| Sufjan Stevens – I Walked Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Like a lot of his songs, this one has Jesus written all over it. Whether the "I" is referring to Sufjan himself or Royal Roberston or someone else, the "you" and "lover" is definitely Jesus. Like lindsayg said, sufjan referenced newton's law of motion before preforming this song live when I saw him and it makes sense from a christian view- Jesus died so we could live, and as a Christian you die to yourself to live for him which is referenced in the second line "I'm already dead to you." "I walk because you walked" expresses the life of Jesus giving life to others and "but I porbably won't get very far" shows human inability to do anything without God. If Sufjan is referencing himself as "I" this song might be about a difficult time when although he knows what he believes, for whom he is living for, and why, it is also a time of spiritual drought where he does not feel God's presence- "Do you think of me now As I think of you?" and also "For when you went away I went crazy." He may be alluding to a time he strayed far from God, but he is now coming back to ask for forgiveness- "But I've come to explain Why I left such a mess on the floor." |
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| Sufjan Stevens – Vesuvius Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Even though light and fire are biblical symbols for truth and God, I actually think the volcano symbolizes evil and Satan. I really don't think it's about following God as much it is about his internal battle and consideration to just follow his natural instincts over God. The volcano might represent a pathway to the center of the earth. From a Christian viewpoint, we are separated from God on earth so the center of the earth (thought to be the physical location of hell in Greek mythology) could represent the essence of separation from God. Vesuvius also represents total destruction since it was the volcano that destroyed Pompeii. So the imagery of the volcano represents the path to evil and destruction. When I saw him live he said this song was about giving into your natural instincts and letting what's pulling you down just take you. From a Christian viewpoint, humans are sinful by nature so giving into natural instincts would be believing lies and giving into evil. You can tell he is expressing confusion in this song between truth and lies. It's such a draining internal battle for him that he considers just giving up and giving into his natural instincts (sin) and letting the mouth of the volcano (evil) swallow him. "Are you a ghost Or the symbols of light Or a fantasy host?" -Shows he is confused about right and wrong, whether it God or Satan, and the difference between his natural/sinful instincts and truth. "Sufjan, follow your heart, Follow the flame, Or fall on the floor" —I think of voices going through his head and he doesn’t know which one to believe. This shows his internal struggle between following his heart (his natural sinful instincts), following the flame (or truth), or falling on the floor (not choosing either and failing by default). |
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