I remember when my mother would get sick, She would vomit all over the kitchen, she would vomit on the tables and on the countertops, and in the refrigerator, and we called the dog, the dog would come in and slip on the vomit.

(Instrumental)

Overall Meaning

Satan's Saxophones by Sufjan Stevens is an instrumental track that is best understood in the context of the album it appears on, "The Ascension." The album deals with themes of spirituality, religion, and existentialism. The track "Satan's Saxophones" appears towards the end of the album, and its placement suggests that it serves as a sort of reflection on the themes addressed in the earlier tracks.

The title of the track suggests that it may be calling to mind the idea of Satan as a musical figure. In Christian mythology, Satan is sometimes depicted as a fallen angel who was once a master musician. The use of the saxophone in particular may be significant, as the instrument has often been associated with themes of sensuality and temptation.

The spoken word section that precedes the instrumental is perhaps the most jarring aspect of the track. It describes in vivid detail a memory of the artist's mother being sick and vomiting all over the kitchen. The graphic nature of the description serves to heighten the sense of unease that is already present in the music itself. The use of the vomiting imagery may suggest a sense of spiritual sickness or corruption, and the appearance of this memory towards the end of the album may suggest that the artist is attempting to purge himself of these feelings.

Line by Line Meaning

I remember when my mother would get sick,
Recalling the times when my mother would fall ill and suffer in her health,

She would vomit all over the kitchen,
She would lose her stomach contents and throw up in the kitchen area,

she would vomit on the tables and on the countertops,
Her vomit would land on the tables and countertops causing a mess and unpleasant smell,

and in the refrigerator,
Her vomit would even get into the fridge, causing contamination of the stored food,

and we called the dog,
As a means of cleaning up and getting rid of the mess, we called on the dog,

the dog would come in and slip on the vomit.
When the dog arrived to clean up the mess, it would often slip and fall on the wet vomit, adding to the chaos.

(Instrumental)

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