Sufjan Stevens (Born July 1, 1975) is an American musician, songwriter, and… Read Full Bio ↴Sufjan Stevens (Born July 1, 1975) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Petoskey, Michigan. He is known for his lyrically focused and instrumentally rich songs that often relate to faith and family. He has enjoyed wide critical success in the United States. He is considered part of the folk revival through indie pop, but his influences are very broad, including experimental electronic music, the jazz of Vince Guaraldi, and the academic minimalism of Steve Reich and Philip Glass.
Though Stevens had announced plans to make an album for each of the 50 U.S. states, beginning the series with the albums 'Michigan' (2003) and 'Illinois' (2005), he has since then somewhat retracted the statement. "Sufjan Stevens is not going to write a record for each of the 50 states after all" was the original text included on the online liner notes for 'Mews Too: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation' , a disc released on February 7, 2006. This statement was possibly included as a joke, as the text has since been removed and the current liner notes related to Sufjan Stevens reads: "Sufjan Stevens can fold a fitted-sheet (he once worked as a professional folder in a commercial Laundromat)."
Background
Stevens was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in the city of Petoskey in that same state. He attended Hope College on the west coast of Michigan.
The name Sufjan is an Arabic/Persian name that predates Islam and most famously belonged to Abu Sufyan, a figure from early Islamic history. It has been mentioned in the press that the name was given to Stevens by the leader of Subud, a spiritual sect to which his parents belonged when he was born. Stevens has stated that the name is of Armenian origin and means "comes with a sword," and that it is "a charming militaristic Muslim name." In fact the name is not Armenian, and Armenia is a predominantly Christian country.
Sufjan is also the plural form of Sufi in Persian . Sufi is a practitioner of Sufism .This word is frequently used in the old Persian literature ,specially Sufi poetry .
His brother, marathonist Marzuki Stevens, has trained to compete in the 2008 Olympic trials, and has played on two of Sufjan's albums.
A multi-instrumentalist, Stevens plays the banjo, guitar, drums, and several other instruments, often playing all of these on his albums through the use of multi-tracking. While in school, he studied the oboe and English horn, which he also plays on his albums; he is one of the few musicians in popular music to use these instruments.
Career
Sufjan Stevens began his musical career as a member of Marzuki, a folk-rock band from Holland, Michigan. He also played (and continues to play) various instruments for Danielson Famile. While in school at Hope College, Stevens wrote and recorded his debut solo album, A Sun Came, which he released on Asthmatic Kitty Records, a record label he founded with his step-father in 1999. He later moved to New York City, where he was enrolled in a writing program at the New School for Social Research.
While in New York, Stevens composed and recorded the music for his second album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, a song cycle based around the animals of the Chinese Zodiac that ventured into electronica.
Stevens followed this with the first of his 50 states albums, a collection of folk songs and instrumentals inspired by his home state of Michigan. The result, the expansive Michigan, included odes to cities including Detroit and Flint, the Upper Peninsula, and vacation areas such as Tahquamenon Falls. Melded into the scenic descriptions and characters are his own declarations of faith in God, sorrow, love and the regeneration of Michigan.
Following the release of Michigan, Stevens compiled a collection of songs recorded previously into a side project, the Christian folk album Seven Swans, which was released in March 2004.
Next he released the second in the 50 states projects, entitled Come On Feel The Illinoise!. Among the subjects explored on Come On Feel The Illinoise! are the cities of Chicago, Decatur and Jacksonville, the serial killer John Wayne Gacy, the poet Carl Sandburg, and Mississippi Palisades State Park.
He has contributed to the music of Denison Witmer, Soul Junk, Half-handed Cloud, Brother Danielson, Danielson Famile, Serena Maneesh, Castanets, and Liz Janes. He played piano on for fellow Brooklyn musician's The National's album 2007 Boxer. A cover of "She Is" is included on the album Dream Brother, released in the United States on January 31, 2006.
Sufjan contributed a lot to the sound of the 2001 Liz Janes album Done Gone Fire as he engineered, recorded, produced and arranged it as well as playing many addition instruments.
Sufjan recently recorded with Rosie Thomas and Denison Witmer playing banjo and providing vocals. It is unknown how this record will be released. In April 2006, Pitchfork erroneously announced that Stevens and Thomas were having a baby together, but were forced to print a retraction. Witmer and Thomas later admitted it was an April Fools' prank.
