The Transfiguration Lyrics
His countenance was beatified, his clothing was aflame
Two men appeared; Moses and Elijah came
They were at his side
The prophecy, the legislation spoke of whenever he would die
Of what he should accomplish on the day
Then Peter spoke, to make of them a tabernacle place
A cloud appeared in glory as an accolade
They fell on the ground
A voice arrived, the voice of God
The face of God, covered in a cloud
The voice of God: the most beloved son
Consider what he says to you, consider what's to come
The prophecy was put to death
Was put to death, and so will the Son
And keep your word, disguise the vision till the time has come
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Turn your ear!
Lost in the cloud, a voice: Lamb of God! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Son of God!
I never thought that I would enjoy songs about religion, but Sufjan isn't cheesy or preachy about it at all.
I'm a hardcore atheist but still love this song.
I absolutely adore this song. Being a christian I find this song fabulous.
Sufjan makes religion fun. His well-informed lyrics and nice, um, banjo-ing really make this track solid.
"Two men appeared; Moses and Elijah came They were at his side The prophecy, the legislation spoke of when-EVER he would die"
Moses and Elijah represent the "legislation" or Law (Torah) and the "prophecy" or Prophets (Nevi'im), respectively. These writings foretold the coming of our Messiah (Mashiach) and His ultimate sacrifice (which is once and for-EVER).
Brilliant.
This song is the first I ever heard in 08. Loved him ever since.
I absolutely love this song. It's spiritual, but who cares? The harmonies in the last two and a half minutes are just majestic. Close your eyes and you will feel something inside you light up. A song to love for a lifetime (and then some).
"It's spiritual, but who cares?"- n4398734 i think thats one of the reasons it makes the song so beautiful
"It's spiritual, but who cares?"- n4398734 i think thats one of the reasons it makes the song so beautiful
Gaw, this is a good song indeed. It's based on the very passage in the Bible about the Transfiguration. There are 3, but the closest one to the song is Luke 9:28-36. What a glorious and unabashed ending chorus! Can you imagine Sufjan's songs being sung and performed in churches today? They definitely put me in a more reverent and meditative mood than any contemporary praise song out there..
Luke 9:28-36
The Transfiguration
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters–one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.
awesome awesome awesome.
awesome awesome awesome.
<3 matthew 17:1-9 could you imagine what kind of an experience that was for Peter John and James..to see Moses and Elijah? WOW.
<3 matthew 17:1-9 could you imagine what kind of an experience that was for Peter John and James..to see Moses and Elijah? WOW.
the greatest song on "seven swans." i didn't know he was religious.. i'm pretty happy to find it out reading on here. he has a way of lighting everything up.
also.
am i the only person who hears both "chicago" and "the predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us!" in the chorus of this song? i might just be crazy, but i hear it every time i listen to this song.
You might still be crazy, but yes the first thing I thought was "Hey, it's like Chicago, only with banjo!"
You might still be crazy, but yes the first thing I thought was "Hey, it's like Chicago, only with banjo!"
Listen to "Sleeping Bear, Sault Sainte-Marie" off of Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State. It has a similar harmonic progression. Sufjan seems to repeat a lot of lyrical and musical motifs between and across his Å“uvre, and it's very interesting to hold them in dialogue with one another.
Listen to "Sleeping Bear, Sault Sainte-Marie" off of Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State. It has a similar harmonic progression. Sufjan seems to repeat a lot of lyrical and musical motifs between and across his Å“uvre, and it's very interesting to hold them in dialogue with one another.
I agree, i think we should be singing Sufjan's songs in church, they are so honest. I also hear the Chicago and the Predatory Wasp. I think he likes to use similar melodies and time signitures in a lot of his songs.
i only heard chicago but now that i listen to it more i hear preadtory wasp too. I think its weird that Illinois comes out later than this album and he takes two tunes from one song and makes two songs on Illinois.
That might sound really weird but im bad at puttin my thoughts in writing. it sounds right to me