| Neutral Milk Hotel – Two-Headed Boy Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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More detailed version: http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com/post/2172524509/two-headed-boy-neutral-milk-hotel This is the correct answer ;). |
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| Neutral Milk Hotel – Two-Headed Boy Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Nazis and gas chambers and all that Anne Frank madness. But not so sure now. “Made for his lover who’s floating and choking with her hands across her face.” Course Anne died of Typhus, not gassing. Now I’m not so sure. I’m thinking it’s about a friend’s suicide. Two-headed boy All floating in glass The sun, it is passed Now it’s blacker than black I can hear as you tap on your jar I am listening to hear where you are I am listening to hear where you are This is an image of that two-headed boy in the Philly museum. (Google) Represents his friend, perhaps their closeness. Imagine Jeff is sitting in bed and senses something happened via this image. Two-headed boy Put on Sunday shoes And dance around the room to accordion keys With the needle that sings in your heart Catching signals that sound in the dark Catching signals that sound in the dark Now we’re in the hospital with his suicide friend. They’re trying to revive him. Maybe using the paddles to make him jump. The heart monitor sings. We will take off our clothes And they’ll be placing fingers through the notches in your spine And when all is breaking Everything that you could keep aside Now your eyes ain’t moving now They just lay there in their climb He’s passed. They’re lifting him off the table. His eyes have rolled back. Two-headed boy With pulleys and weights Creating a radio played just for two In the parlor with a moon across her face And through the music he sweetly displays Silver speakers that sparkle all day Made for his lover who’s floating And choking with her hands across her face A nurse with a mask (moon across her face) is wheeling him to his girlfriend, who is identifying his body. Pulleys and weights squeak, providing a soundtrack for the two living people in the room. Some wound or teeth fillings or something are visible, (silver speakers that sparkle all day). His lover breaks down. And in the dark we will take off our clothes And they’ll be placing fingers through the notches in your spine And when all is breaking Everything that you could keep aside Now your eyes ain’t moving now They just lay there in their climb Two-headed boy There is no reason to grieve The world that you need is wrapped in gold silver sleeves Left beneath Christmas trees in the snow And I will take you and leave you alone Watching spirals of white softly flow Over your eyelids and all you did Will wait until the point when you let go I’m not sure. It’s beautiful, though. Vague feeling that this is the boy in the jar being “freed”…also his friend’s spirit. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – All for Myself Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The lyrics are incorrect...this is actually a suicide, not a murder. cradled should be cradle, which is an act of volition, hence his lover can't be dead. |
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| Iron & Wine – The Trapeze Swinger Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Final version, much better than the previous two. I think it's close to his intent. http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com/post/1441721796/the-trapeze-swinger-by-iron-and-wine-audio-link |
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| Iron & Wine – The Trapeze Swinger Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I added some bits and fixed some typos. http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com/post/1441149941/the-trapeze-swinger-by-iron-and-wine |
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| Iron & Wine – The Trapeze Swinger Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Sufjan break! I'll probably push this off onto another page later. This is one of my favorite songs and still a beautiful mystery I can't quite unravel, though I think I've made some progress. Feel free to comment via Ask if you see something I don't. Broadly it's a dying man giving an honest accounting of his life to himself, in the form of an imagined conversation with a childhood friend he hasn't seen in years. It's a very powerful and poignant narrative device. Please, remember me happily By the rosebush laughing With bruises on my chin, the time when We counted every black car passing Your house beneath the hill And up until someone caught us in the kitchen With maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank A vision too removed to mention The time of innocence they shared as children, the happiness in the mundane, the big naive dreams. Smile when you think of these days. But please, remember me fondly I heard from someone you're still pretty And then they went on to say That the pearly gates Had some eloquent graffiti Like "We'll meet again" and "Fuck the man" And "Tell my mother not to worry" And angels with their great handshakes Were always done in such a hurry Pragmatic info: she's alive and he has not seen her in some time. (still pretty) Overall, remember him fondly when you do. He wasn't a bad man. Then the amusing take on the pearly gates with graffiti, presumably tagged by rejects. The quick handshakes of Angels gives the impression he's talking about a "thanks for applying and best of luck" kind of dismissal. And please, remember