The Fifty States Project
Beginning with Michigan, Stevens announced an intent to write an album for each of the 50 U.S. states, although in interviews he wavers between utter sincerity and self-deprecating irony when describing the idea.
Stevens spent the second half of 2004 researching and writing material for the second of these projects, this time focusing his efforts on Illinois. As with Michigan, Stevens used the state of Illinois as a leaping-off point for his more personal explorations of faith, family, love, and location.
The widely acclaimed Illinois was the highest rated album of 2005 on the Metacritic review aggregator site, based on glowing reviews from Pitchfork, The Onion A/V Club, Spin, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and The Guardian. The 2006 PLUG Independent Music Awards awarded Stevens with the Album Of The Year, Best Album Art/Packaging, and Male Artist Of The Year. Pitchfork Media and Paste Magazine named Come On Feel The Illinoise! as the editors' choice for best album of 2005 and Stevens received the 2005 Pantheon prize, awarded to albums selling 500,000 copies or fewer, for Come On Feel The Illinoise!. In April of 2006, Stevens announced that 21 pieces of music he had culled from the Come On Feel The Illinoise! recording sessions would be incorporated into a new album, called The Avalanche. The album was released on July 11, 2006.
While there were other projects rumored to be released following 2005's Illinois, by 2009 and his live album The BQE, he was seemingly finished with the project, calling it "Such a joke", and accepting that the project was too massive and too cliché to ever reach an end.
Religious themes
Many of Stevens' songs have religious and spiritual allusions, but his album Seven Swans has the most direct religious references. Stevens has expressed that he is Christian, but does not overtly advertise this aspect of himself in his music. Stevens has also stated that he does not try to make music "with a message", or music for the sake of preaching. "I don't think music media is the real forum for theological discussions," says Stevens. "I think I've said things and sung about things that probably weren't appropriate for this kind of forum. And I just feel like it's not my work or my place to be making claims and statements, because I often think it's misunderstood."
The songs 'Abraham', 'Seven Swans', 'To Be Alone With You', 'We Won't Need Legs To Stand' and 'The Transfiguration' directly address Christianity on the album Seven Swans. In 'Abraham', Sufjan recounts the Old Testament story in the Book of Genesis when Abraham, ordered by God as a test of faith, leads his son, Isaac, up a mountain and prepares to kill him, as commanded (but before God sends an angel to intervene). The lyrics of 'The Transfiguration' follow the Biblical accounts of Jesus' Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9: 1-8, and Luke 9:28-36.
Michigan and Come On Feel The Illinoise! are packed with Christian references and metaphors. Michigan contains "Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie", which implores "Oh Lamb of God! Tell us Your perfect design and give us the rod" ("Lamb of God" being a Biblical name for Jesus Christ). The song "Oh God, Where Are You Now?" asks God to "hold me now", to "save somehow", searching for God in the midst of personal turmoil. "There's no other man who could save the dead," the song states. The album closer, 'Vito's Ordination Song', was apparently originally written for Sufjan's friend Vito Aiuto, and its lyrics allude directly to Psalm 139 ("I always knew you. In your mother's arms, I have called your name", "I've made a crown for you"). The song speaks of "When the bridegroom comes" - the New Testament speaks of Jesus Christ as being the Bridegroom and the Church His Bride, finally being united together at the End of Time.
Come On Feel The Illinoise! features the song 'Chicago' with its refrain of "You came to take us, to recreate us", and 'Decatur' has the chorus of "It's the great I Am" ("I Am" being the name the Lord reveals Himself by to Moses in Exodus 3:14). "Casimir Pulaski Day" speaks of "All the glory that the Lord has made" in the midst of personal pain and loss. "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" has the lyrics: "Lamb of God, we sound the horn. Hallelujah!" One instrumental passage has the title of "In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth". "The Seer's Tower" speaks of Emanuel, "With His sword, with His robe He comes dividing man from brothers" (an interesting side note is that "Sufjan" actually means "comes with a sword"). Indeed, the vast majority of songs of Come On Feel The Illinoise! contain lyric lines which can be readily identified as having a basis in Stevens' faith in Christ.
Sufjan's second, electronic album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, contains a song cycle based on of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, culminating with the song "Year of our Lord". Stevens released the original, Christian-themed song "God'll Ne'er Let You Down" on the "To Spirit Back the Mews" compilation on Asthmatic Kitty. The officially unreleased Christmas albums Sufjan Stevens made and then compiled into Songs for Christmas feature suitably Christmas and Christian themed music, both originals and covers of hymns and traditional songs.
