songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire also includes subjects of love, war, religion, and mysticism.
In 1997, she founded the Cradleboard Teaching Project, an educational curriculum devoted to better understanding Native Americans. She has won recognition and many awards and honours for both her music and her work in education and social activism.
Buffy Sainte-Marie was born in 1941 on the Piapot Plains Cree First Nation Reserve in the Qu'Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was later adopted, growing up in Massachusetts, with parents Albert and Winifred Sainte-Marie. She attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, earning degrees in teaching and Oriental philosophy and graduating in the top ten of her class. She went on to earn a Ph.D in Fine Art from the University of Massachusetts.
In 1964, on a return trip to the Piapot Cree reserve in Canada for a powwow she was welcomed and (in a Cree Nation context) adopted by the youngest son of Chief Piapot, Emile Piapot and his wife, who added to Sainte-Marie's cultural value of, and place in, native culture.
In 1968, she married surfing teacher Dewain Bugbee of Hawaii; they divorced in 1971. She married Sheldon Wolfchild from Minnesota in 1975; they have a son, Dakota "Cody" Starblanket Wolfchild. That union also ended in divorce. She married her co-writer for "Up Where We Belong," Jack Nitzsche, on March 19, 1982. He died from a heart attack on August 25, 2000. As of 2007, she lives in Hawaii.
Although not a Bahรก'รญ herself, she became an active friend of the Bahรก'รญ Faith by the mid-1970s when she is said to have appeared in the 1973 Third National Bahรก'รญ Youth Conference at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has continued to appear at concerts, conferences and conventions of that religion since then. In 1992, she appeared in the musical event prelude to the Bahรก'รญ World Congress, a double concert "Live Unity: The Sound of the World" in 1992 with video broadcast and documentary. In the video documentary of the event Sainte-Marie is seen on the Dini Petty Show explaining the Bahรก'รญ teaching of progressive revelation. She also appears in the 1985 video "Mona With The Children" by Douglas John Cameron. However, while she supports a universal sense of religion, she does not subscribe to any particular religion.
Sainte-Marie claimed in a 2008 interview at the National Museum of the American Indian that she had been blacklisted by American radio stations and that she, along with Native Americans and other native people in the Red Power movements, were put out of business in the 1970s.
In a 1999 interview at Dinรฉ College with a staff writer with the Indian Country Today, Sainte-Marie said "I found out 10 years later, in the 1980s, that President Lyndon B. Johnson had been writing letters on White House stationery praising radio stations for suppressing my music" and "In the 1970s, not only was the protest movement put out of business, but the Native American movement was attacked."
As a result of this blacklisting led by (among others) Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Nashville disc jockey Ralph Emery (following the release of I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again), Sainte-Marie said "I was put out of business in the United States".
God Is Alive Magic Is Afoot
Buffy Sainte-Marie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Magic is afoot
God is alive
Magic is afoot
God is afoot
Magic is alive
Alive is afoot
Magic never died
God never sickened
Many poor men lied
Many sick men lied
Magic never weakened
Magic never hid
Magic always ruled
God is afoot
God never died
God was ruler
Though his funeral lengthened
Though his mourners thickened
Magic never fled
Though his shrouds were hoisted
The naked God did live
Though his words were twisted
The naked Magic thrived
Though his death was published
Round and round the world
The heart did not believe
Many hurt men wondered
Many struck men bled
Magic never faltered
Magic always led
Many stones were rolled
But God would not lie down
Many wild men lied
Many fat men listened
Though they offered stones
Magic still was fed
Though they locked their coffers
God was always served
Magic is afoot
God rules
Alive is afoot
Alive is in command
Many weak men hungered
Many strong men thrived
Though they boasted solitude
God was at their side
Nor the dreamer in his cell
Nor the captain on the hill
Magic is alive
Though his death was pardoned
Round and round the world
The heart did not believe
Though laws were carved in marble
They could not shelter men
Though altars built in parliaments
They could not order men
Police arrested Magic
And Magic went with them
For Magic loves the hungry
But Magic would not tarry
It moves from arm to arm
It would not stay with them
Magic is afoot
It cannot come to harm
It rests in an empty palm
It spawns in an empty mind
But Magic is no instrument
Magic is the end
Many men drove Magic
But Magic stayed behind
Many strong men lied
They only passed through Magic
And out the other side
Many weak men lied
They came to God in secret
And though they left him nourished
They would not say who healed
Though mountains danced before them
They said that God was dead
Though his shrouds were hoisted
The naked God did live
This I mean to whisper to my mind
This I mean to laugh with in my mind
This I mean my mind to serve 'til
Service is but Magic
Moving through the world
And mind itself is Magic
Coursing through the flesh
And flesh itself is Magic
Dancing on a clock
And time itself the magic length of God
In this tribute to the resilience of faith and magic, Buffy Sainte-Marie passionately celebrates the endurance of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The key message of โGod is alive Magic is afootโ is that despite the relentless adversity of life and its many hardships, the spirit of magic, imagination, and creative power resides within us all. This is most eloquently conveyed through the line โThough laws were carved in marble They could not shelter men, though altars built in parliaments They could not order men.โ These are the powerful lyrics of a song that is both an affirmation of the power of the human spirit and a call to action, a reminder that even in the darkest of times, the magic that lives within us all can light the way.
