Sufjan Stevens-- The Lord God Bird

[BirdWatcher1001]

In memory of Ivory Billed Woodpecker 1950\2012

[1337Ravage]

what release is this song from?

[Sforeczka]

This song makes me cry, and don't know why.

[theImagoDeo]

R.I.P. Ivory Bill.... :..(

[dltanner99]

Cryptozoology novel about two boys who find something strange on the beach one night see video book trailer

[1thing2do]

Check out this really great band, The Perennials. You can find them by searching "theperennialsarewe" on youtube. They play beautiful music.

[HaloofCurls]

The bayous of Arkansas are really a magical place.

[JRayMalcolm]

I understand why he wrote this so well. It's very similar to the Christian life, everyone says that the one thing we base our life on doesn't exist and there is no proof yet we see him pass by all the time. there are a number of similar stories in the Bible, for example when God passes by moses in the wind while he was on the mountain. just beautiful.

[lindareena]

@JRayMalcolm what a wonderful comment JRay...

[Mexxico57]

my father was actually one of the people who led this expedition, he wrote a book about it and everything. its so strange to think that this song actually relates to him in some way.

[jam5301]

@Mexxico57

no way,,, he wasn't in the video was he?

[FishWiz97]

@Mexxico57 Really? Was he Tim Gallagher, because I'm reading that book!

[Arsteeganep]

Nice! I like the lyrics about the sewing machine god - the last confirmed ivory billed woodpeckers lived on the Singer Tract, a piece of land owned by the Singer sewing machine company

[jam5301]

@Arsteeganep

did not know that.. 

[DianaDeLuna]

@jam5301 Yes. Old sewing machines were built directly into hardwood tables. During the post-WW II economic boom, when demand for these sewing machines soared, the Singer company came onto the land and clearcut the entire forest, taking out the last of the Ivory Bill population with it.

Well, Singer did own the land. Don't you just love unregulated personal property rights? :o(

[CrimsonEmpire]

@DianaDeLuna those old sewing machines are so cool. Antiques.

[colmwn]

Good job, nice video. Its out there!

[Lassielurv]

The latest smithsonian had an article about it, and I was like, Sufjan's song! FTW! :D

[Everclearfan86]

Please Sufjan...

Do an Arkansas album.

[getmeoutofthehouse]

This song has been in my head all day, and that has been wonderful.

[firesinged]

@getmeoutofthehouse ...yeah it does that.

[herrrob14]

Man that footage is great. What cool outdoorsmen!

[ml191172]

Stumbled in from Norway. Beautiful, this is. Thanx

[Hubris73]

Lets hope this means there is an "Arkansas" album is on the way...or any album...damnit Sufjan!!!! Make some more music PLEASE!!!

[puffinman]

@zogetaur Spelt "too" wrong. Sorry, probably invalidates my point... Oh well

[puffinman]

@zogetaur If you can really tell me what Heidegger is talking about and then compare it to Sufjan then I owe you a pint. Heidegger is far to clever for me...

[Alienography]

reminds me of elliot smith.

[blundaer]

@bleachtempest lol its about smoking marijuana cigarettes lol good comment though :)

[blundaer]

and for all these people talking about the 50 states project..sufjan laughed that project off like 4 years ago...he said it sounded good, but would be very hard to actually do.

[blundaer]

Most of Sufjans songs have a religious undertone..i guess some people just take literal interpretations of what an artist is saying... for instance, do you think that the song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles is really about wanting to hold someones hand? i dont think so...

[bleachtempest]

@blundaer I think it actually is about wanting to hold your hand. lol

[blundaer]

it references the ivory billed wood pecker, but the song isn't about that..its a metaphor...

[blundaer]

just because it is refrenced in the song doesn't mean its about it...its about the return of christ

[devojane]

Sorry, it's definitely about a bird.

[blundaer]

this song is not about the ivory billed wood pecker...

[ZombieRepellent]

i would love for sufjan to actually do arkansas for his next state album. he would have a lot of controversial issues and material to work with.

[aciddmc]

I could see that. Although all the states have interesting history that could be written about. That's what makes his project so good, so much material.

[Johabri]

ah....that stinks.....I have four parakeets and I love them!!!you can do anything with them...I put mine on a romote control car and he just sits there!!

[jakestupidme]

gr8!!!!

[mjowelk]

i can't find this song on spotify :( but i can find sufjan steven. can someone link me if they find it?

[devojane]

Search for "The Lord God Bird" at NPR's website.

[mjowelk]

the title is great god bird. not lord bird ;O. great song tough!

[devojane]

Nope, the title is "The Lord God Bird". It is great, isn't it?

[MwahahaFiresOfDoom]

Honey for the soul. :)

[DrEyebrows]

The beggining REALLY reminds me of M.A.S.H. but I love this one.

[aciddmc]

a little bit actually, but not "REALLY". You must hear things quite differently.

[benegeseritwhore]

he should do a song on the carolina parakeet. It was the only one in the continental US, and disappeared almost a century ago. Farmers persecuted it because of its noisiness and penchant for eating seeds. It had the unfortunate habit of circling around its fallen comrades in mourning. They were rapidly extinguished:(

[lobsterthecannibal]

perfect.

[o3okitten]

oh yay! :D

now know the story behind the song c:

[yazanmasad]

wow! this is a beautiful song! ive been a pretty dedicated sufjan fan for years and i havnt heard this one until today! im assuming its unreleased? if not, which album is it on?

[anewsurrender]

Yeah, unreleased..

[bifwhampow]

Love the song, and the video is great! I love the story behind the song.

[DianaDeLuna]

jam, *thank you* for putting this song into its proper context! Yellow flowers are pretty and all, but that other vid always bugged me. That one is off my playlist, replaced by this one as of right now! :o)

[24karatgoldpieces]

My shcool was lucky enough to go to a private screening of the documentary movie about the Ivory Bill. We got to meet the co-producer and one of the researchers! Bird watching isn't my cup o' tea but I loved the whole thing. This song is absolutely my favorite and never fails to bring a tear to my eye. I mean, just imagine searching almost your whole life for something that most likely doesn't exist and then having it literally fly right by you.

[ALmakoto]

dude our school just watched a this new documentary about the ivory billed wood pecker and they had this song i think the co producer of the documentary helped direct or co produce the movie that made arnold shwarzenger famous about body building

[rabidmonkey1]

NPR did a great track full of interviews and sound clips about this song. I love the story behind it. If you don't already have it, I'm pretty sure a google search will find it for you...

[whoners]

Nice song... cool footage too! I'd be a lil skeered tho, cause that looks to me like it would house crocks and alligators... So knowing this, that would NOT be me on that boat! Awesome footage!

[jam5301]

Thanks for the feedback Whoners.

Yeah, the only other video of the song that was on youtube is some Girl in a field of flowers, and that has 50 Thousand Views.

 I think the footage from the News Story is perfect for the song

I'd say it's probably the best video I've put up so far. and I'm expecting that it might get alot of views.

[jam5301]

too add to what you were saying, yeah it does look pretty creepy down in those bogs. The guy that runs his boat filming the shores looking for a supposidly extinct woodpecker has got guts. I was thinking what if the motor broke down, He must really know his stuff.

[DianaDeLuna]

If you want a really detailed account of what it was like in that bug-and-snake-infested bayou for the guys who first spotted the Ivory Bill in '04, there's an awesome book called "The Grail Bird" by Tim Gallagher. It's one of my favorites.

[dymphnasis]

Will this song be in the film Ghost Bird?

[rbh1138]

@jam5301 Yeah this is more fitting then that odd footage of some chick in a field. It makes no sense and doesn't go with the song at all.