Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr. + 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

His father was a drinker
And his mother cried in bed
Folding John Wayne's t-shirts
When the swingset hit his head
The neighbors they adored him
For his humor and his conversation
Look underneath the house there
Find the few living things, rotting fast, in their sleep
Oh, the dead

Twenty-seven people
Even more, they were boys
With their cars, summer jobs
Oh my God

Are you one of them?

He dressed up like a clown for them
With his face paint white and red
And on his best behavior
In a dark room on the bed
He kissed them all
He'd kill ten thousand people
With a sleight of his hand
Running far, running fast to the dead
He took off all their clothes for them
He put a cloth on their lips
Quiet hands, quiet kiss on the mouth

And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floor boards
For the secrets I have hid


Sufjan Stevens on John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
“I think it’s kind of an exercise in humuliation. I won’t pretend to empathize with his behavior or his desire. But I can empathize with his nature. I feel our way of alienating and disassociating with serial killers is a way of disengaging with the reality of our nature, and that we are very selfish, possessive, violent people. I have high regard for the industry of humanity and our ability to give and generate love, but I also think we are selfish animals. I guess I felt a real conviction, although I don’t know where it came from, to humanize John Wayne Gacy, Jr. in a way that enabled us to encounter our own beasts within ourselves. [But] there was nothing good about him. He had no sense of grief about what he did, even to the very end. I’m not pretending to know where that comes from.”

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[GrembyTheWalrus]

I just spent 15 minutes on Wikipedia reading about all of the murders John Wayne Gacy was involved in. Oh, and a great song, by the way.

[Spice938]

my god i have never heard any artist more revolutianary than Sufjan. his songs are the best i have ever heard. he is so articulate and inspiring. thanks for the upload this song is amazing. chills every time i hear it.

[weirdandproud96]

gah, I got the chills when he sang "Are you one of them"

<3 first time hearing this song, and I already love it so much.

[blaketheironman]

@rbh1138 Once again look at the direct words from Sufjan in the description above. See anything about sin or religion? No sorry man. And don't get me wrong i wasn't attacking you because of religion, i was simply correcting your false statement. :)

[blaketheironman]

@rbh1138 Oh i never said he wasn't inspired by his religion did i? no i never said that. You were clearly implying that this song only has "stuff" about John Wayne Gacy but is really about Christianity. That is simply not the truth. People interpret things differently and thats great, but even if the one line in the song has an underlying religious theme doesn't mean that this song just has "stuff" about Gacy but is mostly about religion.

[rbh1138]

@blaketheironman Actually most songs in Seven Swans are religious based. As is many of his other songs. He even helps his Pastor with his music duo. Welcome Wagon. Sufjan may not be a "Christian artist" but he is inspired by Christianity since he is one. So maybe you should learn more about Sufjan before you attack me.

[jrapantera]

@samofhansen hey, thanks for enlightening me. appreciate it

[prettymaryk326]

The theme is similar to "Son of Sam" by Elliott Smith. Both amazing songs by great artists.

[samofhansen]

@jrapantera it's not dedicated to this person; the point Sufjan was trying to make when writing this song was that in his sin, he is no greater a man than John Wayne Gacy. "In my best behavior, I am really just like him, Look underneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid"

[TheDuckofLaw]

utterly chilling. This song is hard to listen to, despite its artistic beauty.

[jrapantera]

his is a great song. I just hate that it's true and it's dedicated to this person

[GrembyTheWalrus]

@Broden124 Fuck off, /mu/fag.