Trivia
On Snow Patrol's 2006 album Eyes Open there is a reference to Sufjan and the song "Chicago" in the song "Hands Open" - "Put Sufjan Stevens on and we'll play your favorite song/"Chicago" bursts to life and your sweet smile remembers you."
Sufjan has twice been featured on the FOX television show "The OC". "To Be Alone With You" and "For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti" can be heard on episodes 202 and 315, respectively.
Sufjan Stevens' music has appeared twice on the Showtime dark comedy "Weeds". "All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands" appears on S1E02 over the end credits, and "Holland" appears near the end of S2E10.
Two of Sufjan's songs appear on the soundtrack to "Little Miss Sunshine": "Chicago" and "No Man's Land"
The song "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." appears on the 3rd season of the tv show "Nip/Tuck".
Several songs can be heard on the movie "Driving Lessons"
You can also hear snippets in between CSI shows on 5US
In the TV show "Austin City Limits", he mentioned that when he was a kid, he and his best friend saw something in the sky which they couldn't figure out. They thought it was a spaceship or UFO first, then an eagle or a dragon. Finally they realized it was a giant wasp. He wrote the song "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!" about the incident and mentioned that the reason they (the band) all have wings on stage is to overcome his fear of flying things.
The song "Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)" is heard in the 2012 "World of Red Bull" television commercial. he is quoted as saying "selling out never looked so good." and "somebody had to pay for all of that Christmas confetti." referring to his recent Christmas album and supporting tour.
In 2017 Stevens wrote two Original Songs to be featured in the gay drama film “Call me by your Name”, entitled “Mystery of Love” and “Visions of Gideon”. He also made a reworked version of his Song “Futile Devices” which is also featured on the soundtrack.
Website:http://sufjan.com
Though Stevens had announced plans to make an album for each of the 50 U.S. states, beginning the series with the albums 'Michigan' (2003) and 'Illinois' (2005), he has since then somewhat retracted the statement. "Sufjan Stevens is not going to write a record for each of the 50 states after all" was the original text included on the online liner notes for 'Mews Too: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation' , a disc released on February 7, 2006. This statement was possibly included as a joke, as the text has since been removed and the current liner notes related to Sufjan Stevens reads: "Sufjan Stevens can fold a fitted-sheet (he once worked as a professional folder in a commercial Laundromat)."
Background
Stevens was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in the city of Petoskey in that same state. He attended Hope College on the west coast of Michigan.
The name Sufjan is an Arabic/Persian name that predates Islam and most famously belonged to Abu Sufyan, a figure from early Islamic history. It has been mentioned in the press that the name was given to Stevens by the leader of Subud, a spiritual sect to which his parents belonged when he was born. Stevens has stated that the name is of Armenian origin and means "comes with a sword," and that it is "a charming militaristic Muslim name." In fact the name is not Armenian, and Armenia is a predominantly Christian country.
Sufjan is also the plural form of Sufi in Persian . Sufi is a practitioner of Sufism .This word is frequently used in the old Persian literature ,specially Sufi poetry .
His brother, marathonist Marzuki Stevens, has trained to compete in the 2008 Olympic trials, and has played on two of Sufjan's albums.
A multi-instrumentalist, Stevens plays the banjo, guitar, drums, and several other instruments, often playing all of these on his albums through the use of multi-tracking. While in school, he studied the oboe and English horn, which he also plays on his albums; he is one of the few musicians in popular music to use these instruments.
Career
Sufjan Stevens began his musical career as a member of Marzuki, a folk-rock band from Holland, Michigan. He also played (and continues to play) various instruments for Danielson Famile. While in school at Hope College, Stevens wrote and recorded his debut solo album, A Sun Came, which he released on Asthmatic Kitty Records, a record label he founded with his step-father in 1999. He later moved to New York City, where he was enrolled in a writing program at the New School for Social Research.
While in New York, Stevens composed and recorded the music for his second album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, a song cycle based around the animals of the Chinese Zodiac that ventured into electronica.
Stevens followed this with the first of his 50 states albums, a collection of folk songs and instrumentals inspired by his home state of Michigan. The result, the expansive Michigan, included odes to cities including Detroit and Flint, the Upper Peninsula, and vacation areas such as Tahquamenon Falls. Melded into the scenic descriptions and characters are his own declarations of faith in God, sorrow, love and the regeneration of Michigan.
