For m… Read Full Bio ↴Sufjan Stevens on 'Flint (For the unemployed and Underpaid)' :
For many years our family was affected by a procession of economic burdens: we lived in our grandfather’s summer home without heat or insulation, bats lived in the walls, our father worked at the state park (later, doing construction, later, at Wal-Mart), there were six children, three grandchildren, a parade of pets and animals, mouths to feed. Our parents did the best they could with very little income and a few rolls of duct tape.
In the winter, the windows were sealed with plastic, the house was lined with wet wood, the upstairs nailed off with sheets and plywood. Sometimes we slept in one room (after the chimney fire). Sometimes one of us slept in the hall (there was much fighting and bickering then). Sometimes we boiled water for baths. Sometimes we shared bath water. I was the youngest (besides Colin, who was the baby); I bathed last, in lukewarm water as muddy as Miso soup. But we always had food. My father did the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the shopping. Our mother did the thinking. Our parents were an industrious pair, at the very least. They managed things through trial and error.
One week we were washing dishes at the co-op. The next week we were in Al-Anon. One week we were eating Macrobiotic. The next week we were given food allowances: we would devise eating lists and do the shopping on our own. Years later, our parents put a lock on the refrigerator. “You eat too much,” our father said. “All of you are like one big empty stomach.” I cannot imagine the burden we put on our parents. We were always hungry, we were always cold. There was very little money; there was so much work to do.
We never lived in Flint, but we had the capacity to empathize with its economic slump. The industrial scapegoat for the entire state, Flint has not grown old with fortunate grandchildren.
Flint
Sufjan Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Driving to the riverside.
I pretend to cry,
Even if I cried alone.
I forgot the start.
Use my hands to use my heart.
Even if I died alone.
Lost my job and lost my room.
I pretend to try,
Even if I tried alone.
I forgot the part.
Lose my hands to lose my heart.
Even if I died alone.
In the song "Flint" by Sufjan Stevens, the lyrics describe a sense of desolation and isolation. The lines "It's the same outside, driving to the riverside" suggest a lack of change and monotony in the singer's surroundings. The phrase "I pretend to cry, even if I cried alone" evokes a feeling of forced emotion, as if the singer is trying to convince others or even themselves that they feel something. This idea is continued in the second verse when the singer says "I pretend to try, even if I tried alone." The repetition of "even if" emphasizes the idea that the singer is willing to go through the motions even if no one is watching or cares.
The lines "I forgot the start. Use my hands to use my heart" and "I forgot the part. Lose my hands to lose my heart" suggest a confusion or disorientation. The repeating structure of these two lines emphasizes a sense of frustration or despair. The phrase "use my hands to use my heart" could also be interpreted as a reference to crafting or creating art as a means of expression. Overall, the song paints a picture of someone who is going through the motions of life but doesn't necessarily feel like they are truly living or experiencing anything.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the same outside,
The environment is unchanging.
Driving to the riverside.
Traveling towards a body of water.
I pretend to cry,
Feigning emotions of sadness and despair.
Even if I cried alone.
Despite being by myself, I would still shed tears.
I forgot the start.
I cannot remember the beginning or the origin of something.
Use my hands to use my heart.
Expressing and acting on my emotions through physical means.
Even if I died alone.
Even in death, I would still be by myself.
Since the first of June,
Starting from the first of June and continuing on.
Lost my job and lost my room.
No longer having employment and a place to live.
I pretend to try,
Faking attempts and efforts.
Even if I tried alone.
Even if I put in effort by myself.
I forgot the part.
I cannot recall a specific component or detail.
Lose my hands to lose my heart.
The loss of physical abilities affecting the emotional state.
Even if I died alone.
Even in death, I would still be solitary.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SUFJAN STEVENS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind