The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
Logan, Grant, and Ronald Reagan
In the grave with Xylophagan
Do you know the ghost community?
Sound the horn, address the city
(Who will save it? Dedicate it?
Who will praise it? Commemorate it for you?)
We are awakened with the axe
Night of the Living Dead at last
They have begun to shake the dirt
Wiping their shoulders from the earth
I know, I know the nations past
I know, I know they rust at last
They tremble with the nervous thought
Of having been, at last, forgot
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
B-U-D-A! Caledonia!
S-E-C-O-R! Magnolia!
B-I-R-D-S! And Kankakee!
Evansville and Parker City
Speaking their names, they shake the flag
Waking the earth, it lifts and lags
We see a thousand rooms to rest
Helping us taste the bite of death
I know, I know my time has passed
I'm not so young, I'm not so fast
I tremble with the nervous thought
Of having been, at last, forgot
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
Comer and Potato Peelers!
G-R-E-E-N Ridge! Reeders
M-C-V-E-Y! And Horace!
E-N-O-S! Start the chorus
Corn and farms and tombs in Lemmon
Sailor Springs and all things feminine
Centerville and Old Metropolis
Shawneetown, you trade and topple us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Hold your tongue and don't divide us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Land of God, you hold and guide us
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
Logan, Grant, and Ronald Reagan
In the grave with Xylophagan
Do you know the ghost community?
Sound the horn, address the city
(Who will save it? Dedicate it?
Who will praise it? Commemorate it for you?)
We are awakened with the axe
Night of the Living Dead at last
They have begun to shake the dirt
Wiping their shoulders from the earth
I know, I know the nations past
I know, I know they rust at last
They tremble with the nervous thought
Of having been, at last, forgot
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
B-U-D-A! Caledonia!
S-E-C-O-R! Magnolia!
B-I-R-D-S! And Kankakee!
Evansville and Parker City
Speaking their names, they shake the flag
Waking the earth, it lifts and lags
We see a thousand rooms to rest
Helping us taste the bite of death
I know, I know my time has passed
I'm not so young, I'm not so fast
I tremble with the nervous thought
Of having been, at last, forgot
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Ring the bell and call or write us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Can you call the Captain Clitus?
Comer and Potato Peelers!
G-R-E-E-N Ridge! Reeders
M-C-V-E-Y! And Horace!
E-N-O-S! Start the chorus
Corn and farms and tombs in Lemmon
Sailor Springs and all things feminine
Centerville and Old Metropolis
Shawneetown, you trade and topple us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Hold your tongue and don't divide us
I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S!
Land of God, you hold and guide us
Lyrics submitted by Nimbus the Kitten
They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhhh! song meanings
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Although Sufjan Stevens brilliantly weaves religioun into each empty nook and crany in his songs, each song on his two "States albums" has a real world story which he is telling.
In this song he is talking about a large number of towns in Illinios which have changed their names over years in order to change. These towns were engulfed in poverty and such, so changing their names was changeing their identity. If they were no longer the name of a town in poverty, they were no longer in poverty, right?
This constant change of identity resulted in the people there being left rather displaced. They already had no job, no house, no lives, and now on top of that they did not have a city for more than a year. They lost their identities as the names changed.
This song is the uprising chant of all of those disposesed citizens who were forgotten as a result of all the poverty and public policy. They are back to claim the lives and the towns that were theirs. They say, "Look out all you who reaped benefits from our untimely demise!"
As the title states, they are neighbors. They are the people all around us whom we ignore, who we refuse to help. They are back from the dead and are here to judge us for what we have done or done none of.
There is the religous undertone: honor thy neighbor, for judgement day is near.
Sufjan Stevens talked a little about the history behind this song and others on a radio interview which is available as a podcast from "KPBS These Days."
I'm not sure what the website is but I'm sure google won't fail you if you are in search of it.
@zachharrisment I think this explanation is a bit dismissive and overly simplistic. The song is about the things you describe, but the other 2-3 themes in the song are moreso what the song is about, spirituality and patriotism. <br /> <br /> You just said the zombies are poor people, that's highly unlikely. The religious undertone is more sophisticated; it's not simply 'honor they neighbor', it's 'how and why do I honor my neighbor when my neighbor is a victim of corrupt systems and false ideologies in both the state and of humanity itself?' The zombies are those corrupted/misled people.<br /> <br /> According to the Bible, "all fall short" so how can you honor someone's falling short? How can you honor a country when everything is backwards and bankrupt in every way? Why should you? The reason is because there are things greater and more important than our own lives. FAITH in your country or in our Lord are what give us unimaginable strengths of mind and soul and lead us to do many amazing things in the advancement of His plan. However it's when these aspects are corrupted, usually in the pursuit of wealth and power that the worst things are done in the 'name of God'.<br /> <br /> Faith is like a muscle and it can weaken or be strengthened. The ability to be faithful builds character and improves your life and the lives of those around you, that's why you do it. It is right. The narrator isn't a zombie because he is Christian, yet he is far from safe. It is so easy for anyone to be lead astray at any time.<br /> <br /> /////////////////////////////////////////////||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\<br /> tl;dr<br /> <br /> To simplify my summary of the bigger point of this song: <br /> <br /> Questions: How do I honor my neighbor who is morally corrupted? How can I be patriotic when everyone is poor and the government is corrupt?<br /> <br /> Answer: Hold your tongue and don't divide people, God is with us and will make everything right/ (and alternately) The U.S.A. is the best country in the world, they will make all these economic problems go away<br /> <br /> /////////////////////////////////////////////////////|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\