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All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace! Lyrics
All good thoughts of righteousness
Is not the kind of thoughts in spite of greatness
Often not the State is advocation
If we form a power of recognition
Forget loss and perfect advocation
If it drops or stays in convocation
All we praise is all we want in commerce
All we praise is parties, foreign commerce
Entertain ideas of great communion
Shelter not materials in union
(All we praise is not the kind of commerce
That’s the right solution!)
All good thoughts is not the act of doing
What we want but what we should improving
Properties, ideas, a woman's pleasure
Is empowered by love, a perfect measure!
(All we praise is not the kind of commerce
That’s the right solution!)
Is not the kind of thoughts in spite of greatness
Often not the State is advocation
If we form a power of recognition
If it drops or stays in convocation
All we praise is all we want in commerce
All we praise is parties, foreign commerce
Entertain ideas of great communion
Shelter not materials in union
(All we praise is not the kind of commerce
That’s the right solution!)
What we want but what we should improving
Properties, ideas, a woman's pleasure
Is empowered by love, a perfect measure!
(All we praise is not the kind of commerce
That’s the right solution!)
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I think this song, as the title suggests, is about working together to change a community or government.
"All good thoughts in spite of righteousness, is not the kind of thoughts in spite of greatness" means that it is not enough just to think good thoughts, no matter how "great" those thoughts might be.
"Often not the State is advocation, if we form a power of recognition." This means that if we work together we can change things even more so than the government (State).
He then laments our materialistic capitalistic outview on life. "All we praise is all we want in commerce. All we praise is parties, foreign commerce." The second line there refers to our reverence for political parties who will not make the kind of changes we want.
"Entertain ideas of great communion, shelter not materials in union. All we praise is not the kind of commerce. That's the right solution!" These lines say we must work together (communion) not for capitalist purposes (not materials) but for something other than "commerce," something greater and more important. That's the right solution!
Right on Sufjan!
this song was inspired by a time when sufjan was in high school marching band and they played on the capital steps...
this song is absolutely a must download for every sufjan stevens listener. the musical arrangements on each of his songs are breathtaking..
Also the lyrics posted here are not complete. They continue on like this:
"All good thoughts is not the act of doing What we want but what we should improving Properties, ideas, a woman's pleasure is empowered by love, a perfect measure!"
Nice interpretation, Lunatic. I agree.
i think this song really needs another comment right about now
i looooove the arrangement on this song.
these lyrics are wrong.. but i love this song and it needs more love and attention.
this song is indescribable
I would love to hear this song accompanied by a marching band percussion section.