Following the release of Michigan, Stevens compiled a collection of songs recorded previously into a side project, the Christian folk album Seven Swans, which was released in March 2004.
Next he released the second in the 50 states projects, entitled Come On Feel The Illinoise!. Among the subjects explored on Come On Feel The Illinoise! are the cities of Chicago, Decatur and Jacksonville, the serial killer John Wayne Gacy, the poet Carl Sandburg, and Mississippi Palisades State Park.
He has contributed to the music of Denison Witmer, Soul Junk, Half-handed Cloud, Brother Danielson, Danielson Famile, Serena Maneesh, Castanets, and Liz Janes. He played piano on for fellow Brooklyn musician's The National's album 2007 Boxer. A cover of "She Is" is included on the album Dream Brother, released in the United States on January 31, 2006.
Sufjan contributed a lot to the sound of the 2001 Liz Janes album Done Gone Fire as he engineered, recorded, produced and arranged it as well as playing many addition instruments.
Sufjan recently recorded with Rosie Thomas and Denison Witmer playing banjo and providing vocals. It is unknown how this record will be released. In April 2006, Pitchfork erroneously announced that Stevens and Thomas were having a baby together, but were forced to print a retraction. Witmer and Thomas later admitted it was an April Fools' prank.
The Fifty States Project
Beginning with Michigan, Stevens announced an intent to write an album for each of the 50 U.S. states, although in interviews he wavers between utter sincerity and self-deprecating irony when describing the idea.
Stevens spent the second half of 2004 researching and writing material for the second of these projects, this time focusing his efforts on Illinois. As with Michigan, Stevens used the state of Illinois as a leaping-off point for his more personal explorations of faith, family, love, and location.
The widely acclaimed Illinois was the highest rated album of 2005 on the Metacritic review aggregator site, based on glowing reviews from Pitchfork, The Onion A/V Club, Spin, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and The Guardian. The 2006 PLUG Independent Music Awards awarded Stevens with the Album Of The Year, Best Album Art/Packaging, and Male Artist Of The Year. Pitchfork Media and Paste Magazine named Come On Feel The Illinoise! as the editors' choice for best album of 2005 and Stevens received the 2005 Pantheon prize, awarded to albums selling 500,000 copies or fewer, for Come On Feel The Illinoise!. In April of 2006, Stevens announced that 21 pieces of music he had culled from the Come On Feel The Illinoise! recording sessions would be incorporated into a new album, called The Avalanche. The album was released on July 11, 2006.
While there were other projects rumored to be released following 2005's Illinois, by 2009 and his live album The BQE, he was seemingly finished with the project, calling it "Such a joke", and accepting that the project was too massive and too cliché to ever reach an end.
Religious themes
Many of Stevens' songs have religious and spiritual allusions, but his album Seven Swans has the most direct religious references. Stevens has expressed that he is Christian, but does not overtly advertise this aspect of himself in his music. Stevens has also stated that he does not try to make music "with a message", or music for the sake of preaching. "I don't think music media is the real forum for theological discussions," says Stevens. "I think I've said things and sung about things that probably weren't appropriate for this kind of forum. And I just feel like it's not my work or my place to be making claims and statements, because I often think it's misunderstood."
The songs 'Abraham', 'Seven Swans', 'To Be Alone With You', 'We Won't Need Legs To Stand' and 'The Transfiguration' directly address Christianity on the album Seven Swans. In 'Abraham', Sufjan recounts the Old Testament story in the Book of Genesis when Abraham, ordered by God as a test of faith, leads his son, Isaac, up a mountain and prepares to kill him, as commanded (but before God sends an angel to intervene). The lyrics of 'The Transfiguration' follow the Biblical accounts of Jesus' Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9: 1-8, and Luke 9:28-36.
Michigan and Come On Feel The Illinoise! are packed with Christian references and metaphors. Michigan contains "Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie", which implores "Oh Lamb of God! Tell us Your perfect design and give us the rod" ("Lamb of God" being a Biblical name for Jesus Christ). The song "Oh God, Where Are You Now?" asks God to "hold me now", to "save somehow", searching for God in the midst of personal turmoil. "There's no other man who could save the dead," the song states. The album closer, 'Vito's Ordination Song', was apparently originally written for Sufjan's friend Vito Aiuto, and its lyrics allude directly to Psalm 139 ("I always knew you. In your mother's arms, I have called your name", "I've made a crown for you"). The song speaks of "When the bridegroom comes" - the New Testament speaks of Jesus Christ as being the Bridegroom and the Church His Bride, finally being united together at the End of Time.
