The Mistress Witch from McClure
Sufjan Stevens Lyrics
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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
And 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 a fit in the snow
And the traffic stops for miles, we take him by the elbow
Oh my God, the shuffling at the floor
(Oh my God)
A mind that knows itself is a mind that knows much more
(No one came to our side)
So we run back, scrambling for cover
(To carry us away from danger)
A mind that knows itself has a mind to kill the other
(Oh my God, no one came to our side)
Oh my God, he left us now for dead
(Oh my God)
He left us now for dead
The Mistress Witch from McClure is a haunting song that revolves around a dysfunctional family dynamic. Sufjan Stevens paints a picture of a family living in Illinois where the winter is harsh and unforgiving. The song begins with the sister picking a fight with the Alexander boy, and the father locking the car by the store. Despite the father’s attempt at keeping the children safe, they figure out the keys and follow him once more. They then stumble upon a disturbing scene of a woman lying on a bed with an ankle brace. The line “the mind that knows itself has a mind to serve the other” suggests the idea of being aware of one’s own thoughts and fears and how that can lead to self-destructive behavior.
The second verse of the song shifts to a more personal experience. Sufjan Stevens describes the father running undressed and pointing at his throat while the brother has a fit in the snow. The traffic stops for miles, and they take the brother by the elbow. The line “A mind that knows itself has a mind to kill the other” suggests that the father may be struggling with a mental illness that he cannot control. The song culminates with the family feeling abandoned and left for dead by the one who was supposed to protect them.
Overall, this song is a commentary on the complexity of human relationships and how traumatic experiences can leave a lasting impact on one’s mental health. The bleak imagery and haunting melody perfectly capture the somber mood of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
And the winter moves about Illinois
The cold winter weather is spreading across the state of Illinois.
When my sister picks a fight with the Alexander boy
My sister got into an argument with a boy named Alexander.
And my father locks the car by the store
My father locked the car outside the store.
Still we figure out the keys and follow him once more
Despite the car being locked, we found the keys and followed him anyway.
Oh my God, we see it on the floor
We were shocked to see something on the floor.
The woman on the bed the ankle brace she wore
We saw a woman lying on a bed wearing an ankle brace.
Stones and sled it could have been some other
There were rocks and a sled, but it could have been something else.
The mind that knows itself has a mind to serve the other
People who understand themselves are better equipped to help others.
And we run back scratching at the door, scratching at the door
We tried to run back to safety but were desperate to get through the locked door.
If I'm hiding in the sleeves of my coat
I'm trying to hide by pulling my coat sleeves over my hands and face.
When my father runs undressed, he's pointing at my throat
My father is acting erratically and threatening me with pointed gestures.
And my brother has a fit in the snow
My brother had a sudden and violent outburst in the snow.
And the traffic stops for miles, we take him by the elbow
Traffic is backed up for miles, so we move my brother by holding onto his elbow.
Oh my God, the shuffling at the floor (Oh my God)
We hear a strange noise or commotion coming from the floor that alarms us.
A mind that knows itself is a mind that knows much more (No one came to our side)
People who are self-aware have a better understanding of the world around them, but still, no one came to help us.
So we run back, scrambling for cover (To carry us away from danger)
We tried to run away and find shelter to protect ourselves from danger.
A mind that knows itself has a mind to kill the other (Oh my God, no one came to our side)
People who truly understand themselves may also understand the worst parts of human nature, such as the desire to harm others. Unfortunately, in our situation, no one came to assist us.
Oh my God, he left us now for dead (Oh my God)
We feel abandoned and left for dead by someone we thought would protect us.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: SUFJAN STEVENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jade Decker's Chain Reaction Archive
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
And 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 a fit in the snow
And the traffic stops for miles, we take him by the elbow
Oh my God, the shuffling at the floor
(Oh my God)
A mind that knows itself is a mind that knows much more
(No one came to our side)
So we run back, scrambling for cover
(To carry us away from danger)
A mind that knows itself has a mind to kill the other
(Oh my God, no one came to our side)
Oh my God, he left us now for dead
(Oh my God)
He left us now for dead
Jade Decker's Chain Reaction Archive
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
And 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 a fit in the snow
And the traffic stops for miles, we take him by the elbow
Oh my God, the shuffling at the floor
(Oh my God)
A mind that knows itself is a mind that knows much more
(No one came to our side)
So we run back, scrambling for cover
(To carry us away from danger)
A mind that knows itself has a mind to kill the other
(Oh my God, no one came to our side)
Oh my God, he left us now for dead
(Oh my God)
He left us now for dead
Finter4
Absolutely one of my favourite sufjan songs. One of the reasons hearing a banjo kinda makes me wanna cry.
GORNA49
does anyone think the avalanche is better than illinois? not that illinois is bad, just that this is AMAZING
Luca Vincent
yep!
Iury
This song brings me to a inexplicable state of peace and happiness.
Iury
I know the lyric isn't happy at all and he's telling a harsh story about divorce but the way how he describes it, teleport us to the story and put it in an amazing sequence of chords feels like fresh breeze being blowed in my lungs. It's like seeing beauty in the sadness.
Cole James
Really? Why? It's a good song, but I sure wouldn't describe it as peaceful or happy
Hipster Beavis
how this didnt make IL will forever blow my mind... Such an amazing track.
RhymesWithLife
Best song ever. I could listen to it all day :)
datacentre
So many songs on The Avalanche which really should have been included on Illinois.