Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day Demo

[imjohnandyouare]

Demo version of songs are always more vulnerable. I like the change in lyrics about kicking the girl's father in the face, and I agree with the person who said that it only shows him wanting to be powerful in a time where he felt powerless. I don't think Sufjan meant for the lyric to seem violent.

[TBBTV1]

love sufjan

such an amazing song, off to see him in newcastle august :D

youtube.com/watch?v=_QCmLHA15j­c

[NearTheBarnDoors]

i like this version more because the banjo is more true to it's sound. I tear up almost every time I here this song..I like sufjan's new album, but I hope he continues to write more works like this as well. :) He truly is amazing..

[daniproteau]

DOUBLE RAINBOW

[Arendbelle]

Type in "cover casimir pulaski" and see the one posted by arendbelle. It will be candy to your ears.

[meistershark12]

i hate this. i am very invested in the version on the album. i have dissected it, i understand everything in that song- every allusion, symbol, hidden meaning, the rhyme scheme, that it is not a song, that it is a sonnet. he replaced "when you ran outside with your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied..." in this version with "i could pull your hair and kick you in the face"

[meistershark12]

if you understand the lyrics we already know that the father was distant/abusive, and the song needs "with your shirt tucked in shoes untied..." stanza for the allusion back to him in the stanza "on the floor at the great divide with my shirt tucked and my shoes untied..." is the end of the volta, which is the quatrain of flashbacks, and turns into the final quatrain to the end of the song. it is not a standard sonnet, having a sestet followed by two quatrains, but is in fact a sonnet.

[sullivan328]

@meistershark12:

?

try-hard troll tries really hard?

(and there's no way this could be a sonnet, even though it has fourteen units - but they're stanzas, not lines.)

[superbelladonna]

Windows of paradise is also amazing !!

[bibsly]

where did you find this version?

I'd love to have this as an mp3

[TheBoss2332]

I forget where I got it from. I'll put a download link in the description by tomorrow though.

[34ay6750]

thanks sufjan...perfect songs...

[voluptamors]

I want a banjo sooooo bad now

[countbleck123]

no offense to sufjan in any way, put i think th Come on feel the illinoise version is alot better

[theuglyrose]

Coolest song about tragic teen death EVER. Now I wish I was xtian.

[brendanrhys]

I know :-p I think this song is amazingly beautiful, but I feel like it would mean more to me if I wasn't so scathingly atheist :-p

[jakeo102]

@brendanrhys I am, and have always been an atheist, but still appreciate the beauty and questioning in this song. I think that I can respect a person who believes in God, only if they question themselves and their religion. I believe blind unwavering faith, or a lack there of, is wrong and simple minded. No one knows everything, we should all take it upon ourselves to gather the evidence, and confront our own thoughts and mindsets without preconditions. We would all be better off.

[brendanrhys]

@jakeo102 For sure. I don't have to buy into any of the parts of religion to really understand and enjoy the products of it. I adore this song! That being said, I still think it would mean a lot more to me if I was religious. Just like watching alien movies would mean a lot more to me if I was into UFOs and alien abductions. I may seem like I'm using that anecdote facetiously, but it's the first thing that came to mind.

[imaskinnycow]

you should become one! Youl love it

[gatitoprieto]

perfect song, perfect voice, perfect lyrics, perfect music... I'm in love... ^^

[bckyrdboogie]

I like the kicked him in the face line.

Different.

[MattyC555]

this song is by far one of the most beautifully sad songs ever IMO

[heyheyitsmj]

This is the perfect song.

[richardnixonisgod]

I like this one better because its more folky, indie, and kinda raw.

[TheGeneralSoreness]

Wow....I like this version. Sufjan is a brilliant songwriter, just like Sam Beam. I wish the two of them could get together with a couple more amazing musicians.....we'd have a modern day Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young.

[pouidg]

I like the comparison.

[jxwhee]

demo versions of any song always sound more sincere to me.

[andkevinsaidFTW]

I much prefer the demo version. The subtle changes, like having a shirt un-tucked as opposed to tucked in, make it so beautiful.

[shorty61292]

I love Sufjan! Favorite artist of all times. I could see a bunch of people discovering this song on like a Juno soundtrack, because it sounds like the Kimya Dawson-esque sounds that are depicted on it.

[lyricalesque]

I actually prefer this version to the album version. It's so much more affecting, and it really brings out so much more imagery in my opinion.

Either one is great, Sufjan Stevens has always been my favorite artist. Thanks for posting.

[poleyinator007]

Where'd you get this version?

[olgalew]

Kazimierz Pułaski?;)

[boxcarchris]

casmir pulaski was a general in the american revolution and is considered the father of the american cavalry... his day is celebrated in Illinois on the first monday in march....

[johndrew25]

Cool! Thanks. I just discovered Sufjan Stevens. This helps.

[XxHIMfreak23xX]

This is cute :D

Casimir Pulaski Day is my favorite song :]

[Nickelodeon1167]

i've never heard this version before. very interesting. thanks for posting :)

[ahriette]

Bundi music:)

[happpig]

I kinda like the replaced verse. I mean, they are both good in their own right but I think in this version in shows alittle more on the adolescent in it. I think its his fantasy about defending the girl and defending his honor. If there is a guy out there who hasn't felt that before...

Anyway, its not about the violence. Its about wanting to feel powerful in a situation when he was powerless.

[iconostential]

Oh man... the verse that replaces the more angry on here is one of my absolute favorites - in fact I think it makes the song.

It's so strange to think it wasn't originally a part of it!

[nubbs]

thanks for posting it anyways. interesting to see the narrative changes about the neck and blouse. makes you wonder how much is invented and how much is taken from his life.

[nubbs]

i prefer the less violent album version. but still, if ever there was a song to get one all choked up...

[TheBoss2332]

I agree, so much so that I don't really ever listen to this version but it is still interesting.