Come On Feel The Illinoise! features the song 'Chicago' with its refrain of "You came to take us, to recreate us", and 'Decatur' has the chorus of "It's the great I Am" ("I Am" being the name the Lord reveals Himself by to Moses in Exodus 3:14). "Casimir Pulaski Day" speaks of "All the glory that the Lord has made" in the midst of personal pain and loss. "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" has the lyrics: "Lamb of God, we sound the horn. Hallelujah!" One instrumental passage has the title of "In This Temple as in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth". "The Seer's Tower" speaks of Emanuel, "With His sword, with His robe He comes dividing man from brothers" (an interesting side note is that "Sufjan" actually means "comes with a sword"). Indeed, the vast majority of songs of Come On Feel The Illinoise! contain lyric lines which can be readily identified as having a basis in Stevens' faith in Christ.
Sufjan's second, electronic album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, contains a song cycle based on of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, culminating with the song "Year of our Lord". Stevens released the original, Christian-themed song "God'll Ne'er Let You Down" on the "To Spirit Back the Mews" compilation on Asthmatic Kitty. The officially unreleased Christmas albums Sufjan Stevens made and then compiled into Songs for Christmas feature suitably Christmas and Christian themed music, both originals and covers of hymns and traditional songs.
Trivia
On Snow Patrol's 2006 album Eyes Open there is a reference to Sufjan and the song "Chicago" in the song "Hands Open" - "Put Sufjan Stevens on and we'll play your favorite song/"Chicago" bursts to life and your sweet smile remembers you."
Sufjan has twice been featured on the FOX television show "The OC". "To Be Alone With You" and "For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti" can be heard on episodes 202 and 315, respectively.
Sufjan Stevens' music has appeared twice on the Showtime dark comedy "Weeds". "All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands" appears on S1E02 over the end credits, and "Holland" appears near the end of S2E10.
Two of Sufjan's songs appear on the soundtrack to "Little Miss Sunshine": "Chicago" and "No Man's Land"
The song "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." appears on the 3rd season of the tv show "Nip/Tuck".
Several songs can be heard on the movie "Driving Lessons"
You can also hear snippets in between CSI shows on 5US
In the TV show "Austin City Limits", he mentioned that when he was a kid, he and his best friend saw something in the sky which they couldn't figure out. They thought it was a spaceship or UFO first, then an eagle or a dragon. Finally they realized it was a giant wasp. He wrote the song "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!" about the incident and mentioned that the reason they (the band) all have wings on stage is to overcome his fear of flying things.
The song "Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)" is heard in the 2012 "World of Red Bull" television commercial. he is quoted as saying "selling out never looked so good." and "somebody had to pay for all of that Christmas confetti." referring to his recent Christmas album and supporting tour.
In 2017 Stevens wrote two Original Songs to be featured in the gay drama film “Call me by your Name”, entitled “Mystery of Love” and “Visions of Gideon”. He also made a reworked version of his Song “Futile Devices” which is also featured on the soundtrack.
