| Sufjan Stevens – Out of Egypt, Into the Great Laugh of Mankind, and I Shake the Dirt from My Sandals as I Run Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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"Out of Egypt" is a common Jewish/Christian reference to God's salvation--by His own power bringing His people out of slavery and oppression. "The Great Laugh of Mankind" feels like more of a stretch, because contrary to how we typically view laughter (joy and happiness), in the Bible laughter tends to be more about mocking and sneering (esp. when talking about "mankind" as a whole). For instance, Psalm 44:14 says "You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples" and Psalm 80:6 says, "You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves." Regarding "And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run," you'll find this in chapter six of the Mark's Gospel: "And [Jesus] said to them, '...if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, **shake off the dust that is on your feet** as a testimony against them.'" So put all that together and this could be a way of saying, "God has pulled me out of this mess we're all trapped in, and now I'm running headlong into the world's mocking and criticism to tell you what I know, but if you refuse to listen, then the consequences are on your own heads." Kind of a sobering way to close an album. |
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