| Sufjan Stevens – The Owl and the Tanager Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| The Tanager is a Western bird, and it's predator is the Owl. Maybe the relationship it insinuates is a predatory relationship? Where one preys on the other? And as the other preys, the relationship is waiting to die. I have always seen the "cage" as a place of being trapped, where the Tanager cannot escape it's death from the Owl. To me the image of blood means something costly, like a sacrifice, or something painful. It could be romantic, or could it not be. It could be any relationship with a human being where you feel trapped and preyed upon. I think it's written to not be understood, or vague so multiple people can relate. I could be wrong though. Just an opinion. | |
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.