Website:http://sufjan.com
Dream Brother
Sufjan Stevens Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Dream Brother' by these artists:
Buckley Jeff There is a child sleeping near his twin The pictures go…
Buckley (Jeff) There is a child sleeping near his twin The pictures go…
Jeff Buckley There is a child sleeping near his twin The pictures go…
Jeff Buckley (USA) There is a child sleeping near his twin The pictures go…
Jeff Buckley - Topic There is a child sleeping near his twin The pictures go…
KITCHEN - Jeff Buckley There is a child sleeping near his twin The pictures go…
Steve Hogarth There is a child sleeping near his twin The pictures go…
Tim and Jeff Buckley There is a child sleeping near his twin The pictures go…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Sufjan Stevens:
02-Away in a Manger Away in a manger, No crib for His bed The little Lord…
07_-_The Child With The Star On His Head Positive Christmas energy, desperately seeking Santa, Take 3…
08-The Friendly Beasts Jesus our brother, strong and good Was humbly born in a…
A Good Man is Hard To Find Once in the backyard, she was once like me, she was once…
A Good Naysayers Speak Up or For "All good thoughts" in spite of righteousness is the kind of…
A Holly Jolly Christmas La la la, la la, la la Have a holly jolly…
A Little Lost Oh I'm a little lost Without you That may be an understateme…
A Loverless Bed Such a shame that I can't get over this; Put the…
A Running Start If I imagine myself peaceful on the fire escape Head first,…
A Sun Came Everything You are Is everything we have, You're the only g…
A Winner Needs a Wand Like it's killing me, It's kidding me around. This bite, Yo…
Abraham Abraham, worth a righteous one. Take up on the wood, Put it…
Adlai Stevenson Righteous men of the earth Oh have you been patient I suppos…
Age of Adz Well I have known you For just a little while But I…
Ah Holy Jesus Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended That we to judge…
Alanson Crooked River (Instrumental)…
All Delighted People Tomorrow you'll see it through The clouded out disguises put…
All for Myself To bare it down to be in flight, to bare…
All good nay sayers speak up or forever hold your peace "All good thoughts" in spite of righteousness is the kind o…
All Good Naysayers Speak Up! or Forever Hold Your Peace! "All good thoughts" in spite of righteousness is the kind of…
All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace! All good thoughts in spite of righteousness Is not the kind…
All of Me Wants All of You Shall we beat this or celebrate it? You're not the one…
All Of Our Hands If I am alive this time next year Will I have…
All the King One mother rises, pulling the sheets from the grill All the…
All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands If I am alive this time next year Will I have…
Alphabet St No! I'm going down 2 alphabet street I'm gonna crown the fi…
Amazing Grace Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like…
America Is it love you're after? A sign of the flood or…
Angels We Have Heard on High Angels we have heard on high Sweetly singing o'er the plains…
Arnika Arnica might take out the throes that I threw in…
Ativan I woke up in stereo, I spent the day in…
Auld Lang Syne Should old acquaintance be forgot And never brought to mind?…
Ave Maria Ave Maria, gratia plena Maria, gratia plena Maria, gratia pl…
Away in a Manger Away in a manger, No crib for His bed The little Lord…
Back to Oz All my life was calling All my dreams were buried away You…
Bad Communication I'll talk but I know you won't listen to me Oh…
Barcarola Oh, no one else is happily, recklessly Asking for more than…
Beginner’s Mind Bodhi tree grows in the light Shotgun shell, cannon fire Bab…
Belly Button One time, this kid ate too much food, And the…
Blue One, two, three My blue bucket of gold Friend, why don't yo…
Borderline Oh there is a house, A wonderful lover, A satisfied hole, Ho…
Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light Break forth O beauteous heavenly light And usher in the morn…
Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella Bring the torch Jeanette, Isabelle Bring the torch Come swif…
Bushwick Junkie I was only making the move Trying very hard to get…
Carlyle Lake Oh, stop thinking of tomorrow, don't stop thinking of today …
Carol of St. Benjamin the Bearded One I can see you there Oh, in the snowbank With a snowman…
Carrie Carrie and Lowell Such a long time ago Like a dead horse Mea…
carrie %26 lowell Carrie and Lowell Such a long time ago Like a dead horse …
Carrie & Lowell Carrie and Lowell Such a long time ago Like a dead horse Mea…
Casimir Pukaski Day Goldenrod and the 4H stone The things I brought you When I…
Casmir Pulaski Day Goldenrod and the 4H stone, the things I brought you, when…
Chicago I fell in love again All things go, all things go Drove…
Chicago (Multiple Personality I fell in love again All things go, all things go Drove…
Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version) I fell in love again all things go, all things go drove…
Christmas Face Though I try to find my own way To make your…
Christmas in July If I miss my chance, I didn't even try I'm not…
Christmas In The Room No travel bags, no shopping malls No candy canes, no Santa…
Christmas Unicorn I'm a Christmas Unicorn, in a uniform made of gold With…
Christmas Woman Christmas is the time of year When the patrons and the…
Cimmerian Shade The lamb cries 'til ears ring I cannot love from my…
City of Roses A break in the clouds is a break in my…
Come on One two three four O come, o come Emmanuel And ransom capti…
Come on Feel the Illinoise Part 1: World's Columbian Exposition Oh, gr…
Come On Feel The Illinoise! Oh, great intentions I've got the best of interventions But …
