture's moment
I wasn't changed, I wasn't changed, one bit
Though you may doubt it
I don't suppose, I don't suppose, you'd care
To ask about it

I will delight, I will delight, in this
Though you may doubt it
Come to me now, come to me now, my kiss
And ask about it

I will delight, I will delight, in this
Though you may doubt it
Come to me now, come to me now, my kiss

 

[fox69]

"The Mistress Witch From Mcclure (Or, The Mind That Knows Itself)"

"The Mistress Witch From Mcclure (Or, The Mind That Knows Itself)"


And the winter moves about Illinois
When my sister picks a fight
With the Alexander boy
And my father locks the car by the store
Still we figure out the keys
And follow him once more
Oh my God, we see it on the floor
The woman on the bed
The ankle brace she wore
Stones and sled
It could have been some other
The mind that knows itself
Has a mind to serve the other
But we run back, scratching at the door
Scratching at the door

If I'm hiding in the sleeves of my coat
When my father runs undressed
He's pointing at my throat
And my brother has fit in the snow
And the traffic stops for miles
We take him by the elbow
Oh my God, the shuffling and the floor
A mind that knows itself
Is a mind that knows much more
So we run back, scrambling for cover
The mind that knows itself
Has a mind to kill the other
(Oh my God, no one came to our side
To carry us away from danger)

Oh my God
He left us now for dead
He left us now for dead

 

[fox69]

"The Only Thing"

"The Only Thing"


The only thing that keeps me from driving this car
Half-light, jack knife into the canyon at night
Signs and wonders: Perseus aligned with the skull
Slain Medusa, Pegasus alight from us all

Do I care if I survive this? Bury the dead where they’re found
In a veil of great surprises; I wonder did you love me at all?

The only thing that keeps me from cutting my arm
Cross hatch, warm bath, Holiday Inn after dark
Signs and wonders: water stain writing the wall
Daniel’s message; blood of the moon on us all

Do I care if I despise this? Nothing else matters, I know
In a veil of great disguises; how do I live with your ghost?

Should I tear my eyes out now?
Everything I see returns to you somehow
Should I tear my heart out now?
Everything I feel returns to you somehow
I want to save you from your sorrow

The only reason why I continue at all
Faith in reason, I wasted my life playing dumb
Signs and wonders: sea lion caves in the dark
Blind faith, God’s grace, nothing else left to impart

Do I care if I survive this, bury the dead where they’re found
In a veil of great surprises; hold to my head till I drown
Should I tear my eyes out now, before I see too much?
Should I tear my arms out now, I wanna feel your touch

Should I tear my eyes out now?
Everything I see returns to you somehow
Should I tear my heart out now?
Everything I feel returns to you somehow

 

[fox69]

"The Oracle Said Wander"

"The Oracle Said Wander"


Cave the Cadmus country soon
Europa's sake he drew
'Till the oracle said wander

Safe libation water slew
A serpent near him knew
'Till the oracle said wander

 

[fox69]

"The Owl And The Tanager"

"The Owl And The Tanager"


All I had hoped for
I kept inside your car
The rabbit in the barn
Most of all I wait
I wait beside the door; I wait beside the door

All I was wrong trembling in the cage
I was diamonds in the cage
In seven hours I consider death
And your father called to yell at me
You little boy, you little boy

Found out you cheated me
I ran behind the barn and cut my hands somehow
Blood in the meadowlark
I punched your ears instead
I punched you in the head
You only laughed and laughed and laughed

How I was wrong tingling from the kill
Tickle me until you devil bird you evil still
Slept on my arms, sleeping in the sill
I was sleeping in the room with you
You little boy, you little boy

How could you run from me now?
The loneliest chime in the house
The loneliest chime in the house
You let it out you let it out
Come to me Calvary still
I'm weeding and raking until
I'm bleeding in spite of my love for you
It bruised and bruised my will

Counting alluvial plains
The breathing inside of the range
You touched me inside of my cage
Beneath my shirt your hands embraced me
Come to me feathered and frayed
For I am the ugliest prey,
For I am the ugliest prey
The owl, the reckless reckless praise.

You said you'd wait for me
Down by Tannery Creek
Far out by the clothesline where we used to kiss behind the sheets
Wrapped in a blanket of red
The Owl and the Tanager said
The Owl and the Tanager said
One waits until the hour is death

 

[fox69]

"The Perpetual Self, Or 'What Would Saul Alinsky Do?'"

"The Perpetual Self, Or 'What Would Saul Alinsky Do?'"


Everything is lost, uh-oh
But I know that you can take it to the Lord
Everything you are, uh-oh
Isn't all that you can gather for yourself

Do you love a lot? Uh-oh
Is it love that you just kiss to everyone?
Is your loving lost? Uh-oh
Is it strange that you perpetuate yourself?
(All that he has given to the world
Is the joy that he will carry to the door)

All that he has given to the world
All that he has given to the world
(Uh-oh, is it strange that you perpetuate yourself?)
All that he has given to the world
(For what it costs, uh-oh)
All that he has given to the world
(Everything is lost, uh-oh)
All that he has given to the world
(Is the joy that he will carry to the door)
All that he has given to the world
(Still I know that you can take it to the war)

 

[fox69]

"The Pick-Up"

"The Pick-Up"


All things past in the pick-up
Found my brother's badge
Abraham is live and well in the pick-up
And his wife casts no more spells
In the pick-up

Found myself in the pick-up
Seatbelt on my lap
And my sister with her braids
In the pick-up
Kissed my mother on the face
In the pick-up
Clapping with the human race
In the pick-up

 

[fox69]

"The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!"

"The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!"


Thinking outrageously I write in cursive
I hide in my bed with the lights on the floor
Wearing three layers of coats and leg warmers
I see my own breath on the face of the door

Oh I am not quite sleeping
Oh I am fast in bed
There on the wall in the bedroom creeping
I see a wasp with her wings outstretched

North of Savanna we swim in the palisades
I come out wearing my brother's red hat
There on his shoulder my best friend is bit seven times
He runs washing his face in his hands

Oh how I meant to tease him
Oh how I meant no harm
Touching his back with my hand I kiss him
I see the wasp on the length of my arm

Oh great sights upon this state! Hallelu-
Wonders bright, and rivers, lake. Hallelu-
Trail of Tears and Horseshoe Lake. Hallelu-
trusting things beyond mistake. Hallelu-

We were in love. We were in love.
Palisades! Palisades! Palisades
I can wait. I can wait.

Lamb of God, we sound the horn.
Hallelujah!
To us your ghost is born.
Hallelu-

I can't explain the state that I'm in
The state of my heart, he was my best friend
Into the car, from the back seat
Oh admiration in falling asleep
All of my powers, day after day
I can tell you, we swaggered and swayed
Deep in the tower, the prairies below
I can tell you, the telling gets old
Terrible sting and terrible storm
I can tell you the day we were born
My friend is gone, he ran away
I can tell you, I love him each day
Though we have sparred, wrestled and raged
I can tell you I love him each day
Terrible sting, terrible storm
I can tell you...

 

[fox69]

"The Seer's Tower"

"The Seer's Tower"


In the tower above the earth,
There is a view that reaches far
Where we see the universe,
I see the fire, I see the end.

Seven miles above the earth,
There is Emmanuel of mothers.
With his sword, with his robe,
He comes dividing man from brothers.

In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel.
In the powers of the earth, we wait until it rips and rips.
In the tower above the earth, we built it for Emmanuel.
Oh my mother, she betrayed us, but my father loved and bathed us.

Still I go to the deepest grave,
Where I go to sleep alone