Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day + LYRICS + STORY

Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise (2005)


1 Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois 2:08
2 The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization And Still Feel Good About Yourself In The Morning, Or, We Apologize For The Inconvenience But You're Going To Have To Leave Now, Or, "I Have Fought The Big Knives And Will Continue To Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!" 2:15
3 Come On! Feel The Illinoise! Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream 6:46
4 John Wayne Gacy, Jr. 3:20
5 Jacksonville 5:25
6 A Short Reprise For Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But For Very Good Reasons 0:47
7 Decatur, Or, Round Of Applause For Your Stepmother! 3:04
8 One Last "Whoo-Hoo!" For The Pullman 0:07
9 Chicago 6:04
10 Casimir Pulaski Day 5:54
11 To The Workers Of The Rock River Valley Region, I Have An Idea Concerning Your Predicament 1:41
12 The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts 6:17
13 Prairie Fire That Wanders About 2:11
14 A Conjunction Of Drones Simulating The Way In Which Sufjan Stevens Has An Existential Crisis In The Great Godfrey Maze 0:20
15 The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us! 5:23
16 They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh! 5:10
17 Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All The Way Out In Bushnell 0:40
18 In This Temple As In The Hearts Of Man For Whom He Saved The Earth 0:35
19 The Seer's Tower 3:54
20 The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders Part I: The Great Frontier Part II: Come To Me Only With Playthings Now 7:03
21 Riffs And Variations On A Single Note For Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, And The King Of Swing, To Name A Few 0:47
22 Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run 4:22

Goldenrod and the 4H stone
The things I brought you when I found out
You had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car into the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry

In the morning, through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulderblade
I could see what you were reading

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth

Tuesday night at the Bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens

I remember at Michael's house
In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse

In the morning at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared

All the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
And you told me not to follow you

Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I found the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of you mother

On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom

In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window

In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March, on the holiday
I thought I saw you breathing

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window

All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes


Sufjan Stevens on Casimir Pulaski Day
“I was a teenager and this was my first experience with death. At that age, you’re easily confused. I couldn’t understand why she had to die. Experiences like this always cause doubt. Because we don’t cope well with the idea of evil in this world. Then you doubt the existence of God and His intentions.. actually everything. But that’s good. One of the foundations of faith is the lack of it - the disbelief. […] It’s very important. Firm belief is a bit unreal. That leads to religious fanaticism. Doubt is inseperable from Christianity. With every figure in the bible you find doubt - Abraham, Moses, all the kings and the apostles. Even Jesus doubted. So isn’t it funny how religions - especially Christian institutions in the US - have eliminated all doubt? They don’t understand how important it is to doubt. With all its consequences.” (Roughly translated from a Dutch interview)

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[just4laughs789]

anyone else crying?

[HalbDoenerHalbMensch]

one of the greatest songs I've ever heard :)

[Apartment309]

It's hard to imagine the brilliance one needs to write a song like this. It's a talent I'll never fully understand. Few artists now a days possess it... Sufjan Stevens is one of them.

[stevie222wonder]

even though i never listened to this song much, it still makes me so emotional when i hear it nowadays..

[thecrots1]

Ive been listening to this at least once a year since the album came out in 2005 and still cry every single time

[SpoonsAtMidnight]

@haufen122 You must have had a pretty intense childhood...

[RoryAfrizal]

@oddoledder what do you mean by that‽‽‽

[chrisrex2041]

It's like storytime set to music

[oddoledder]

Really?



[AbigailCompositions]

@just4laughs789 , I am. :(

[Spaikez]

brilliant songs. I usually never cry, but this song is so sad, but so beautiful at the same time :)

[AbigailCompositions]

This song makes me so sad. But it's beautiful. :')