Come On Lets Boogey To The Elf Dance! Tie up your boots! Jump off the ladder! Pack up your cloth…
Come On! Feel the Illinoise! Oh great intentions I've got the best of interventions But w…
Come on! Feel the Illinoise Oh, great intentions I've got the best of interventions But …
Come on! Feel the Illinoise! Part 1: World's Columbian Exposition Oh, gr…
Come On! Feel The Illinoise! -Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition -Part II: Carl Sandburg Visit Oh, great intentions I've got the best of interventions But …
Come On! Feel the Illinoise!! Part 1: World's Columbian Exposition Oh, gr…
Come on! Feel the Illinoise!.. Oh, great intentions I've got the best of interventions But …
Come On! Let Tie up your boots! Jump off the ladder! Pack up your clothes…
Come on! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance! Tie up your boots! Jump off the ladder! Pack up your cloth…
Come Thou Font Come, Thou Fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing…
Concerning the UFO Sighting Ne When the revenant came down We couldn't imagine what it was …
Coventry Carol Anything we should know about your change? -- Lullay, thou…
Damascus Does the border temple fall down I fall down When the appr…
Dear Mr. Supercomputer Oh my God I can't believe it What went wrong? The human race…
Death Star Death star into space Trash talk, violate What you call the …
Death with Dignity Spirit of my silence, I can hear you But I'm afraid…
Decatur One, two, three, four Our step mom, we did everything to…
Decatur or Around of Applause for One, two, three, four Our step mom, we did everything to…
Decatur Or Round Of Applau One, two, three, four Our step mom, we did everything to…
Decatur or Round of Applause for Your Step Mother! Our step mom we did everything to hate her She took…
Decatur or Round of Applause for Your Step-Mother! One, two, three, four Our step mom, we did everything to…
Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! Our step mom we did everything to hate her She took…
Demetrius Reach for the archer. He chose an offer. You are only a…
Detroit Once a great place. Now a prison All I can say.…
Detroit Lift Up Your Weary Head! Once a great place. Now a prison All I can say.…
Detroit%2C Lift Up Your Weary Head! Once a great place. Now a prison. All I can say.…
Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!) Once a great place. Now a prison All I can say.…
Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day This time of year you always disappear You tell me not…
Die Happy I wanna die happy I wanna die happy I wanna die happy I…
Ding! Dong! One Mother rises, pulling the sheets from the crib All the…
Ding-A-Ling-A-Ring-A-Ling 1, 2, ready, go Ding-a-ling-a-ling Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-din…
Djohariah I know you won't get very far With the back seat…
Do You Hear What I Hear Do you see what I see? Do you see what…
Drawn to the Blood I'm drawn to the blood The flight of a one-winged dove How?…
Dumb I Sound Something's suddenly unclear, Someone's suddenly my fear. My…
Earth Innocence was never lost Though it may have been insulted Ev…
Enchanting Ghost Tell me what you saw in me And I'll try to…
Eugene Light struck from the lemon tree What if I'd never seen…
Everything That Rises Can you lift me up to a higher place? Forget everything…
Exploding Whale I'm nobody's friend Loneliness rides in my bed My misfortune…
Far Physician's Son Far physician's son Holds Isaiah's song Went to Galilee W…
Flint It's the same outside, Driving to the riverside. I pretend …
Flint (For the Unemployed and It's the same outside, Driving to the riverside. I preten…
For The Widowers In Paradise For The Fatherless In Ypisilan I have called you, children I have called you, son What is…
For the Widows in Paradise I have called you, children I have called you, son What is…
For the Widows in Paradise for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti I have called you, children I have called you, son What is…
For the Widows in Paradise; For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti I've have called you children I have called you son What i…
For the Widows of Paradise For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti I have called you, children I have called you, son What is…
Fourth of July The evil it spread like a fever ahead It was night…
Free Man in Paris "The way I see it," he said, "You just can't…
From the Mouth of Gabriel Desperate measures lead to death From the mouth of Gabriel W…
Futile Devices It's been a long, long time since I've memorized your…
Genuflecting Ghost Give myself as a sacrifice Genuflecting ghost, I kiss the fl…
Get Behind Me Santa I know whatcha doing to me boy, You move so fast…
Get Real Get Right I know you want it I know you really wanna get…
Gilgamesh I'm four degrees off the ground I am lost, forgive me Four…
God'll Ne'er Let You Down Every day, He'll never let you down Chase his name, He'll…
Godzuki "Oh, who is that? She looks good. What's your name?" "My…
Good King Wenceslas La la, hey! It's Christmas Good King Wenceslas looked out O…
Goodbye Evergreen Goodbye, evergreen You know I love you But everything heaven…
Goodbye to All That (I'm your ticket tonight) (I'm your ticket tonight) (I'm you…
Grace Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like…
Happy Birthday Like the lantern on a tree Your burden bright as weary…
Happy Family Christmas 1, 2, and 1 2 3 4 Just this once for…
Happy Karma Christmas Would it have been best to forget you Would it have…
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Hark the herald angels sing "Glory to the newborn King! Peac…
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be lig…
He Woke Me Up Again He was, he was in the churchyard My father was in…
and many more tracks by Sufjan Stevens.
