All Delighted People

" a dramatic homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui, and Paul Simon’s "Sounds of Silence." http://sufjanstevens.bandcamp.com/album/all-delighted-people-ep

"The track concludes with two refrains, both sung by a celestial choir of voices. These, in my opinion, encapsulate the song’s theme. The first is fairly self-explanatory, “When the world’s come and gone shall we follow our transgressions, or shall we stand strong?” The second refrain, “Suffer not the child among you or shall you die young,” has a more cryptic message. Stevens hints at two different Biblical teachings, both from the book of Matthew: “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” and another which states “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven“. I believe he’s alluding to the choice that is at the foundation of the Christian tradition, whether to be bound by the things of the world or to enter paradise with child-like faith and innocence. It’s a choice which Stevens struggles with throughout the track."

• http://musicforants.com/blog/?p=5216

This really reminds me of Kierkegaard.

Humanity and one of them separate with pains and knowledge enough to ache. Perhaps Jesus?

I fixed the lyrics. This was displaying the 2010 lyrics, and this page is about the 2000 version released on "Eye of the Beholder Vol. 1". The 2010 version can be found here for you guys: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858841376/

While saying "perhaps Jesus?" to any Sufjan song is not a bad approach, I don't think this song is inherently about Jesus or even Christianity. I think that this song's about the isolation people feel. But he uses the weirdest metaphor... lonely people wrapping themselves in afghans, to the point that you can't tell who they are anymore. So all these sad people are isolated because they close themselves off from the world. And what Sufjan says in the second stanza, I think, is that although your sorrows feel monumental and specific for you, someone will "know enough [about your sorrow] to ache", presumably with you if you can manage to get yourself out of the afghan.

On a lighter note, whenever I wrap myself up in an afghan my hair is static-y.

lyrics correction ? - this is what i hear:

"where the air can never feel their face one of them has happened to have past, one of them will know enough to ask (act?)"

*passed

These aren't the right lyrics. I watched him perform this last night, I'll review my video and see if I can make out what he's saying.

Unless this is something else altogether? I didn't notice that date in which it was posted.