me that Halloween Making fools of all the neighbors Our faces painted white By midnight, we'd forgotten one another And when the morning came I was ashamed Only now it seems so silly That season left the world and then returned And now you're lit up by the city Tough one, but I think it's to show a youthful perspective. He's grown past shame for that. She moved, maybe right after that, or more broadly, time passed, and she left one Fall for college. So please, remember me mistakenly In the window of the tallest tower Calling passers-by but much too high To see the empty road at happy hour Gleam and resonate, just like the gates Around the holy kingdom With words like "Lost and found" and "Don't look down" And "Someone save temptation" This is interesting. I think he was in her town one time and though he saw her down on the street below calling for her. So he thought he could see that distance, but later he was too drunk (high) to see the empty road gleaming as he left the bar one day.... I suppose he crashed and that's why he's here. And please, remember me as in the dream We had as rug-burned babies Among the fallen trees and fast asleep Aside the lions and the ladies That called you what you like and even might Give a gift for your behavior A fleeting chance to see a trapeze Swinger high as any savior Remember him as the trapeze swinger, the metaphor for his life, I think. Thrill-seeking, reckless. But please, remember me, my misery And how it lost me all I wanted Those dogs that love the rain and chasing trains The colored birds above their running In circles around the well and where it spells On the wall behind St. Peter So bright, on cinder gray, in spray paint "Who the hell can see forever?" A dog that loves the rain, i.e., a man who rejects a settled family life. Chasing trains and birds around the well, futile quests or deluded dreams. But who can know that at the time? Who the hell can see the consequences of everything ahead of time? "How it cost me all I wanted. " Conveys the idea that this guy had something and didn't know it...still wanted it. Fits the idea of the businessman or workaholic who's never home, because, he tells himself, he needs to take care of his family....his absence of course costing him his family. And please, remember me seldomly In the car behind the carnival My hand between your knees, you turned from me And said, "The trapeze act was wonderful But never meant to last", the clown that passed Saw me just come up with anger When it filled with circus dogs, the parking lot Had an element of danger He made a move on his friend once, and she rebuffed him. Marks the end of childhood--the trapeze act of their youth--could not last. More broadly, a life lived as a trapeze swinger can never last. Don't get the relevance of the clown and carnival dog stuff. So please, remember me finally And all my uphill clawing My dear, but if I make the pearly gates I'll do my best to make a drawing Of God and Lucifer, a boy and girl An angel kissing on a sinner A monkey and a man, a marching band All around a frightened trapeze swinger Then the final twist on the metaphor of trapeze swinger, which in its brevity as an act is childhood, in its recklessness it's not a sustainable lifestyle, and finally... ...in its swinging back and forth, it shows the dynamic nature of human life, and shows us the silliness of our labels...he was a good man...he was an evil man...he was reckless...sinner...a granter of forgiveness...tough...soft...etc. He was all of those things at one time or another; he was a trapeze swinger, a frightened trapeze swinger, hanging on as best he could. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – All for Myself Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I think it's a jealous lover murder song. Narrator is plagued by recurring jealousy. Bear it down/be in flight may be biting down of anger and the letting loose of rage. Impatience and a painted bust? Some allusion I don’t get. Shakespeare? The point, I assume, is to convey the further disintegration of the relationship. Keeping the lover close to his ear deepens the possessiveness mood. Ear is a nice detail. The image of someone clutching and listening really ups the creep factor. We set out once with folded shirts, with hairy chest and well rehearsed I want it all, I want it all for myself I’ll set it right between your eyes Your shoulder blades, your running knife I want it all, I want it all for myself This is a planned trip or the breakup and move out. The possessive dude is rehearsing the murder. Improving all the time, I am Improving as I kiss the hem I promise I won’t be a trouble at all For I’m okay, I’m in the red Impressions of the unmade bed You cradled close to me, close to my ear Murderer convinces ex-lover to let him stop by. I’m much better now, found Jesus. I just want to say sorry. After a little nostalgia sex, commits the murder. “I’m in the red impressions of the unmade bed.” Then holds his possession close to his ear. Death can’t keep them apart! We set out once forget our shirts with hairy chests and well rehearsed I want it all I want it all for myself Out in the earth I smell of you Of bathing boy, amazing you I want it all, I want it all for myself So now it’s a well-rehearsed body disposal. Maybe he washed the body first (bathing boy), and is burying it. Maybe he’s lying next to the body and will kill himself. Maybe they’ll have a picnic! (Mind the ants). http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com/post/1438215967/all-for-myself |
