Casimir Pulaski Day
Sufjan Stevens Lyrics

Goldenrod and the 4H stone
The singer remembers the small gifts he brought to his loved one when he found out she had bone cancer.

The things I brought you
The singer brought her gifts of Goldenrod and a 4H stone when he found she had cancer of the bones.

When I found out you had cancer of the bone
The singer remembers meeting his loved one when she was diagnosed with bone cancer.

Your father cried on the telephone
The artist recalls his loved one's father crying on the phone after her cancer diagnosis.

And he drove his car into the navy yard
The father of his loved one drove to the naval yard to demonstrate how sorry he was after hearing of her diagnosis.

Just to prove that he was sorry
The father of his loved one did this to demonstrate how sorry he was after hearing about her diagnosis.

In the morning, through the window shade
The singer recalls seeing the light shining upon his loved one's shoulder blade through the window shade.

When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade
The artist remembers seeing the light shining through the window, creating highlights on his loved one's shoulder blade.

I could see what you were reading
The artist could see what his loved one was reading in the morning light.

All the glory that the Lord has made
The artist thinks of all the beautiful things the Lord has created.

And the complications you could do without
The singer thinks of all the hardships and complications his loved one went through due to her cancer.

When I kissed you on the mouth
The artist remembers the moment he kissed his loved one.

Tuesday night at the Bible study
The singer recalls being at Bible study on Tuesday night.

We lift our hands and pray over your body
At Bible study, the attendees raised their hands and prayed over his loved one's body.

But nothing ever happens
Despite their prayers, nothing changed for his loved one's health.

I remember at Michael's house
The artist remembers being at Michael's house with his loved one.

In the living room when you kissed my neck
The artist recalls the moment his loved one kissed him on his neck in Michael's living room.

And I almost touched your blouse
The singer remembers the intimacy he shared with his loved one and how he almost touched her blouse.

In the morning at the top of the stairs
The singer recalls the morning when his loved one's father found out about their actions the previous night.

When your father found out what we did that night
The father of his loved one discovered what happened between them that night.

And you told me you were scared
The artist remembers his loved one confessing about being scared after her father found out about their actions.

All the glory when you ran outside
The artist remembers his loved one running outside with her shirt tucked in and shoes untied.

With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
The singer remembers how his loved one ran outside with her shirt tucked in and shoes untied.

And you told me not to follow you
The artist's loved one told him not to follow her as she ran outside.

Sunday night when I cleaned the house
The singer recalls a Sunday night when he cleaned the house.

I find the card where you wrote it out
While cleaning, the singer found a card with a note his loved one had written to him.

With the pictures of your mother
The note had pictures of his loved one's mother.

On the floor at the great divide
The artist remembers being on the floor at a time of great division and struggle.

With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
The artist remembers that his shirt was tucked in and his shoes were untied during this time.

I am crying in the bathroom
The singer remembers crying in the bathroom during this time of struggle.

In the morning when you finally go
The singer recalls when his loved one finally passed away.

And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
The artist recalls a nurse coming in with her head hung low after his loved one passed away.

And the cardinal hits the window
As a cardinal hits the window, the artist presumes it's a sign of his loved one's passing.

In the morning in the winter shade
The artist remembers a winter morning after his loved one had passed.

On the 1st of March on the holiday
This day is March 1, which is holiday in honor of Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary War hero.

I thought I saw you breathing
The artist thinks he sees his loved one still breathing.

All the glory that the Lord has made
The singer acknowledges the beautiful things the Lord has created despite the sadness he feels after his loved one passed away.

And the complications when I see His face
Despite seeing the face of God, the singer still deals with the complications and consequences of losing his loved one to cancer.

In the morning in the window
The singer looks out the window in the morning where he feels the presence of his loved one.

All the glory when he took our place
The artist acknowledges that Christ took our place for our sins.

But he took my shoulders and he shook my face
The artist feels that Christ shook him by the shoulders to remind him that he is still alive and has work to do.

And he takes and he takes and he takes
The singer acknowledges the nature of the cycle of life and death, where everything is taken away in due time.