Another notable aspect of โGod is alive Magic is afootโ is the way that it highlights the limitations of human power. The lyrics suggest that no matter how powerful and influential individual human beings may be, there are things in life that are beyond their control. The song hints at the idea that magic and faith are spiritual powers that cannot be quantified or controlled. They are always present in the world, and they have the power to transform our lives in ways that we cannot predict or fully understand.
Line by Line Meaning
God is alive
The divine force is still present and active
Magic is afoot
A transformative energy is at work in the world
God is alive
The divine force is still present and active
Magic is afoot
A transformative energy is at work in the world
God is afoot
The divine is present and moving through the world
Magic is alive
A transformative energy continues to thrive
Alive is afoot
Life itself is in motion and energy
Magic never died
The transformative energy has always existed and will continue to exist
God never sickened
The divine force has never weakened or fallen ill
Many poor men lied
Many people have spread falsehoods about the divine and the transformative energy at work
Many sick men lied
Many people have spread falsehoods about the divine and the transformative energy at work
Magic never weakened
The transformative energy has never lost its potency
Magic never hid
The transformative energy has always been present and visible for those who seek it
Magic always ruled
The transformative energy has always been in control
God is afoot
The divine is present and moving through the world
God never died
The divine force has never truly died or disappeared
God was ruler
The divine force was in charge of the world
Though his funeral lengthened
Though it seemed like the divine force had died and disappeared
Though his mourners thickened
Though more and more people believed that the divine force was gone
Magic never fled
The transformative energy has never disappeared or abandoned the world
Though his shrouds were hoisted
Though it seemed like the divine force had been buried and forgotten
The naked God did live
The divine force was still present, even if it seemed hidden or forgotten
Though his words were twisted
Though people misrepresented or misunderstood the divine force
The naked Magic thrived
The transformative energy continued to thrive and do its work
Though his death was published
Though it seemed like the divine force had died and disappeared
Round and round the world
Everywhere
The heart did not believe
Many people did not truly believe that the divine force or transformative energy was gone
Many hurt men wondered
Many people who were suffering wondered why the divine force or transformative energy wasn't helping them
Many struck men bled
Many people who were oppressed or abused suffered greatly
Magic never faltered
The transformative energy continued to do its work, even in the face of suffering and adversity
Magic always led
The transformative energy continued to guide and move the world toward transformation
Many stones were rolled
Many obstacles were put in the way
But God would not lie down
But the divine force would not be defeated
Many wild men lied
Many people who were acting recklessly or maliciously spread falsehoods
Many fat men listened
Many people in positions of power listened to those who spread falsehoods
Though they offered stones
Though they tried to impede the transformative energy with obstacles and hostility
Magic still was fed
The transformative energy still continued to get stronger and thrive
Though they locked their coffers
Though they tried to withhold resources and help from those who sought transformation
God was always served
The divine force continued to inspire and work through those who sought transformation
God rules
The divine force is ultimately in charge of the world
Many weak men hungered
Many people who were suffering and marginalized sought transformation
Many strong men thrived
Many people in positions of power continued to thrive and dominate
Though they boasted solitude
Though they acted as if they were alone in their power and influence
God was at their side
The divine force continued to work through those in power, whether they realized it or not
Nor the dreamer in his cell
Even those who were imprisoned or oppressed continued to seek transformation and connect with the divine force and transformative energy
Nor the captain on the hill
Even those in positions of power and authority continued to seek transformation and connect with the divine force and transformative energy
Magic is alive
The transformative energy continues to thrive
Though his death was pardoned
Though it seemed like the transformative energy had been defeated or destroyed