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| Sufjan Stevens – I Want to Be Well Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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I'm thinking Sufjan's illness is mental illness. We know Sufjan hears voices (Seven Swans), has insomnia, fights depression, and has a mom who was schizophrenic. Everywhere you look, everywhere you turn, illness is watching, waiting its turn. ... Endless lights prey upon the lonely, prey upon the lonely Weightless lights, oh, I would rather be, but I would rather be fine ... I want to be well, I want to be well, I want to be well, I want to be well. ... Apparitions gone awry They surround me, all sides And now he's obsessed with a schizophrenic artist who paints his visions? Longer version on my site: http://bit.ly/c5B9Wk |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Get Real Get Right Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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Sufjan sees his own affliction/gift whatever in Royal. They both see prophetic images of the future, which include UFOs. Royal doesn’t get the imagery, so he might have a picture in his mind of the world splitting in four, but thinks its revenge against unfaithful women, when it’s really….well, just end times, perhaps, according to Sufjan. Me, I don’t doubt they’re seeing something…and I wouldn’t be shocked if Sufjan’s genius was a slightly mad kind of genius. Anyway I think Sufjan wishes he could’ve talked to Royal and helped him figure out these things, help him get real, get right with the Lord. Get real, get right For you will not be distracted by the signs Do not be distracted by them Do yourself a favor and get real Get right with the lord Get real, get right with the Lord This ties in with Impossible Soul's "don't be distracted..." More writeup: http://bit.ly/ckp61J |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The ? part is Don't be fruit o' loom. I look into this song in some detail @ http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com/post/1385003126/the-age-of-adz-song-sufjan-actually-slightly-crazy |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz Lyrics | 13 years ago |
| Sufjan is addressing Royal Robertson in this song. | |
| Sufjan Stevens – From the Mouth of Gabriel Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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My listening pattern is to loop my favorite tracks over and over without much focus on the lyrics. Eventually things start seeping in. In this track it was fairly obvious that this was Suf singing as God, but it took a few tens of listens before it occurred to me that he was singing as God addressing Satan, post-Apocalypse. "Your face has changed, I hardly know who you are this time. And when I came into your room, you tried to jump." God comes off as a distracted, self-centered buffoon in this characterization. He’s genuinely surprised at the change in Satan. Oh dear, what happened to you? You look like Hell (no pun intended). Other clues to it being Satan: "And though I held you up best" and "you probably should but I won’t you let you run away this time." The former alludes to the notion that Satan was God’s favorite angel and the latter the Fall. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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(1) Breakup event. Gets dumped, goes a little nutty. Realizes he's mourning something secondary he wanted from it, not the person herself. As though it were an ego blow. She the love of his "Impossible Soul," the cynical/fearful part of him that thinks that happiness is not possible...too risky. (2) His "angel" coaches him... the things you do for safety imprison you more than the worst outcomes you could ever experience from taking chances. Basically, the risk averse life robs you of the full experience (delight) of life. (3) The lesson seeping into his conscience (auto-tune). (4) Life essential beckoning...use it or lose it, champ. Snap out of the dream life you're living. (5) Sorry I was a dick. I'm much better now. Wasn't that a lot of drama? |
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| Sufjan Stevens – No Man's Land Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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A dream relayed? Visual texture, a montage-y feel, non-linear narrative. Sufjan’s research subjects coming to life in slumber, interleaving with his personal memories and fantasies. A few clues to this are the stage-actor-esque bows by his sister and the beauty queen, the “whoever you are in the light” (addressed to a dream lover), and the counting out, which has a kind of dream logic/urgency to it. (Very similar, in fact, to Come On Feel the Illinoize Part II, I know.) Images of present day Illinois, the ferries, the beauty queens, the bars and cars (dealers?)