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@ellen5603
Carrie and Lowell is one of those albums that's rare today, a true album that is more than the sum of its parts. Sufjan has created a cohesive work with a consistent theme, more than just a collection of beautiful songs but rather all variations of his theme of loss and grief. The songs are meant to be listened to one after another, not separately. This is a true work of art and I only wish I owned it on vinyl.
And yes, any of us who have lost someone close to us knows the feeling of not knowing how to grieve. I still can't do it after my husband's death or my sister's death. Maybe some day.
I should have wrote a letter
And grieve what I happen to grieve
My black shroud
I never trust my feelings
I waited for the remedy
@heathertaylor8904
As a mom who left my kids with my mother in law due to mental illness after their father passed.. I have no doubt she loved and loves you so very deeply. I believed all this time that they would be better off forgetting I ever existed. I felt like a garbage human because I struggle with something as simple as everyday function; some days getting out of bed seems to much. I felt I would steal their happiness from them. I didn't feel I deserved to be in their life.
I regret it with every breath I take. The pain never really stops... I know your mom didn't go a day or an hour without thinking of you. I wish I could hug you. Please remember she was human and therefore terribly flawed like we all are. My father left me behind the same when I was little, and as I got to know him as an adult, I realized he struggled with alcoholism and feelings of depression and worthlessness, too. I wish I could take the pain away from you. I wish I could take it away from my babies. They are everything, everything... everything to me. I'm sure that's not easy to believe. But I've never known a moments peace since I lost them. I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart breaking, wishing I could just hold them, and take it all away.
I have a phrase that's gotten me through some of the most difficult times in my life, I thought you'd like to hear it.
"Perfer et obdura, dolor hic tibi proderit olim" --Ovid
It means, Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you. And it will be. You will love more deeply. You will be more empathetic. You will see others suffering, and you'll be better at easing it. It's a small consolation, to be sure. But there's a silver lining to even the worst things.
Be at peace. I wish you all the happiness and kindness in the world. You should never have had to feel this way, but please remember, you were likely loved more than you can imagine.
@dilarafuego9241
Lyrics
I should have known better
To see what I could see
My black shroud
Holding down my feelings
A pillar for my enemies
I should have wrote a letter
And grieve what I happen to grieve
My black shroud
I never trust my feelings
I waited for the remedy
When I was three, three maybe four
She left us at that video store
Be my rest, be my fantasy
Be my rest, be my fantasy
I’m light as a feather
I’m bright as the Oregon breeze
My black shroud
Frightened by my feelings
I only wanna be a relief
No, I’m not a go-getter
The demon had a spell on me
My black shroud
Captain of my feelings
The only thing I wanna believe
When I was three, and free to explore
I saw her face on the back of the door
Be my rest, be my fantasy
Be my rest, be my fantasy
I should have known better
Nothing can be changed
The past is still the past
The bridge to nowhere
I should have wrote a letter
Explaining what I feel, that empty feeling
Don’t back down, concentrate on seeing
The breakers in the bar, the neighbor’s greeting
My brother had a daughter
The beauty that she brings, illumination
Don’t back down, there is nothing left
The breakers in the bar, no reason to live
I’m a fool in the fetter
Rose of Aaron’s beard, where you can reach me
Don’t back down, nothing can be changed
Cantilever bridge, the drunken sailor
My brother had a daughter
The beauty that she brings, illumination
@daviddeanburkhart
The beauty that this music brings, illumination.
@gageisugly
David Dean Burkhart hiiiii david
@adelinapetruta2396
Helloo
@didierbizimana2759
Well said. It's exactly that
@sofiaaaaa888
Hey David ❤️
@netele
stop giving us hope asshole
@kinz784
The feeling where you wanna share his music but you kinda wanna keep it to yourself
@somerandombede
OMG TRUE
@melissas7821
So true!
@glynkeegan306
I just sent the link to a friend