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Prairie Fire That Wanders About Lyrics

Peoria! Destroyia!
Infinity! Divinity!

For Lydia! Octavia!
And Jack-of-Trades!
The Cubs! Hooray!

The Opera House
Where Emma sang!
America! Oh will it play?

And Santa Clause!
The Great Parade!
Peoria!
You have it made!

Into the crossfire
Faithfully run
Middle America
One on one
Peoria!
We saddle the fun times
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Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

I made a login just for this song. I'll explain some of this since I am sitting in Peoria right now!

Lydia refers to Lydia Moss Bradley who founded the college that I am at right now (Bradley University). The cubs have a single A team here in Peoria. Emma Abbot was a famous opera singer from Peoria. About Santa i'm not sure, but there is a Festival of Lights every year at christmas, and there is a parade that goes with that.

I hope that helps! I really like this song!

Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

The "And Santa Claus/The Great Parade!" refers to Peoria's Santa Claus parade which is the oldest regularly occuring parade in the nation!

Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

yeah... this song makes me want to go to bradley university. my parents both went to bradley and met there.....

if you didnt know... bradley is on the princton review 375 or 365 or whatever number it is best schools... so check it out! it is very pretty and is located in a very nice town... peoria!

Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

I met my wife in Bradley University...

Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

yes, and the music is Christmassy

Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

i went to bradley u! go braves! makes this song a bit more special to me.

Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

Into the crossfire Faithfully run Middle America One on one Peoria! We saddle the fun times

What does this mean i ask? Middle America One on One?? is this something with economics? i remember his other song Lint being about economics Peoria sounds a bit like Utopia

Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

What about Octavia and Jack-of-Trades?

@liesse00 These are guesses, but:

Jack-of-Trades makes me think of Jack Brickhouse, especially given the proximity to the Cubs reference. He was a Peoria native, and in addition to his sportscasting career he has been called a jack-of-trades because he did many other types of radio programming.

Octavia may be Octavia Geans Vivian, who lived in Peoria and worked at the Carver Center from about 1951-1961. It's where she met and married C.T. Vivian.

Cover art for Prairie Fire That Wanders About lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

I grew up on the great plains so it makes me think of that overexposed dusty sky and birds in cottonwood trees growing through blank, paint-peeled signage at closed down shopping malls. It makes me think of everything mentioned in the song as something on a faded mural in a sun bleached, overgrown, abandoned parking lot. The melody is kind of sad so it makes me think the things mentioned are being remembered in a way that suggests they are gone or if not gone, not the same anymore. It's sad and nostalgic and still waiting for something. Freeway overpasses, offices, showrooms, assembly lines, floorplans, dealerships, subdivisions, grand openings, billboards, progress, sprawling progress; a prairie fire that wanders about.

My Interpretation
 
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