….and of the past, Black Hawk’s band, the Eads Bridge the bends, floods, mine accidents, the civil war… Ephemeral, wispy, impermanent. Man’s dramas swirling up like dust devils from the land, dissipating quickly…swept away by God’s right hand…disease, disaster, war, the passage of time. The refrain, this land is yours, this land is mine… At first blush the end seems to turn this into irony, but in context it’s sincere. There’s no hint of disdain in his delivery. It is your land, it is my land, but not in the sense of ownership. It’s your home, part of your life, but not your possession. It’s a fact unto itself. Sting’s All this Time expresses similar bemusement at man’s self-importance, contrasting the eternal flowing of river to sea against the busy fussing of priests with their rituals. Dunnos: O’Hara the airport (O’Hare) or Frank O’Hara the poet…in heaven? Who’s the Captain? In red because he’s in hell? Cairo doesn’t sound like Cairo to me… Injured Ivory Deer? Ivory soap is a deer repellent. Is that what he means? What’s he counting out? The deaths? Did he get laid near that boat? Water-that-we-made = sweat? If you like this analysis, I have web page dedicated to analyzing Sufjan's lyrics: http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com/ |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Barn Owl, Night Killer Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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A predator/prey metaphor for an asymmetrical relationship. Sufjan is the tanager, the prey. His sheltered inexperience burdens him with a needy intensity. An easy victim for the more worldly owl. It comes to a head when the owl cheats, stands him up. The tanager rages, ponders suicide, makes a half-hearted attempt. Opts instead for physical confrontation when the owl appears. Is disgusted by his own helplessness. The owl toys with him, laughs off his anger, they wrestle…into sex, but not reconciliation. Not until the owl acknowledges his reciprocal need does the tanager relent, this time on his own terms. He is still prey, still needy, but has asserted himself, acknowledged his own worth. Sounds like a crappy but necessary experience. I give my humble interpretations of many Sufjan Stevens songs here: http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Chicago Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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A coming of (spiritual) age story. The transitory/eternal juxtaposed in verse/chorus. The chorus is the eternal fact of Jesus’s love. It conveys the unacknowledged presence of Jesus in Sufjan’s life, even as Sufjan’s wanderings were leading him elsewhere. He sold his clothes to the state, a odd statement. Strong hint of metaphor, but can’t pinpoint it. The sense is of blithely undervaluing something. In an interview Sufjan alludes to a kind of survival game he played with college mates on a trip to Chicago, something about who could last longest w/o any resources. A foolhardy act of youth. He made a lot of mistakes, in his mind. I love the “in my mind” part. It very succinctly captures an immature perspective. He drove to New York, in love with the idea of New York. Hardcore fans recognize this as his trip to New York to make it big with his first band, Marzuki. If you get wiser as you get older (never a sure bet), the smallness/shallowness of your motivations makes you wince more than anything else. Back in the van, with his friend, Sufjan is crying, probably lamenting the band’s failure, not realizing true fulfillment was never to be had there in the first place. Thus, his true mistake: looking for fulfillment in things, in fame, in relationships, in experiences. (i.e., in the ephemeral). In this recognition, Sufjan’s narrative merges with Jesus’s. And they intermingle in the final chorus. One pictures a crying Sufjan, comforted by Jesus, lamenting his mistake. I give my interpretations of many Sufjan Stevens songs here: http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Majesty, Snowbird Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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In a nutshell, “How will I come to know you best, God? How have you designed me to come to know You? Scripture (right word/good advice) and contemplation (quiet room) or the imperfect community of church and the hard lessons of life (the broken word/tapestry/altarpiece)?” The rain bird seems to me to be the life of innate, effortless grace, where God’s presence is obvious and manifest. The majesty snowbird is the more common life of quiet suffering, the snow falling upon us, piling high on our shoulders like epaulets. But if we endure it, if we soldier through, we will emerge into the majesty from “winter” before those with an easier life (or before we ourselves would had we not been blessed with hard life lessons). The chorus is God saying, don’t let the suffering break you. Know you have a place and that I am there with you. This life is the life i designed for you because it’s the life you need. Thinking about this reminded me of the documentary Into Great Silence. There’s almost no dialogue in the film, which examines life in a monastery in Europe…but toward the end one of the monks speaks. He’s blind, decrepit, and looks to have been there for decades. He says he is thankful that God has made him blind, because he knows that God is both infinitely good and infinitely wise and therefore his blindness is a gift God has given him for the good of his soul. Some may know by word alone, some need suffering to drive them to contemplation and through that find God. I analyze a lot of sufjan songs here: http://mindthatknowsitself.tumblr.com |
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| Sufjan Stevens – The Lord God Bird Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Bird dies at the hands of humanity. Appears again (apparently) and offers us a chance for redemption. How will we react? Yes, this is a clear, unambiguous analogy to Jesus, in the sense of resurrection, yes, but more importantly in the offer (not gift) of redemption. In both cases the exercise of free will is at work. So how will we react? We should repent, as during an altar call, for it's only through sincere repentance that we can grow into a better people, towards this bird, toward the environment, towards all of God's creation. |
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