Round and round the world
Everywhere
The heart did not believe
Many people did not truly believe that the transformative energy was gone
Though laws were carved in marble
Though the powers that be tried to establish systems of power and oppression
They could not shelter men
Those systems could not protect people from suffering and oppression
Though altars built in parliaments
Though the powers that be tried to establish systems of religion
They could not order men
Those systems could not control people's beliefs and actions
Police arrested Magic
Those in positions of power tried to apprehend and suppress the transformative energy
And Magic went with them
The transformative energy appeared to be suppressed, but it continued to thrive and move throughout the world
For Magic loves the hungry
The transformative energy is drawn to those who suffer and seek transformation
But Magic would not tarry
The transformative energy continued to move and act
It moves from arm to arm
The transformative energy is transmitted from person to person
It would not stay with them
The transformative energy cannot be controlled or contained
Magic is afoot
The transformative energy continues to thrive
It cannot come to harm
The transformative energy cannot be destroyed or defeated
It rests in an empty palm
The transformative energy can be accessed by anyone, without any material possessions or resources
It spawns in an empty mind
The transformative energy can be accessed by anyone, regardless of education or intellectual capabilities
But Magic is no instrument
The transformative energy cannot be controlled or manipulated like a tool
Magic is the end
The transformative energy is the ultimate goal and purpose of life
Many men drove Magic
Many people have attempted to control or suppress the transformative energy
But Magic stayed behind
The transformative energy continued to thrive and move through the world
Many strong men lied
Many people in positions of power spread falsehoods about the transformative energy
They only passed through Magic
Those in power may have had brief encounters with the transformative energy, but they could not control or contain it
And out the other side
They did not truly understand or connect with the transformative energy
Many weak men lied
Many people who were suffering spread falsehoods about the transformative energy
They came to God in secret
They sought transformative energy in private, often because of fear or shame
And though they left him nourished
And though they found comfort and strength in the transformative energy
They would not say who healed
They did not want to risk the repercussions of openly embracing the transformative energy
Though mountains danced before them
Though great obstacles seemed to be overcome
They said that God was dead
They claimed that the transformative energy was gone or could not help them
Though his shrouds were hoisted
Though it seemed like the divine force had been buried and forgotten
The naked God did live
The divine force was still present, even if it seemed hidden or forgotten
This I mean to whisper to my mind
This is what I intend to reflect on internally
This I mean to laugh with in my mind
This is what I find joy and humor in when I reflect on it internally
This I mean my mind to serve 'til
This is my guiding principle that I intend to live by
Service is but Magic
The transformative energy is reflected in acts of service and kindness
Moving through the world
The transformative energy is present in and moves through the world around us
And mind itself is Magic
The transformative energy can be accessed and directed through our own thoughts and beliefs
Coursing through the flesh
The transformative energy is reflected in the physical experiences and sensations of our bodies
And flesh itself is Magic
The physical experiences and sensations of our bodies are imbued with transformative energy
Dancing on a clock
Living and moving through the world, regardless of time constraints or limitations
And time itself the magic length of God
Time is part of the divine force, and is imbued with transformative energy
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Buffy Sainte-Marie, Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@richboyprado
This went perfectly with the Yellowjackets finale
@dennisadams8775
Everyone knows a misty! :)
@SirCoughsalot
The show has great music in general, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear this track. Used to great effect.
@superhetoric
โ@SirCoughsalot same
@victorhernandez5516
Fuck yeah!!!
@Ashabea21
10000%
@stewieadams2656
Yellowjackets brought me here. Heard it in the season 2 finale and thought it was a really cool song. Wanted to hear it again.
@harrymorgan595
Me too
@ItsNotSakai
Same
@gowonfan12
lottie matthews we are so sorry girl