On January 23, 2018, “Mystery of Love” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Stevens also performed the song at the awards ceremony with St. Vincent, Moses Sumney, Chris Thile, and frequent collaborators Casey Foubert and James McAlister.
Guadagnino in an interview with 4:3 Film said:
"I approached Sufjan and told him about the film and navigated him through the ideas that I had. It was quite a long process that ended up with him saying that he was happy to do not one song but two. But he also made us an arrangement of “Futile Devices” for piano, which was beautiful."
“Mystery of Love” was also featured in the trailer for the film.
It is probable that an earlier version of the song was intended for release either on Stevens' 2015 album, Carrie & Lowell, or his 2017 mixtape, The Greatest Gift. This is due to the abundant lyrical references to the state of Oregon, the state which became the dramatic backdrop and focus for Carrie & Lowell.
Mystery Of Love
Sufjan Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The first time that you kissed me
Boundless by the time I cried
I built your walls around me
White noise, what an awful sound
Fumbling by Rogue River
Feel my feet above the ground
Hand of God, deliver me
Oh, oh, woe-oh-whoa is me
The first time that you touched me
Oh, will wonders ever cease?
Blessed be the mystery of love
Lord, I no longer believe
Drowned in living waters
Cursed by the love that I received
From my brother's daughter
Like Hephaestion, who died
Alexander's lover
Now my riverbed has dried
Shall I find no other?
Oh, oh, woe-oh-whoa is me
I'm running like a plover
Now I'm prone to misery
The birthmark on your shoulder reminds me
How much sorrow can I take?
Blackbird on my shoulder
And what difference does it make
When this love is over?
Shall I sleep within your bed
River of unhappiness
Hold your hands upon my head
'Til I breathe my last breath
Oh, oh, woe-oh-whoa is me
The last time that you touched me
Oh, will wonders ever cease?
Blessed be the mystery of love
Sufjan Stevens's song Mystery Of Love is a cryptic exploration of love's mystical power that is timeless, boundless, and sometimes, even painful. The song begins with the line "Oh, to see without my eyes," which can be interpreted as a desire to experience love beyond the physical senses. The singer has built metaphorical walls around himself, and he feels the weight of time and boundlessness of love when he cries. The line "hand of God, deliver me" invokes the idea of divine intervention or salvation from pain.
The singer goes on to talk about the beauty of love's mystery and how it overwhelms him with wonder. "The birthmark on your shoulder reminds me" of the special moments and details that make love significant. However, the singer also reflects on the sorrow and misery of love when it ends, asking, "How much sorrow can I take?" The metaphor of the blackbird on his shoulder can be interpreted as an ominous sign of impending misfortune or heartbreak.
The song's bridge talks about the idea of cursed love and the allusion to Hephaestion, who was a male lover of Alexander the Great. The reference to his "brother's daughter" could be a reference to incest or an allusion to the Shakespearean play Hamlet. The song concludes with "hold your hands upon my head 'til I breathe my last breath," invoking a peaceful ending to the song, as if love were the only comfort in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, to see without my eyes
To experience something so profound and inexplicable, that it defies logical comprehension
The first time that you kissed me
The moment when love becomes palpable and undeniable
Boundless by the time I cried
Overwhelmed with emotion, yet unable to feel entirely liberated from the constraints of love
I built your walls around me
Feeling possessive, protective and trapped in a love that becomes a prison
White noise, what an awful sound
The confusion and mental turmoil that ensues from being in love; a constant buzz in the mind
Fumbling by Rogue River
Navigating through an unpredictable journey of love without a compass
Feel my feet above the ground
A sense of empowerment, joy and liberation when in love
Hand of God, deliver me
The need for divine intervention to help overcome the challenges and obstacles that come with love
Oh, oh woe-oh-woah is me
A lament, a cry of despair and pain
The first time that you touched me
A moment of intimacy, tenderness and vulnerability, with the potential to change everything
Oh, will wonders ever cease?
The hope and wonder that love will continue to bring joy, despite its difficulties and challenges
Blessed be the mystery of love
A celebration and acknowledgement of the unexplainable, magical power of love
Lord, I no longer believe
A loss of faith in love, possibly due to heartbreak or betrayal
Drowned in living waters
Overwhelmed, consumed, and suffocated by the all-encompassing nature of love
Cursed by the love that I received
Saddled with the weight and pain of love that was unrequited, or which ended in heartbreak
From my brother's daughter
Possibly a reference to incest or taboo love, which is cursed in some societies
Like Hephaestion, who died
A reference to the tragic love story of Alexander the Great's lover, and the inevitability of pain and loss in romantic love
Alexander's lover
A metaphor for someone who is deeply and devotedly in love, often at great personal cost
Now my riverbed has dried
Feeling emptiness, and a lack of love, after experiencing it intensely in the past
Shall I find no other?
A yearning, a plea, and a question, for the possibility of future love and happiness
How much sorrow can I take?
A cry of pain, desolation, and hopelessness, when the burden of love seems too great to bear
Blackbird on my shoulder
A symbol of sadness and mourning, often associated with loss and death
And what difference does it make
A rhetorical question that underlines the futility of love, when it seems to bring only pain
When this love is over?
A realization that love, no matter how intense or meaningful, is mortal and will eventually fade
Shall I sleep within your bed
The longing for intimacy, safety, and comfort, even within a love that may have ended
River of unhappiness
A metaphor for the pain, tears, and struggles that come with love, as well as the emotional devastation it can cause
Hold your hands upon my head
A plea for comfort and solace, even in the darkest moments of love
'Til I breathe my last breath
The ultimate desire for love to accompany us from birth to death, and to bring us peace and serenity
The last time that you touched me
A memory that lingers long after a love affair is over
Oh, will wonders ever cease?
A hopeful, yet uncertain question, about the infinite and mysterious nature of love
Blessed be the mystery of love
A recognition that love, despite its many complexities and challenges, is ultimately a beautiful and transformative force
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sufjan Stevens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind